A summary of "Death on Brotherhood" by Boris Akunin

This spy thriller about the secret confrontation between Russian and German intelligence was created between 2007 and 2011. The text is formatted like a silent film script. Chapters are called "films," and the narrative is accompanied by stage directions. The author blends elements of historical drama with adventure. The events span the period of World War I. The plot is dynamic, with the pace of action constantly increasing. The reader sees the underbelly of intelligence work. The main characters use dirty tricks to achieve their goals.

The work was published as a single volume. The book collects ten stories from the "Death on Brotherhood" cycle. The volume contains the following texts: "The Child and the Devil," "The Torment of a Broken Heart," "The Flying Elephant," "Children of the Moon," "A Strange Man," "Let the Thunder of Victory Resound!", "Maria, Maria…," "Nothing Sacred," "Operation Transit," and "Battalion of Angels."

The Baby and the Devil

July 1914. Staff Captain Lavr Kozlovsky captures German resident Joseph von Theophels in St. Petersburg. Mathematics student Alexei Romanov accidentally intervenes in the arrest operation, the so-called "wolf hunt." The German spy escapes, leaving counterintelligence in the dust. Von Theophels plans to steal a secret Russian troop mobilization plan.

A German infiltrates the Guards Corps’ secure compound during a football match. He retrieves classified documents from a clever stash hidden behind a silver icon. Romanov attempts to stop the saboteur at a railroad crossing but fails. Seeking redemption, the young man offers his services to domestic counterintelligence.

The agony of a broken heart

In the autumn of the first year of the war, Alexei, abandoned by his fiancée Sima, volunteers for the front. He suffers a serious injury to his right arm near the Blumenfeld estate. Returning home an invalid, the despairing young man decides to shoot himself. The vigilant Kozlovsky stops him in time. The prince takes Alexei to Switzerland.

A Russian task force is tasked with stealing a file of agents from businessman Sommer, the cunning owner of a spy exchange in the town of San Placido. Romanov poses as a singer, entertaining the crowd at a local restaurant with old ballads. The operation is thwarted by the brazen interference of Austrian competitors. Sommer is killed, and the safe is emptied. Alexei is saved, having suffered a cruel betrayal from his new love, Klara.

Flying elephant

Spring 1915. The German command is seriously concerned about the appearance of the Russian heavy bomber Ilya Muromets. Von Theofels successfully infiltrates the Special Air Detachment under the guise of the American pilot Dolokhov. He needs to discredit the aircraft before an inspection by Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich.

A German treacherously seduces the naive fiancée of mechanic Stepkin. A saboteur smuggles a flammable substance on board. A massive fire breaks out in the air, and the crew suffers terrible burns. Experienced pilots struggle to land the damaged aircraft at the airfield. After inspecting the charred aircraft, the commander-in-chief flatly rejects mass production of multi-engine giants. Theophels successfully steals the light aircraft back to his own forces.

Children of the Moon

Secret plans of artillery positions regularly fall into enemy hands. General Zhukovsky assigns Alexei Romanov an urgent investigation. The evidence points to Alina Shakhova, the daughter of a lieutenant colonel in the Main Artillery Directorate. Alexei infiltrates the decadent "Children of the Moon" club and tracks down a drug-addicted girl.

The real spy turns out to be Alina’s biological father. The corrupt officer was selling blueprints, planning to kill his sick daughter to cover up the evidence. Alexei tracks the traitor to an empty warehouse. Romanov saves the young lady from a surefire bullet. Lieutenant Colonel Shakhov is brutally coerced into becoming a double agent, regularly disseminating information to German headquarters.

Strange man

In the winter of 1915, von Theofels received a strict order to eliminate the head of counterintelligence, Zhukovsky. The German cleverly staged the suicide of deputy Zaitsevich, planting false evidence. The general lost his high position. Theofels then plotted to assassinate the tsar with the help of Russian fanatics.

The major approaches Grigori Rasputin, posing as the wealthy Siberian merchant Bazarov. A group of mercenaries attempts to kidnap and drown the "Wanderer." Theophels boldly rescues him, winning the eccentric old man’s complete trust. The well-thought-out operation unexpectedly fails due to the clumsy intervention of Princess Vereiskaya. The rescued Rasputin prophesies the imminent demise of the Russian Empire.

Thunder of victory, resound

Spring 1916. Russian troops are secretly preparing a large-scale offensive on the Southwestern Front. Romanov, heading the division’s counterintelligence, uncovers Austrian courier contacts. They turn out to be a military bathhouse attendant named Petrenko and a local village schoolteacher. Alexei cold-bloodedly shoots the courier in the middle of the forest, intercepting a secret encrypted message.

Young warrant officer Vasya Kalinkin tragically dies from a bullet fired by the cunning Petrenko. Romanov stages a false audit of staff documents, feeding the Austrians false information about the direction of the massive attack. The Brusilov Offensive ends in a resounding victory. Alexei receives the St. George Cross. The young counterintelligence officer forever loses his youthful illusions about the rules of fair war.

"Maria", Maria

Autumn 1916. Theophels secretly arrives in Sevastopol to forcibly destroy the battleship Empress Maria. The major meets the ship’s captain’s daughter, Masha Kozeltsova. The girl’s face is severely disfigured by a huge birthmark. The lonely Masha falls deeply in love with the gallant spy.

She trustingly leads the "engineer" aboard the ship. The German hides a tiny Chinese saboteur in a massive toolbox. In the dead of night, the silent Chinese man plants a charge in the powder magazine. In the morning, a powerful explosion completely destroys the battleship. Deceived, Masha realizes her terrible guilt. The girl commits suicide. Theophels successfully escapes the besieged city.

Nothing is sacred

November 1916. Romanov thoroughly inspects the imperial train’s security system. He discovers gaping holes in the royal convoy’s schedule. A German combat cell is plotting to derail the train in a forested area. Chamberlain Sternberg throws the encrypted train schedule out the window. Saboteurs unscrew the steel rails.

The Tsar’s train narrowly escapes certain destruction, but the special escort train is derailed. Romanov’s carriage flips upside down. Alexei engages in a fierce firefight with Theofels and is wounded in the throat. The Germans quickly retreat, leaving behind the bodies of their dead fighters.

Operation Transit

Spring 1917. Zurich. The German command secretly sponsors the return of Bolshevik leader Lenin to Russia. Theofels is personally responsible for the security of the "sealed wagon." Russian agents are preparing the physical elimination of the dangerous political emigrant.

The major begins an affair with socialist Antonina Krayevskaya, cunningly tracking the movements of the armed guards. Ensign Leontovich and detective Shishko attempt to shoot Lenin on a steep stone staircase. The murdered figure turns out to be a disguised double. The real leader safely returns to his homeland to lead the proletarian revolution. The duped detectives are left with nothing.

Battalion of Angels

Summer 1917. The army is crumbling under the destructive influence of Bolshevik rallies. Romanov serves as an instructor in the Women’s Death Shock Battalion. Commander Maria Bocharova persistently trains the inexperienced girls to break through German lines. Romanov teaches volunteers accurate sniper marksmanship and the basics of hand-to-hand combat. In July, the women’s battalion launches a hopeless attack near Smorgon.

The male regiments cowardly refuse to leave the trenches. Embittered soldiers mock the female shock troops. Women die en masse under the heavy fire of German artillery. Romanov is gravely wounded. The epilogue shows 1918. Alexei commands the red armored train "Uritsky" under the name Kakashkin.