“Do you still consider Yudin a suspect?”
“More than ever. Ten brilliant young minds vanished without a trace out in the Urals, and only one came back. Neither the committee or I believe in coincidences. But the investigation is now in your hands. It’s up to you to solve it…with finesse. Pack your bags, Liv Nikitich, and don’t forget your warm clothes. There’s a strong chance you’ll be needing them. We’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”
A knock on the door in the middle of the night — an unannounced visit from the KGB in 1950s Moscow — and Special Prosecutor Nikitich is called upon to investigate the mysterious disappearance of nine fit and experienced young hikers who had set out on a routine mountain trek. Although Nikitich would eventually come under pressure to close this case quickly, the circumstances were strange — the expedition's tent was cut open from the inside, many of the hikers were found in the snow in various states of undress, some had signs of radiation exposure, some had compression injuries, strange lights had been sighted in the sky that night — and "The Dyatlov Pass Incident" would go on to become one of those enduring "unexplained mysteries", source of much speculation and conspiracy theories. As a graphic novel, The Dyatlov Pass Mystery presents what is known in two timelines — following the prosecutor's investigation in one thread, and what is known of the hikers' experience from their actual diaries and photographs — and more than anything, this is the story of the prosecutor himself and his earnest attempt to solve the case before being shut down by the Soviet regime. As such, author Cédric Mayen doesn't attempt to solve this historic mystery (although he does allow his prosecutor to entertain the most outlandish theories) and while this account is respectful to the memories of those who lost their lives that frigid night some sixty years ago, it is faithful to what is actually known by leaving the mystery unsolved. I had heard of this mysterious story before, and totally enjoyed this treatment by Mayen and illustrator Jandro González; a delightful way to close out 2023. (Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley prepublication.)
