“The older Ivan Vasilyevich became, the more difficult it was for him to take part in interrogations. But the more experienced he became, the more clearly he saw that he would not be able to achieve the main goal of life without causing suffering.”V. UsovThe historical novel by V. Usov is a kind of political detective story. The action takes place at the court of Ivan the Terrible. At the center of the story is the intelligence service headed by Vasily Kolychev. This extraordinary man managed to unravel many different intricacies: here are the intrigues of Malyuta Skuratov, the activities of the Tatar and Lithuanian intelligence services, and the clash of power interests of boyar and noble groups.