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Loading... The Winter Queen : A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mysteries) (original 1998; edition 2003)by Boris Akunin
Work InformationThe Winter Queen by Boris Akunin (1998)
   No current Talk conversations about this book.  ericlee | Jan 2, 2024 |   Akunin hefur skrifað sögurnar um Fandorin með ólíkri nálgun og í þessari flettir hann ofan af alþjóðlegu samsæri sem teygir anga sína m.a. til Bretlands. Skemmtileg skoðun á rússneska keisaratímanum. (  ) SkuliSael | Apr 28, 2022 | Sometimes I was annoyed with Erast's views and way of thinking. But they are quite understandable for his age and lack of experience. It was a pity that I knew who was the main criminal in the middle of the story. But the events in the last chapter became a shock for me. To sum up, I have mixed feelings about the novel. Some things were good, some were boring. But I think I'll try and read the next book in this series to see if I should continue reading about Erast Fandorin. (  ) Diana_Hryniuk | Aug 28, 2021 |  ) Je9 | Aug 10, 2021 | The man who killed himself was young, educated, well-off. He rushed up to a young woman and her governess in a park and, after pledging his undying love to the young woman because of her beauty, and asking for hers in return, pulled out his pistol and shot himself in the head. Odd though it was, it would not have attracted police attention if it hadn't been that there were several other attempted suicides happening right around the same time. After Fandorin makes progress on the case, he is suddenly warned by his kindly superior that changes have taken place in the office and that he should take care. As it happens, Fandorin is quite taken by the chief's replacement, especially his up-to-date methods. He follows his lead and is even given the opportunity to travel to England and France in pursuit of his theories. It all comes together in a shocking conclusion. While much of the novel is written in a way that might characterize it as a "cozy mystery" I am happy to say it is nothing of the kind. We do become fond of our hero and I look forward to finding others in the series as they are translated to English. ( ) slojudy | Sep 8, 2020 |
 He also reveals an unexpected moral subtlety. At the outset, The Winter Queen appears to display an alarming level of Russian xenophobia, in the form of an international conspiracy against Russia headed by an evil Englishwoman. But as the story progresses, so it emerges as something rather more complex. By the end, Fandorin – no longer the charming naïf but a saddened, white-haired figure – has solved the case, but in doing so has brought about a string of tragic consequences. He is faced by the uncomfortable question: has his sleuthing caused more unhappiness than it has cured? AwardsDistinctions
Fiction.
Mystery.
Thriller.
Historical Fiction.
HTML:Moscow, May 1876: What would cause a talented young student from a wealthy family to shoot himself in front of a promenading public in the Alexander Gardens? Decadence and boredom, most likely, is what the commander of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Moscow Police thinks, but still he finds it curious enough to send the newest member of the division, Erast Fandorin, a young man of irresistible charm, to the Alexander Gardens precinct for more information. Fandorin is not satisfied with the conclusion that this is an open-and-shut case, nor with the preliminary detective work the precinct has done??and for good reason: The bizarre and tragic suicide is soon connected to a clear case of murder, witnessed firsthand by Fandorin. There are many unresolved questions. Why, for instance, have both victims left their fortunes to an orphanage run by the English Lady Astair? And who is the beautiful ??A.B.,? whose signed photograph is found in the apparent suicide??s apartment? Relying on his keen intuition, the eager sleuth plunges into an investigation that leads him across Europe, landing him at the deadly center of a terrorist conspiracy of worldwide proportions. In this thrilling mystery that brings nineteenth-century Russia to vivid life, Akunin has created one of the most eagerly anticipated nove No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813Literature English (North America) American fictionLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.6)
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Wikipedia in English (1)
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Boris Akunin is a brilliant story-teller and also an excellent historian. His books are set in a real historical time and place (imperial Russia from 1876 to the Bolshevik coup d’etat in 1917). He’s been compared to Arthur Conan Doyle and Ian Fleming, but I think Akunin (whose real name is Grigory Chkhartishvili and who was born in Georgia) is a unique voice. One should not rush to compare his Fandorin to James Bond or Sherlock Holmes.
In this first book in the series we meet a very young Fandorin at the beginning of his career in the police, naive, prone to make mistakes, an incurable romantic and someone with truly amazing luck. Initially investigating the very public suicide of a student, Fandorin stumbles upon a vast international conspiracy — and no, it’s not the one you’re thinking of. A real pleasure to read and highly recommended. (