"Kelly's highly readable and enjoyable book is the first biography in English of this intriguing figure."--Jan Dalley, Financial Times
"Laurence Kelly, the prize-winning author of a life of Lermontov, has spent many years delving into Russian and Persian archives and found hitherto uncovered telling details. But he wears his meticulous scholarship lightly and tells a riveting tale that reads like a Russian novel."--Shusha Guppy, Times Higher Educational Supplement
"The subject is brilliant and multi-faceted. Both Griboyedov's life and death make for an extraordinary tale."--Moscow Times
"The exotic life of a supremely talented but (in the West) little-known Russian. A well-told, informative tale, contemporary relevance -- what more could the reader ask?"--George Walden, Sunday Telegraph
"My book of the year is Laurence Kelly's Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran..."--Sir Raymond Carr, The Spectator
"Groboyedov's life sounds like a tall story, a heroic myth. Here, it has been investigated with exemplary thoroughness, retold with a fine sense of tact and restraint."--Philip Hensher, The Spectator
"Laurence Kelly must be congratulated on finding such a dramatic story and telling it in such a lively style. Anyone with even a casual interest in Russian history will be gripped, and moved, by this book." --John Jolliffe, The Tablet