History Literature / TsarGorokhsDetectiveAgency

* FamousNamedForeigner: An in-universe example. When questioning a drop of blood and a tooth (ItMakesSenseInContext) in ''The Plot of the Black Mass'', Nikita is amazed to find out that the guards of the German ambassador fit this trope. For example, the blood comes from a guard named Hans Hohenzollern (possibly referring to Hans von Küstrin of House of Hohenzollern). When Nikita asks if this is the same Hohenzollern, the blood replies that it must be a namesake. The tooth comes from the namesake of Georgy Zhukov, a famous Soviet general during WorldWarTwo. Nikita asks the tooth if all the German guards fit this trope. The tooth doesn't know, but lists a few last names including Mazepa (Ivan Mazepa was a Cossack hetman), a couple of Bourbons (a French royal dynasty), a Romanov (Russian royal family), a Rothschild (a famous banking family), and Ho Chi Minh (Vietnamese Communist leader).

* ArchEnemy: Koschei the Deathless is frequently behind the conspiracies threatening the tsardom. As Nikita puts it, OsamaBinLaden is an amateur compared to this guy.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: In the first novel, [[spoiler:the treasurer Tyurya, after being finally brought before Tsar Gorokh, immediately realizes that the Tsar has been replaced with a doppelganger and nearly blows the con. Realizing this, the "Tsar" has his goons kill him on the spot while claiming that this is punishment for treason]]. In fact, Koschei has a habit of "removing" any servant that has been captured by Nikita and feels absolutely no sense of loyalty to those under him.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: In the first novel, [[spoiler:the treasurer Tyurya, after being finally brought before Tsar Gorokh, immediately realizes that the Tsar has been replaced with a doppelganger and nearly blows the con. Realizing this, the "Tsar" has his goons kill him on the spot while claiming that this is punishment for treason]].

* NaughtyNuns: In eighth novel, Nikita learns of a convent not far from the city run by the strict Mother Fevronia. During her youth, she ran a brothel in the city's version of a red light district, but has grown to resent that life over the years and became a nun to atone for the sins of youth. When Nikita, Baba Yaga, and Yeremeyev visit the convent to ask about Gorokh's missing cousin, they are, at first, met with a dozen flintlock guns pointing at them from the battlements. When Nikita requests to speak with Mother Fevronia, she invites him and Baba Yaga in, but demands that Yeremeyev stay outside with the horse and buggy. As they're being led through the convent, Nikita is surprised to see far too many young, attractive women in black cowls than one would expect in a convent, and almost no old women. He quickly learns that Fevronia has not only ''not'' given up her old ways but has, in fact, turned the convent into a secret brothel.

* EnemyMine: In ''The Plot of the Black Mass'', Koschei invites Nikita to his castle to discuss a temporary truce in order to stop [[spoiler:Beelzebub]] from being summoned in Russian lands. Naturally, being a villain, he has trouble keeping his own word and sends large, [[RedEyesTakeWarning red-eyed]] owls to attack Nikita on the way home.

** It's also revealed that Mit'ka has managed to get the younger boyars to respect the detectives.
* AwesomeButImpractical: Koschei's {{Cool Sword}}s. They tend to be [[{{BFS}} 2 meters long]]. He tries to take one out while on horseback and can't. Later on, he has another sword that clamps to his hand and won't let go until it sheds blood. Nikita admits that it's useful in that it can never be knocked out of Koschei's hand, but then [[spoiler:Mit'ka gets Koschei to stick the sword through a metal gate and then bends the blade, getting it stuck]].

** In the fourth book, [[spoiler:Mit'ka pretends to eat a poisoned apple to trick the book's BigBad into admitting they're his]].

* MagicMirror: Koschei has gone through several of these thanks to the heroes. He uses them to conduct remote surveillance on them and on any location he wishes. The mirror can also show a person's true face, if magic is being used to disguise him or her. Koschei accidentally smashes one mirror himself. With the second one, Mit'ka plays with the settings in order for the mirror show him [[AllMenArePerverts girls bathing in a river]], and Koschei is later unable to get the mirror to show him anything else. He ends up having to order a new one from Venice, but the mirror insists on speaking to him in Italian, annoying him ("Si, Signor Koschento! Bongiorno! Grazie mille! Per favore!").

* ILied: It's pretty much a given that Koschei will not honor his word, so no one expects him to.

* WeaksauceWeakness: Koschei the Deathless [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin cannot be killed]] by any weapon. However, throw some salt on him, and his flesh will melt away. Not only is it extremely painful for him, but it also takes him a ''long'' time to recover. He's also afraid of rooster calls. Koschei's wife also has his weakness to salt, which is why he had her imprisoned under a whole mountain of it.

* WeaksauceWeakness: Koschei the Deathless [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin cannot be killed]] by any weapon. However, throw some salt on him, and his flesh will melt away. Not only is it extremely painful for him, but it also takes him a ''long'' time to recover. He's also afraid of rooster calls.

* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: In later books, Baba Yaga gets a new domovoi (house spirit) named Nazim, whose hot Azerbaijani blood boils whenever someone threatens Baba Yaga, causing him to grab his knife.

* StopOrIWillShoot: Nikita insists that the streltsy assigned to him give a warning shot before aiming for a fleeing suspect. When Foma Yeremeyev tells him that realoading their pischals (primitive matchlock firearms) would take too long, Nikita settles for this trope.

* ASpotOfTea: The non-alcoholic drink of choice. Samovars are a staple in every household, and sweets are frequently served with tea.

* [[invoked]] TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Savva Novichkov is a talented painter, who normally works as an iconographer for the church. However, his tastes are a little too avant-garde for the Medieval Russian folk (he admits he can paint as expected, but it's boring). For example, when he gifts a religious painting to Baba Yaga, she is shocked to see anatomically-correct [[Literature/TheBible Adam and Eve]] portrayed in the nude. When asked to paint portraits of most wanted criminals to be displayed on the gates of the agency, he first paints them as if they were saints. The second attempt results in people running away screaming that the end is nigh, as he paints them as bloodthirsty monsters. The latter turns out to be useful in scaring away the invading Shamakhans, who are equally scared to approach the city gates where the portraits are displayed. Nikita frequently calls his art style "Russian cubism".

* OurLichesAreDifferent: Koschei cannot be killed by any known means. He is a DiabolicalMastermind who is behind most conspiracies threatening Lukoshkino.

** Father Kondratiy is the head of the Lukoshkino church. While he will occasionally [[VodkaDrunkenski take a drink]], his daily prayers keep the evil spirits (and Koschei) from entering the city walls.

* SantaClaus: Nikita meets the Russian equivalent at a cemetery at night. They have a nice chat and even share a nightcap.

# ''Tsar Gorokh's Rusty Sword'' (2014) - the Framing Device is Nikita reading his old notes, reminiscing about a case taking place between the second and third novels.