Nikolay Pinskiy

A struggling writer in 1930s Soviet Moscow finds his life transformed when a mysterious professor arrives with his bizarre entourage, including a wisecracking trickster, a deadly assassin, a vampire maid, and a giant talking black cat, turning the city upside down while exposing the hypocrisy of those in power.

1927. Trans-Siberian Express. Secret documents that will determine the future of the USSR and China are being transported across Russia. Under the guise of ordinary passengers, foreign intelligence officers and real thugs are hiding, ready to do anything for the sake of documents. A young Red Army soldier and a former Tsarist agent have to team up to uncover a common enemy.

21-year-old Lidia Litvyak is a fighter pilot in an aviation regiment. Along with her comrades, she flies missions in the most intense sectors of the front, participating in fierce air battles and proving herself one of the most effective aces. In the regiment, she becomes involved with the pilot Alexei Solomatin. Combat victories, losses and personal torments do not change the heroine's strong character, which forever inscribes Lidia Litvyak's name in the history of aviation.

Grigory, the son of an oligarch, is fully rehabilitated after his humbling experience as a 19th-century serf. Moreover, he develops a strong sense of moral justice. When he meets a pampered young socialite named Katya, he is abhorred by her insolent escapades. Grigory transports Katya “back in time” to teach her a valuable lesson about humility.

Police Major Igor Grom is known throughout St. Petersburg for his punchy character and uncompromising attitude towards criminals of all stripes. Incredible strength, analytical mindset and integrity — all this makes Major Thunder a real superhero. His life is perfect: during the day he catches criminals with his partner Dima Dubin, and spends the evenings in the company of journalist Yulia Pchelkina. The complete idyll is interrupted by the appearance in the city of a mysterious villain calling himself a Ghost. He offers Thunder to play a dangerous game, the stake in which is the lives of ordinary people.

He killed and went unpunished for more than ten years, and more than fifty people died at his hands. An innocent man was convicted and shot instead. For a long time, the murders he committed could not be combined into one case. Maniacs of this caliber simply did not exist in the USSR, so law enforcement agencies were not ready to fight the "Rabid Beast", as journalists later dubbed it. Vigilantes, police officers, investigators from the prosecutor's office, psychiatrists were involved in the capture of Chikatilo, and new investigative techniques were developed that will help save innocent people.