Murder a la Russe

Meet Russian immigrant Natalya Denisove: belly dancer, computer software engineer, and would-be murder mystery writer. Her precocious young son Leo is appalled when he sneaks a look at her first work-in-progress. He secretly corrects her grammar and improves her plot. But when real people who resemble the murdered characters in her books either die or suffer serious mishaps, the Russian community begins to suspect she has another, more sinister talent.

Meet Russian immigrant Natalya Denisove: belly dancer, computer software engineer, and would-be murder mystery writer. Her precocious young son Leo is appalled when he sneaks a look at her first work-in-progress. He secretly corrects her grammar and improves her plots, all of which involve poisoning through Russian culinary dishes. But when real people who resemble the murdered characters in her books either die or suffer serious mishaps, the Russian community begins to suspect she has another, more sinister talent. The Russian community accuses Natalya of possessing the Evil Eye of Belarus, an ability to cause harm merely by thought. Natalya dismisses this accusation, and goes on to great sales and a Russian cooking show on Food TV. She appears to have reached a pinnacle of success when she receives an award from Sisters In Crime. But her award is quickly followed by news of a death that might have serious real-life consquences.

Esta Fischer's short stories have been published in print journals and ezines including The Hurricane Review, Eclipse, The Gihon River Review, The Broome Review, Colere, The Write Room, Single Solitary Thought, The Four-Cornered Universe, and Bluestem.