"The Hour Before Dawn" by Tatyana Korsakova, summary Automatic translate

Tatyana Korsakova’s 2013 mystical detective novel "The Hour Before Dawn" concludes the "Darkest Night" duology. The book tells the story of four friends’ return to an abandoned estate near Moscow, where the lover of one of them died thirteen years earlier. The book is notable for its interweaving of ancient Shapovalov family legends with the fates of modern-day heroes forced to confront otherworldly forces in a remote provincial estate.

Meeting old friends and inviting

Successful Moscow entrepreneur Denis Kireev returns to the stuffy capital after a grueling stint abroad. He’s just signed a lucrative contract in Helsinki and finally closed a complex deal. His personal life is in tatters. He recently filed for divorce from his unloved wife, as his heart still belongs to Ksanka. This fragile, blue-eyed woman died tragically thirteen years ago at the Witches’ Cove. Denis searched in vain for her grave for years, but never found any trace of it.

Right at the door of Denis’s apartment, his old friend Vasily Galyanov, nicknamed "Galyano," arrives unannounced and greets him. The once pimply provincial boy has transformed over the years into a sophisticated, urban dandy, reeking of expensive perfume. Having abandoned his former dubious business, Vasily has opened his own psychoanalytic practice. He confidentially informs his friend that he has discovered rare mediumistic abilities and has learned to communicate with the souls of the dead during spiritualistic séances.

Denis asks Galliano to help him establish contact with the spirit of the deceased Ksanka. During a seance with candles and a crystal ball, Vasily suddenly falls into a deep trance. In the depths of the glass, the Miracle of Smolensk, an old spreading oak tree, and a coffin filled with gold slowly rising from the ground appear. A charred corpse with blue flames in its eye sockets sits atop the treasure, inviting the medium to take his place in his eternal post.

That same evening, the friends go to a restaurant, where the waiter unexpectedly hands them unusual black envelopes with wax seals. The oligarch Stepan Tuchnikov, their fourth comrade, nicknamed "Tucha," invites the friends to spend a few weeks at the restored "Wolves and Boars" estate in the village of Makeyevka. Stepan has inherited his father’s vast business and now lives a secluded life on his own island, hiding from the press.

At the restaurant, they unexpectedly encounter Matvey Plakhov, the third member of their youth group. Matvey has opened a small detective agency and also received an invitation from Tucha. A certain secretary, Alex Knit, has hired Plakhov to investigate a case related to events that happened thirteen years ago. Matvey’s wife, cardiac surgeon Alena, has flown off to Canada for a three-month internship, so he eagerly agrees to go with his friends.

The next day, the men set off for Makeyevka in two cars. Along the way, they recall the harsh discipline and barracks-like drill of camp director Anton Shapovalov. After Ksanka’s tragic death, the camp was closed, and the estate stood abandoned for a long time. Stepan recently rented the building and completely restored it.

Investigation at the estate

At the gates of the restored estate, the heroes are met by secretary Alex Knit, an attractive blonde. She shares shocking news. Exactly forty days ago, Maxim Suvorov, their former squad leader, was brutally murdered near Chudovaya Gari. He was found with a fractured skull, and local police still have no clue about the perpetrator.

Stepan, who has lost a lot of weight and uses a cane due to knee pain, warmly welcomes his old friends. His fiancée, Angelina, also lives at the estate. Lena, the widow of the murdered Suvorov, a doctor, is overseeing the oligarch’s rehabilitation. A quiet young woman, Lesya, who serves as the archivist, is researching the history of the ancient estate complex.

Aunt Lida, the local cook, tells Matvey the details of Suvorov’s life. After a severe head injury, Maxim changed, became aggressive, and started drinking. A year ago, Stepan treated him and hired him as a guard at the estate. Shortly before his death, Maxim snapped, leaving his post and disappearing for hours into the forest fires, returning covered in ash.

Dan, Matvey, and Galliano decide to investigate the crime scene themselves. Using Galliano’s intuitive navigation system, they reach the Miracle Fire. This eerie, scorched place brings back painful memories. Suddenly, Matvey spots the ghost of a little boy in a white shirt among the trees. The child silently beckons him to follow, then points to the ground, as if trying to show him something important.

