To me, it's a classic: mystery and history and religious history combined in one... ( )

PELAGIA & THE RED ROOSTER is the third book (and I believe the last) in this series by Russian author Grigory Chkhartishvili aka Boris Akunin. Readers may be more aware of the six Erast Fandorin novels, which I understand have sold over 18 million copies in Russia alone.

This is the first of the Pelagia novels I've read, having had the pleasure of a few of the Fandorin novels before, and I was reminded again of the absolute feeling of 19th and, in this case, 20th Century Russian sensibility that this author brings to his books.

Having said that, I'm not sure that I'd recommend a new reader to the Pelagia series start at this point, not the least because I found this book more than a little odd. It took quite a while to get the character of Sister Pelagia figured out, especially, as I had no idea what it was that bought the young Polina Andreevna to a convent in rural Zavolzhsk by the Volga, to take up the habit and turn to teaching at the local school. I suspect this lack of background made Pelagia seem a most unlikely sort of a nun to have come from this place, in this timeframe. Pelagia has a very unexpected attitude to authority within the church, and a quite upfront relationship with the Bishops and with her fellow-travellers. To say nothing of a level of freedom which didn't quite make sense at points.

On a ship returning from St Petersburg, Pelagia comes across members of a controversial Jewish sect. After the murder of a man, initially believed to be the sect's charismatic leader in the cabin next door to Pelagia, she travels even further afield; seeking the dead man's true identity and the whereabouts of the real founder of the sect - Manuila; as well as, ultimately, a murderer.

As Sister Pelagia conducts this investigation she is hindered by a lurking man with a removable eye, but aided by a small Red Rooster and the public prosecutor Matvei Bentsionovich Berdichevsky. Matvei a Jew who has converted to Russian Orthodoxy, finds himself pursuing leads within government circles, surrounded by political machinations, intrigues, and anti-Semitic hostility. He also finds himself very preoccupied by his attraction to Sister Pelagia. Meanwhile she is forced to flee to the Holy Land, encountering Palestinian guides, Zionist groups and an American millionaire supporting the re-establishment of Soddom.

Needless to say, this is a very complicated, convoluted and heavily populated plot to get a handle on whilst you are also trying to work out what the central character's personal story is. It could also be very easy to think that you are heading into expected territory what with a single, female, unlikely central investigator. Pelagia, however, is not a Russian Miss Marple character. Very quickly it becomes obvious that PELAGIA & THE RED ROOSTER is not just an intricate tale of religious differences, tensions and obsessions, it is also a tale of a society that is undergoing massive upheaval. Whist appreciating the glimpse into the societal aspects, I never did lose the feeling throughout the book that things were a bit odd. Whether or not it was the elaborate, very Russian stylings, balanced against a nun who didn't seem to be behaving as expected; whether or not it was the religious machinations which were laid on very very thick, or simply the sense that everybody hated everyone who wasn't from their own group, I couldn't shake the feeling that I just didn't quite know what was going on. I think I would have preferred a lot more of the red rooster, and a lot less of the religious machinations. Perhaps if you're a fan of intricate historical perspectives, with a higher tolerance for or interest in religious perspectives - you might like to try the Sister Pelagia series.

The earlier books are Pelagia and the Black Monk and Pelagia and the White Bulldog. ( )

Sister Pelagia has all of Palestine to wander in -- how's that pertinent? ( )

n the third Sister Pelagia novel, Boris Akunin sends the strong-willed detective-nun from her post at the Zavolzhsk Diocesan School for Girls all the way to the Holy Land. She is both pursuing and pursued with odds stacked heavily against her. All is well, more or less, in the end - whether with the help of God or not is up to the reader to decide.

The book includes quite a lot of religious debate. Judaism and Christianity with variants of each come under consideration. Is the prophet Manuila the Second Coming of Christ or the first coming of the Jewish savior? Or is he insane? Or is he duping everyone? Who are the forces resisting him?

At the same time that Pelagia is in Palestine, the local prosecutor Berdichevsky is off on his own far-flung investigation into religious extremists. His investigation leads him to some very unexpected names and places.

I found the multiple plot lines overly complicated and difficult to follow. At times one struggled to recall what Pelagia or Berdichevsky were up to. The ending suggests that the Red Cockerel may be Sister Pelagia's last adventure. I enjoyed the first two books in the series, but after this trip around the labyrinth, I will not miss the sister. Fear not fans of Boris Akunin; he has written 12 Erast Fandorin crime novels and has started a series (yet to be published in the US) featuring Erast's grandson! ( )

If I could have rated this book at six stars, I would have done so, and even then have wondered whether I was holding back for fear of seeming too enthusiastic.

I really enjoy Akunin's books in general, but this one had me spellbound. There's so much that I could say about the book, but I'd hate to spoil the treats in store for anyone.

The ending! The dénoument! What a way to end a series! I'd never have dared a plot like this, but... Akunin's done it, and I'm unutterably grateful that he has. ( )