Description

Three murders disrupt spring in Bucharest in this spy novel. Major Panait and senior lieutenants Lucian and Frunza investigate for the Securitate. The killer used similar methods against three seemingly unconnected men. All three spoke German and enjoyed chess and solving hard chess problems.

Meanwhile, someone forces a Romanian sailor in Piraeus to send a letter. Its intended reader is one of the dead men. The Securitate obtains it and finds orders for a new mission. The letter reveals that at least one victim was a foreign sleeper agent. The plot blends a murder case with a tale of espionage.

Haralamb Zinca was the pen name of Hary Isac Zilberman. Born in Roman on 4 July 1923, he wrote over 50 crime and spy novels. He also wrote war diaries and works of historical research. He holds a founding place in Romanian crime and spy fiction. This novel is regarded as the first spy book by a Romanian author. This edition forms part of a series devoted to his work.

Zinca ranked among the bestselling Romanian writers of his time. Print runs of 250,000 to 300,000 copies sold out within days. Professional investigators sought his help with real cases. He won the Bucharest Writers’ Association prize for his documentary book Si a fost ora H in 1971. He also won the Writers’ Union prize in 1976. He died in Bucharest on 24 December 2008 after a long illness.