Evgeny Petrovich Karnovich (1823–1885) is an outstanding Russian historian and writer. The author of many interesting works on Russian history, he is also known for his fictional works, in which he describes historical events and draws portraits of historical figures, based on real documents, letters and memories of participants in the events. Two works of the writer are published in this volume. The historical novel “The Peril” is dedicated to a secret page of Russian history - the “Lopukhin affair”, the “conspiracy” of the court ladies against Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. At the center of the story is a tangle of palace, political, and love intrigues, the victims of which were innocent people. Based on documentary sources, the novel reliably recreates the life, customs and destinies of people of the Elizabethan era. The story “Trouble in St. Petersburg” is also a story, the story of the first brothel in Russia.