- An atmospheric mystery set in St Petersburg in the winter of 1867 sees detective Porfiry Petrovich taking his first murder case since Dostoevsky"s "Crime and Punishment". When two frozen bodies are found in a park, he begins to suspect that the truth may be more complex than others wish him to believe, as his investigations lead him to a shocking discovery which reveals the city"s darkest secrets. "A Gentle Axe" is utterly absorbing and tense from its dramatic opening through to its shocking climax.