Elena Topilskaya: biography and bibliography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Fans of the Russian detective must have read books about Masha Shvetsova or watched the series "Secrets of the Investigation". But almost nothing is known about the author of the novels. Who is Elena Topilskaya? Books in order, biography of the author, professional career, work as a screenwriter are described in the article.

Biography

Topilskaya Elena Valentinovna - author of a series of Russian detective stories, screenwriter, lawyer.

The writer was born on January 27, 1959 in the city of Leningrad. Elena Topilskaya dreamed of becoming an investigator, but she could not get into the police school: women were not taken there. She entered the evening department of the law faculty of Leningrad State University to become a public prosecutor, while studying she worked as a court clerk.

Elena got an internship in the investigation department and stayed there for 17 years. She began her career as an intern at the district prosecutor's office and ended as an investigator for particularly important cases. Elena Topilskaya investigated various cases of serial maniacs (including the terrible case of Irtyshov), organized crime.

Her professional activity formed the basis of written novels, in which the main character is a female investigator, and scripts for television series. In 1991, the writer defended her PhD thesis. The theme of her work was the protection of the rights of victims.

In 1998 she took a course on human rights at the University of Essex, in the UK. In 1999 she became a lawyer, and four years later she was awarded for the success of the defense in criminal cases.

Now works as a lawyer and is a professor at the Russian Academy of Justice. Elena Topilskaya has written a number of scientific papers.

Series about Masha Shvetsova

About 20 detective novels were written by Elena Topilskaya. The books of the writer about the woman investigator Masha Shvetsova quickly gained popularity, and almost immediately the shooting of the series “The Secret of the Investigation” began.

• “Dancing with the Cops”, 1998. Collection, which includes two stories: “The Life of the Honest and the Dishonest”, “Remember Death”. In the first book of the series, the author not only reveals the essence of intriguing cases, but also introduces the reader in detail to the life and character of the main character.
• "The Soft Paw of Death", 2001. Since 2003, this novel has been published under the title "White, Black, Scarlet". In this book, Masha Shvetsova, already beloved by readers, investigates the murder of a businessman and his wife.
• "Move from the Queen of Spades", 2001. This time, a female investigator is trying to catch a serial killer, whose victims are found every week in St. Petersburg entrances, next to playing cards.
• “Heroes are not killed”, 2002. Shvetsova unravels a whole tangle of crimes: the kidnapping of a businessman's wife, the robbery of an exchanger, a raid on a jewelry store, the suicide of a famous doctor. All events are mysteriously connected. Who is behind them?
• "Amnesia. Identification, 2002. Since 2003, this novel has been published under the title The Blonde Trap. Another string of murders is sweeping through the city. This time, the victims are young men with blond hair.
• "Fatal role", 2003. A famous actress turns to Masha Shvetsova with a request for help - she is pursued by an unknown person. A few days later, the woman is found dead. What caused the incident - suicide or someone's evil will?
• Sheepskin, 2003. Another puzzle is the murders of young girls, the disappearance of a businessman and the death of his business partner. What a heinous crime happened in the park?
• "Hunting for Vampires", 2003. Before Shvetsova there is a new mystery - bloodless bodies, a man killed with a stake in the heart, theft of corpses from the morgue. Is she dealing with something supernatural?

• "Investigation Mania", 2004. Kidnapping cases are usually the most difficult. Will Masha Shvetsova be able to find a young businessman?
• "Dark forces", 2005. Four young successful women went missing. The fifth should be Masha Shvetsova herself.
• "Criminalistics on Fridays", 2009. There was a brutal murder, but no one seeks to investigate it, because the victim of the crime was a pedophile. The thread of the investigation leads Masha deeper and deeper into the maniac's past. Can sheunearth who is the real villain?
• From Nice with Love, 2009. The investigator goes on holiday to Nice with family and friends. However, crime does not sleep under the sky of France. And the consequences of what happened are reaching St. Petersburg.

Out of series

• "Spanish Night", 2004. This book is about an investigator who fled to Spain.
• "Door to the Mirror", 2005. Investigator Anton Korsakov investigates a mystical murder.
• "Scarlet Mask", 2007. Historical detective story about a young investigator and a mysterious red mask.

In 2007, two books from the "Old Cases" series were published in collaboration with Victoria Zueva. Both books are about the investigations of aspiring detectives.

Publicism, law

• Organized Crime Textbook, 1999.
• "Notes of a Mad Investigator", 2002. Elena Topilskaya talks about the details of high-profile criminal cases.
• “Secrets of the real investigation. Notes of an Investigator of the Prosecutor's Office for Particularly Important Cases”, 2007. This book examines in detail the work of an investigator.

Scenarios

Fame as a writer Topilskaya received after writing detective stories about Maria Shvetsova. On the basis of these novels, the series “Secrets of the Investigation” was created, the script for which Elena herself wrote for eight seasons. In addition, she participated in writing scripts for the serial films "Old Cases", "Criminal Passion", "Obsessed", "Forensic Experts".