"The Mafia Gathers at Midnight" by Elena Nesterina, summary Automatic translate

This book is a detective novel for young adults, written in 2001. The plot revolves around a group of schoolchildren at a summer camp who, for fun, form their own secret society but suddenly find themselves embroiled in the investigation of very real crimes. The novel is notable for its detailed recreation of the unique atmosphere of a summer camp in the early 2000s, with its characteristic children’s folklore, games, and genuine friendships.

In 2005, a feature film of the same name was made based on this story.

This story is the first book in the "The Fairest Mafia" series. This well-known children’s detective series also includes "The Mafia Makes a Meeting," "The Mafia Against the Indians," "The Mafia Writes an Opera," and "The Mafia Against the Dark Forces."

Night alarm at Zorka

The events begin at the Zorka summer camp. Late at night, Galya, a young counselor from the fifth group, is awakened by a strange knocking on the window. She believes a dangerous maniac or the annoying gym teacher Valery is prowling outside. Panicked, Galya runs out into the yard, finds no one there, and screams into the darkness, "Valery, get out of here! Go to sleep!" Then she builds a barricade of suitcases in the closet and puts a bucket over her head.

In fact, the instigators of this commotion were schoolchildren Arina Balovantseva and Kostya Shibay. They tied a head of garlic to a string and tugged it from ambush to play a prank on their overly pedantic teacher. They borrowed the garlic from their friend Anton Mylchenko, nicknamed Humanoid, who sincerely believed in vampires living nearby. The children were tired of Galya’s endless nagging, forcing them to march in formation, and wanted a little freedom.

The beginning of the big game

It was a rainy shift, and the camp’s entertainer had gone on maternity leave. To occupy the bored children, camp director Anatoly Evgenievich decided to introduce a large-scale game called "Redivision of the World." Borrowing rules from his neighbors, he divides the entire camp into "countries." Each group is given the status of a separate state, living by its own laws and earning camp currency — "zorks" — for community service and crafts.

The fifth squad is assigned Finland. The energetic Angela is elected president, and Arina becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs. Kostya becomes Minister of Finance, and the dreamy Anton Mylchenko becomes Minister of Mining and Extractive Industries. The boys hope to get rich, but Finland quickly finds itself an economic underdog. Arina’s suggestions to open an underground casino or betting operation are firmly rejected by the teachers.

The situation escalates when Arina’s mother brings her a bag of takeout from a popular fast food restaurant. The friends decide to heat up the burgers in the kitchen microwave with the help of the cook. That same day, four heavy packages of crab sticks, each weighing eight kilograms, disappear from the warehouse without a trace. Canteen manager Valentina Spiridonovna and the tight-fisted quartermaster Nikolai Petrovich notice the boys munching and accuse them of theft.

Although the camp’s assistant chef confirms the children’s claims about the reheated hamburgers, the camp administration remains suspicious. Soon, more thefts occur at the camp: frozen chicken legs and clotheslines disappear. To catch the mysterious thief, the director creates a secret Interpol force of trusted campers, including Angela, representing Finland.

Brotherhood of the White Hand

Trying to escape boredom and constant surveillance, Arina finds a hatch in the suitcase closet leading to a dark, dusty attic. Late at night, the four friends sneak in, tell scary stories, and set up their headquarters. However, Angela tracks their return to the building and reports them to the counselors. As punishment for breaking the rules, the boys are deprived of a field trip and sent to peel potatoes.

Locked in a kitchen, the schoolchildren decide to take the investigation into their own hands to find the true culprit and exonerate themselves. They form their own secret society — the Brotherhood of the White Hand. Arina is unanimously recognized as their leader. At Anton’s suggestion, the participants perform a ceremonial ritual: they press a hot candle to their palms, leaving identical circular burns as a sign of their loyalty to the union.

To test one of the prime suspects, the gluttonous Lenya Rusty, the mafia organizes a hamster race. Kostya and Arina construct treadmills out of boxes on a remote table tennis table under the pine trees. They use trained hamsters from the petting zoo. The secret to their success lies in Kostya’s sleight of hand, who seamlessly changes the colored ribbons on the animals’ necks, helping the fastest hamster win.

During the competition, Zoya Redkina serves as bait. She wins a large sum of "zoreki" and dramatically scatters a paper fan in front of Lyonya. However, Rzhavyi honestly collects the currency and returns it to Zoya, thereby completely clearing himself of any mafia suspicions. That same evening, Fedya Gorobets, a representative of the Polish detachment, begins closely monitoring Arina.

The kidnapping of a minister

The next day, Arina’s older brothers, Zakhar and Stasik, come to visit. Breaking camp rules, Arina goes with them to a clearing to light a fire and roast sausages. Zakhar notices gnawed chicken bones on the fire pit, clearly left there by someone earlier. Rushing to a ministerial meeting, Arina returns through a hole in the fence, where an enraged Galya catches her.

