Which novel by a Russian author was first published in the literary journal "The Russian Messenger" and was used by  American educational web series Thug Notes, which had their pilot episode centered on it?
Thug Notes Thug Notes is an American educational web series that summarizes and analyzes various literary works in a comedic manner. "Thug Notes" first aired on June 3, 2013, on YouTube, with the pilot episode centered on "Crime and Punishment". The host of the series is Sparky Sweets, Ph.D., portrayed by actor and comedian Greg Edwards.
Masons (novel) Masons (Russian: Масоны ) is a novel by Alexey Pisemsky started in the late 1878 and first published in 1880 in "Ogonyok" magazine (Nos. 1-6, 8-43). Pisemsky who regarded the Freemasonry as a progressive force in Russia of the 1820s and 1830s based the narrative upon his personal childhood memories of the people he knew (among them his uncle Yury Bartenev) who belonged to the lodge.