Moscow, May 1876. What would cause a talented student from a wealthy family to shoot himself in front of a promenading public? Decadence and boredom, it is presumed. But young sleuth Erast Fandorin is not satisfied with the conclusion that this death 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 himself. Relying on his keen intuition, the eager detective plunges into an investigation that leads him across Europe, landing him at the center of a vast conspiracy with the deadliest of implications.From the Trade Paperback edition.
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"Splendid. A Russian girlfriend recommended this author. What a great mystery! I love the descriptions of Moscow. Am planning to visit St. Petersburg and the book sets up the rivalry between the two cities nicely. This has whet my appetite for more Erast Fandorin mysteries." — Flora (4 out of 5 stars)
"Splendid. A Russian girlfriend recommended this author. What a great mystery! I love the descriptions of Moscow. Am planning to visit St. Petersburg and the book sets up the rivalry between the two cities nicely. This has whet my appetite for more Erast Fandorin mysteries."
“As international as caviar and vodka! A crafty tale full of atmosphere, character, and action.”
A galloping story of murder, suicide, deception, and disguise.
As international as caviar and vodka! A crafty tale full of atmosphere, character, and action.
Marries old-fashioned manners to a nonstop array of plot twists to rival the best detective tales . . . The Winter Queen is an energetic hands-down winner.
There are secret panels, hidden tunnels, a false mustache, intercepted letters, gunfights, and a glamorous female villain. . . . Akunin knows how to build suspense.
A wondrous strange and appealing novel . . . Elaborate, intricate, profoundly czarist, and Russian to its bones, as though Tolstoy had sat down to write a murder mystery. Not quite like anything you’ve ever read before.
“Marries old-fashioned manners to a nonstop array of plot twists to rival the best detective tales…The Winter Queen is an energetic hands-down winner.”
“A galloping story of murder, suicide, deception, and disguise.”
“There are secret panels, hidden tunnels, a false mustache, intercepted letters, gunfights, and a glamorous female villain.…Akunin knows how to build suspense.”
“A wondrous strange and appealing novel…Elaborate, intricate, profoundly czarist, and Russian to its bones, as though Tolstoy had sat down to write a murder mystery. Not quite like anything you’ve ever read before.”
" Fun. Makes more sense to start from the beginning of the Fandorin books than to start in the middle -- they really are sequential and include character development. "
" Can't help but feel this has lost something in translation. It should be charming, quaint and a lot of fun. Sadly it just comes across a bit silly and the pacing is slightly strange. I don't think I will read others in the series. "
" Very cute, fast read, but at points the narrative and characters are dishearteningly naive. "
" A good read. The mystery follows young Russian detective, Erast Fandorin as he investigates a suicide and then discovers an international conspiracy. I'll read more books by Boris Akunin. "
" This mystery feels Russian, with its bleak psychological focuses and historically accurate, oppressive social hierarchy. I'm sure it gives the reader an accurate picture of what czarist Russia was like, with its strangling, bored bureaucracy and ineffectual social conventions. I hated the ending of this (up to the ending) intriguing puzzle. "
" Clever, clever mystery. Didn't love the ending. "
" Hey! It's russian mystery. End of 19th century russian mystery! What more do you need? Eraste Fandorine's also a very interesting and complex character... Perfect mix. "
" I loved this book! A Russian Mystery, it was very intriguing, even if it was a little hard to grasp at parts. There are many more books by this author, in this series, and I have loved them all, except for one. "
" The first in a series of mysteries with a young Russian guy as the least character. Good but at times predictable. However, the ending was not. This Russian writer doesn't seem to like happy endings or even one that has a clear conclusion. "
" This book suprised me, being a mystery I actually enjoyed. I liked the quirky humor of it. "
" Fandorin is quite an endearing protagonist, which really made this book for me. The plot took a few unexpected twists and turns, so you're on your toes right to the end. Sadly, I don't have the next book of the series on hand, but I strongly advise that you do if you enjoy reading the first one. "
" This mystery was written in Russian and translated for the English speaking market. Fun reading a whodunnit from another perspective. "
" Feather-light faux-nineteenth century pastiche. Ye Olde Mother Russia, if you will. Leonid Yuzefovich does it better. "
" An engaging story, though I found the part I liked the most was the name of the main character: Erast Fandorin. What a great name! "
" Very good mystery. Ending was a bummer. This is the third Erast Fandoran mystery I have read. "
" This was a wonderful story told in beautiful prose. It's being made into a movie. "
" Finding those long Russian names a bit of a struggle but I am enjoying the story more and more "
" My blog post about this book is here. "
" A charming mystery with a not so charming ending. "
" I had read Turkish Gambit just before and I appreciated the layered intrigue. This was a steampunk kettle of revisionist bullshit. I loathed this book. "
" Competent but the faux 19th Century style was a little tedious. "
" Cute fluffy mystery/adventure. Good for a very light read, without feeling like you are reading something totally vapid. "
" An interesting book but I have to say that the ending disturbed me. If you like 19th period mystery, you should give it a try. "
" Not really my thing. Very linear plot, no investigating, just bumbling from one really simple clue to the other. No sense of danger, as you knew the main character had a series to complete. I steal from a book club reviewer, 'I never thought being a detective would be so easy'. Dull. "
" a nice quick read, very entertaining, like watching a movie "
" Fun little mystery in czarist Russia and an adorably naive, yet intuitive and effective, young police investigator named Fandorin. I'd definitely read more in this series. "
Boris Akunin is the pen name of Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili, a Russian writer of Georgian origin. He is best known as writer of detective and historical fiction, but he is also an essayist and literary translator. The author of the Erast Fandorin mystery series and several others series, he has become one of the most widely read authors in Russia.
Michael Kramer is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner, a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, and recipient of a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award. He is also an actor and director in the Washington, DC, area, where he is active in the area’s theater scene and has appeared in productions at the Shakespeare Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and Theater J.
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