The Russia Account

Imagine a Rei Shimura mystery dropped into the business world and you have Anniina Tarasova’s debut novel, The Russia Account. The main character, Reija Wren, is a hardnosed yet blithe, imperfect heroine, whose job as an internal auditor-cum-corporate detective in the Russian subsidiary of a Finnish company takes a deadly turn.

Reija Wren receives the chance of a lifetime when she’s assigned to travel to St. Petersburg to conduct an internal audit for her company. After years of having her career languish in the shadow of her father, the chairman of the corporation, Reija now leaves her pleasant yet bland fiancé in Finland to plan their wedding, while she dives headfirst into the champagne-soaked expatriate community of St. Petersburg. But as Reija’s investigation proceeds, the assignment turns dangerous and friends transform into enemies.

The Russia Account is a blithe and original depiction of a hard-nosed woman making her way in the business world. Part career woman, part detective, and part Rei Shimura or Bridget Jones, Reija is ambitious, fearless, and imperfect. At work she tracks every decimal point and crosschecks every sum, but in her free time you’ll find Reija at the poker table with a beer in her hand and a cigar in her mouth.