At the site where the ghost stood, Stepan later finds an antique trefoil-shaped medallion. This pendant belonged to Ksanka. Dan wears it around his neck as a memento of his beloved.

Archivist Lesya brings an old photo album of the Shapovalovs, retrieved from the museum’s storerooms. The photos depict the estate’s founder, Count Vladimir, his sons Andrei, and the dark-haired, piercing-blue-eyed Ignat. Andrei’s wife, Zoya, is wearing the very same trefoil medallion. Zoya bears a striking resemblance to Ksanka.

The Mystery of the Age-Old Curse

Stepan shows his friends Andrei Shapovalov’s diary, which he secretly took thirteen years ago. The entries reveal the family’s tragic history. In 1918, Ignat Shapovalov, who had joined the Reds under the name "Miracle," killed his brother Andrei for gold and his passion for Zoya.

The local healer Leshak (Dmitry Serov) saved Andrei’s young son, Sasha. At the Chudova fire, Leshak burned Ignat and his witch mother, but Zoya died under the hooves of horses. Sasha was badly burned while saving his mother. Leshak nursed the child back to health and raised him under the name Mitya Serov, passing him off as his nephew.

Every thirteen years, a dark force surges in the burnt-out area, and the Miracle attempts to rise again. In 1931, the Miracle subdued Mitya and killed his wife, Masha, but Mitya managed to hide the coffin containing the gold. In 1944, Yefim Solovyov (the gardener Ilyich’s grandfather) hanged Leshak, and the Miracle forced Mitya to strangle his daughter, Anna. Anna’s daughter, Liza, committed suicide in the backwater in 1970 to escape the Miracle’s possession. Her daughter, Ksanka, inherited the ability of telekinesis and the witch’s trefoil sign, which indicated her ancestry as a member of the Shapovalov family.

Alex’s Revelation

Dan and Matvey search an old abandoned landing stage. In the hold, they discover the number 127 written in blood. Dan realizes this is a reference to Shakespeare’s Sonnet 127, which Ksanka knew by heart. This proves that the girl was alive after that night on the backwater.

Investigator Vasyutin confirms that the drowned woman’s body was not Ksanka’s — her parents identified it from someone else’s corpse under pressure from above. Ksanka was saved by her real father, Alexander Frolov (Tourist), who served in the secret services. He staged her death, took her to the United States, performed plastic surgery, and altered her documents. Ksanka is Alex Knit, who returned under a false name to protect Stepan and put an end to evil.

Gardener Ilyich confesses to Suvorov’s murder. Maxim blackmailed him, knowing about Grandfather Yefim’s hidden gold. Ilyich kidnaps Lena to kill her in the fire, but Dan and Galliano rescue her, and Ilyich is apprehended by the police.

It turns out that Lesya is a descendant of Ignat Shapovalov. She found a wolf knife, which grants power over wolves. Lesya is devoted to Chud and wants to sacrifice Ksanka to bring her great-grandfather back to life. She lures Ksanka to a burning spot, putting her to sleep with a decoction of burning grass.

The final battle and liberation

Angelina, revealed to be the actress she claimed to be, locks Stepan in the cellar for his safety, but Galliano frees him. The friends rush to the Chudova fire. Lesya wounds Ksanka. Hundreds of wolves surround the clearing, but Ksanka, with the last of her strength, holds them back from attacking, expending all her mental energy.

Gar vomits out the coffin containing Chud. Dan realizes that Ksanka won’t be able to simultaneously hold off the wolves and resist Chud’s will. He voluntarily allows the spirit of Leshak (Mitya Serov) into his body.

Leshak’s spirit takes control of Dan’s body, snatches up the boar knife, and plunges it into the remains of the Miracle. Stepan throws powdered char grass into the coffin, and a white flame finally destroys the monster. Leshak’s spirit bids farewell to Ksanka and retires, while Dan regains consciousness.

A grand celebration is being held at the estate, where three weddings are taking place: Dan and Ksanka, Stepan and the pregnant Angelina, and Galliano and Lena. Dan takes Ksanka to the Chudova scorched earth, where the ashes have turned green, and new shoots have sprouted from a century-old dead tree. The curse is broken, and the dark forces have left Makeyevka forever.