Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

Published in the middle 1800's, this book follows Chichikov, a son-of-a-bitch hustler and decent enough guy, as he schemes across the Russain countyside in search of dead serfs.

Chichikov doesn't want the corpses. Landowners are taxed for their serfs, even the dead ones, until the next census. Chichikov offers to take these lost souls off the landowners paperwork, put them on his, and then use his paperwork to appear big.

Why? Chicks dig big landowners. So do Russian officials and other upper crust types. Rubles and debutants will roll his way, but... however... Although the plan is clever, not a mortal sin, and not really a crime at all, things do not go smooth for Chichikov.

A satire of the odd, dangerous, superstitious, and unloveable people of mid-1800 Russia ensues. Warning! Gogol's stereotyped old world yokels may not appear far from most of the people you interact with regularly today.

Thank you.