The counselors accuse Arina of repeat violations and suspect her of eating stolen chicken legs. President Angela orders the girl to be placed under arrest in an empty recreation room. Kostya and Zoya manage to communicate with her through the window, accidentally breaking the glass. Arina passes them a note with a cunning plan for her release and to save her reputation.

On Arina’s advice, her friends publish a scathing article in the camp newspaper, Zorka-Press, about the arbitrary actions of the Finnish authorities. During nap time, masked men attack Arina’s guards and take her captive. Galya soon finds a ransom note demanding five thousand "zorekas." Horrified, the counselors agree to the kidnappers’ terms, fearing for their careers. Finland takes out a large loan from wealthy India.

Hiding outside the camp, Arina sees the caretaker Petrovich and the businessman Andrei at the service gate. The caretaker sells boxes of camp chocolates, "Inspiration" and "Babaevsky," to his accomplice. Arina realizes who the real thief is. When Andrei’s car gets stuck in the mud, the girl quietly removes fourteen boxes of sweets from the trunk and hides them in the bushes.

Meanwhile, the Finnish schoolchildren catch Fedya Gorobets near their building. He is accused of kidnapping Arina and locked in the same break room. Kostya releases Fedya, making him promise to remain silent about what’s happening, so as not to expose the counselors to the wrath of the principal.

Dinosaur in a pit

Meanwhile, Anton Mylchenko is digging a deep hole on the outskirts of the camp with a fire shovel. He stumbles upon a hard, round object and believes he’s found the bone of an ancient lizard. Suddenly, Petrovich appears at the site, searching for the missing chocolate boxes from the car. The caretaker, realizing the children have uncovered his scheme, raises the shovel over the terrified Anton.

The camp counselors and Arina arrived just in time to stop Petrovich. The caretaker cowardly defended himself, claiming he was only helping the boy escape the pit. A terrified Galya became convinced that the caretaker was a maniac, under the influence of mysterious cosmic forces or the harmful radiation of an ancient bone.

The Great Hoax

A new computer, monitor, and printer disappear without a trace from Director Anatoly Evgenievich’s office. To expose the caretaker, the mafia leaves the chocolate stolen from Andrey on the director’s porch with a confession note from Petrovich. However, the cunning caretaker manages to convince the camp director that it was a cruel prank by the children and regains the trust of the management.

Then Arina decides to play a more subtle trick. It turns out that the "dinosaur bone" Anton found is an ordinary old railroad tie. The schoolchildren coat the wood with clay from their art class and let it dry. Historian Natalya Semyonovna examines the "fossil" and, dreaming of archaeological glory, promises to give ten thousand "zoreki" (zorek) for it at the Labor Exchange.

Rumors of the precious find reach Petrovich. He decides to buy the "bone" from the children for real money, so he can resell it to the museum at a profit and pay Andrei off. Arina and Kostya agree and sell the clay railroad tie, wrapped in garbage bags, to the caretaker for fifty dollars, the equivalent of rubles. A satisfied Petrovich loads his purchase into Andrei’s car.

The mafia fills the hole, faking a cave-in to buy time. Later, the counselors catch Petrovich digging at night. Galya cautiously peeks out from behind her partner and squeals fearfully, "Return to the light, to the truth!" urging the caretaker to stop this dangerous activity. The boys then sneak into the caretaker’s trailer through the window and find a hidden computer: the monitor is under a pile of rags, the processor is under the bed, and the printer is in a bag on a hanger. They immediately report their discovery to Anatoly Evgenievich.

The triumph of justice

Meanwhile, Andrei delivers the "bone" to an antique dealer he knows. Along the way, the clay crumbles, revealing a wooden railroad tie. The enraged businessman beats Petrovich with the same tie and demands he hand over the computer for free. At the camp gate, their car is stopped by Anatoly Evgenievich. Andrei quickly flees, and the beaten caretaker is taken away for identification and interrogation.

Under the weight of irrefutable evidence, Petrovich confesses to all the thefts. The director fires the thief and donates the confiscated fifty dollars to the camp budget. At the evening assembly, the camp director publicly apologizes to Arina, Kostya, Anton, and Zoya for the false accusations and expresses his gratitude to them. Fedya Gorobets is ceremoniously accepted into the Brotherhood of the White Hand.

Saving Finland

On the eve of the end of the shift, Indian ambassadors demand that Finland repay a debt of four thousand "zoreks" with interest. The group has no currency, Angela is crying, and Galya is afraid of ruining her teaching internship report. The mafia comes to the rescue again. The boys pack their accumulated "zoreks" into a bag, tape it to a hedgehog, and release the animal through the open window of Galya’s room.

Finding a hedgehog with money and a note reading, "Everything will be fine, because the mafia is immortal," Galya finally concludes that this is the work of friendly aliens. Borya counts the currency, and Finland successfully pays off its national debt. The shift ends with universal reconciliation, and the Brotherhood of the White Hand celebrates its final victory.