An entertaining mystery lacking the stress of most Russian mysteries.

Entertaining enough, although for my jaded tastes a little more carnality would have been welcome. However, only so much pleasure can be derived by watching the author yanking his main character around the way a puppy does his chew toy. ( )

This one has its ups and downs. From an entertainment perspective, the hero, Fandorin, and his boss throughout most of the book, Brilling, are very interesting, as are some of the minor characters we come across. However, the novel suffers from its deliberately old-fashioned story telling, which comes off merely as cute (and overly melodramatic) rather than Dostoevskyan as was probably intended. Don't know if this is the case with the original Russian or if it is the translator's fault. The other problem is that when it is all over, it's pretty difficult to unravel what Brilling was doing sending Fandorin all over the place to begin with. So while the book has some truly delicious scenes, it isn't as effective as a whole.

However - I am intrigued enough to follow Fandorin down the road of at least one more adventure. He is good company. ( )

Watch out, Archie Goodwin - Erast Fandorin could easily replace you in the favourite detective stakes! A chance discovery, swapped for one of my own books, 'The Winter Queen' is one of the most intriguing, original, attractive novels of its genre I have come across recently. Fandorin has been described as part Sherlock Holmes, part James Bond, but in this debut, he is far too innocent and trusting to fall into either category (the cruel and devastating ending will no doubt change him in the next book, but hopefully not too much). He is very young, good-looking, intelligent and lucky, but also rather a tragic figure, which makes him a compelling character - fortunately, there are many more Erast Fandorin mysteries to read!

Boris Akunin's style - or perhaps the translation of it - adds to the enjoyment. The conspiracy plotline itself is difficult to keep track of, with new twists and traitors uncovered in practically every chapter, but the writing is very jaunty and nostalgic of old cosy detective novels. The dialogue is necessarily dramatic, but always tongue in cheek - 'American roulette' is claimed by the Russians after the notorious suicide in the park which begins the mystery, for example. Some of the Russian names can be difficult to grapple with at first, particularly the polite terms of address, but it's easy enough to skim over and get the gist. An understanding of the country's history might also be helpful, but knowing nothing about nineteenth century Russia does not detract from the story. Time and place are presented naturally in the telling, making this an informative as well as entertaining read. ( )

I’ll offer a single comment on the novels of Russian author Boris Akunin. Both series, the Erast Fandorin and Sister Pelagia stories, are set in pre-revolutionary Russia. They’re not only great fun — imagine a late 19th Century James Bond or Mrs. Marple — but historically fascinating as well. ( )