The Sexton Blake Library No. 236: The Prisoner of the Kremlin

This issue of Sexton Blake Library contains a Sexton Blake detective story serialized across multiple installments. The narrative follows the renowned detective Blake and his associates—his assistant Tinker and a man named Lawless—in Russia during the Soviet era.

Blake devises an elaborate escape scheme. When Lawless develops a faked case of black fever (induced by an ointment), authorities arrange transport to Wiborg, Finland. Blake arranges for two look-alikes to pose as Lawless and Blake in Wiborg while the real Lawless and Blake instead travel as prisoners to Moscow's Peresini Forwarding Prison. The story extensively describes Moscow's architecture—the Kremlin, churches, and the prison itself—before revealing that Blake and Lawless must infiltrate the prison. Communication with their contact occurs covertly through a chess game where pieces represent letters of the Russian alphabet.