A novel longlisted for the Russian Prize for 2011. A new recruit to the Moscow Investigative Committee investigates the murder of a famous theater critic - a crime that has become only the first link in a chain of unsolved murders of celebrities. Murders that shocked society and led to a series of dramatic events. The problem is that the investigator, who ended up in the ranks of the Investigative Committee by chance, is completely unprepared not only for such dizzying investigations, but even for the internal intrigues usual for organizations of this level. And then there’s the family drama...So who is killing the capital’s “stars”? And what role will the “gray mouse” - an ordinary investigator - have to play in solving mysterious crimes?