If the Russian Empire ever had its own Sherlock Holmes, it was Ivan Dmitrievich Putilin (1830–1893), the first head of the St. Petersburg detective police. Long before the publication of Conan Doyle's first novels and short stories, this genius of Russian detective work practiced the so-called 'deductive method.' Like Holmes, Putilin often disguised himself: dressed as a laborer or a vagabond, he infiltrated the most dangerous corners of the St. Petersburg criminal underworld at the time. In addition to his analytical and artistic talents, Ivan Dmitrievich possessed an extraordinary gift for storytelling. His book, 'Forty Years Among Murderers and Robbers,' is based on actual criminal cases he investigated and has been reprinted numerous times. It's safe to say that no modern work of literature or cinema, created in the 'retro-detective' genre, has failed to reference the original source—Putilin's book, which immerses readers in the life of the imperial capital.