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Other titles in the Erast Fandorin Mysteries series:

  1. The Turkish Gambit

Special Assignments: The Further Adventures of Erast Fandorin (Erast Fandorin Mysteries)

by Boris Akunin

Special Assignments: The Further Adventures of Erast Fandorin (Erast Fandorin Mysteries) Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In Special Assignments, Erast Fandorin, nineteenth-century Russia's suavest sleuth, faces two formidable new foes: One steals outrageous sums of money, the other takes lives. "The Jack of Spades" is a civilized swindler who has conned thousands of rubles from Moscow's residents — including Fandorin's own boss, Prince Dolgorukoi. To catch him, Fandorin and his new assistant, timid young policeman Anisii Tulipov, must don almost as many disguises as the grifter does himself. "The Decorator" is a different case altogether: A savage serial killer who believes he "cleans" the women he mutilates and takes his orders from on high, he must be given Fandorin's most serious attentions.

Peopled by a rich cast of eccentric characters, and with plots that are as surprising as they are inventive, Special Assignments will delight Akunin's many fans, while challenging the gentleman sleuth's brilliant powers of detection.

Review:

"In this thrilling collection of two novellas, Akunin (The Winter Queen) pits Erast Fandorin, his brilliant Russian detective who serves as the deputy for special assignments to the governor-general of czarist Moscow, against two different but equally deadly foes. In the comical 'The Jack of Spades,' Fandorin finds a Watsonian sidekick in Anisii Tulipov, a luckless and overeducated errand boy whose life changes when Fandorin takes him under his wing. The pair must face a cunning con man and thief, reminiscent of the great French antihero, Arsne Lupin. Things take a darker turn in 'The Decorator,' when Fandorin fears that Jack the Ripper is continuing his slaughter of prostitutes, this time in 1889 Russia. Clever writing and tight plotting, coupled with a willingness to shock readers by sacrificing significant characters, continue to cement Akunin's reputation as one of the finest contemporary authors of classic crime fiction." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"Boris Akunin's wit and invention are a source of constant wonder." Evening Standard

Review:

"[Fandorin is] a debonair combo of Sherlock Holmes, D'Artagnan and most of the soulful heroes of Russian literature....This pair of perfectly balanced stories permit the character of Fandorin to grow." The Sunday Telegraph

Review:

"Agatha Christie meets James Bond: [Akunin's] plots are intricate and tantalizing....[These stories] are unputdownable and great fun." Sunday Express

Review:

"The beguiling, super-brainy, sexy, unpredictable Fandorin is a creation like no other in crime fiction." The Times

Review:

"A good addition to most mystery collections, especially where historicals are popular, this book can stand alone but will be richer when read in the context of the entire series." Library Journal

Synopsis:

In Special Assignments, Erast Fandorin, nineteenth-century Russia’s suavest sleuth, faces two formidable new foes: One steals outrageous sums of money, the other takes lives. “The Jack of Spades” is a civilized swindler who has conned thousands of rubles from Moscow’s residents–including Fandorin’s own boss, Prince Dolgorukoi. To catch him, Fandorin and his new assistant, timid young policeman Anisii Tulipov, must don almost as many disguises as the grifter does himself. “The Decorator” is a different case altogether: A savage serial killer who believes he “cleans” the women he mutilates and takes his orders from on high, he must be given Fandorin’s most serious attentions.

Peopled by a rich cast of eccentric characters, and with plots that are as surprising as they are inventive, Special Assignments will delight Akunin’s many fans, while challenging the gentleman sleuth’s brilliant powers of detection.

Praise from England:

“Boris Akunin’s wit and invention are a source of constant wonder.”

–Evening Standard

“[Fandorin is] a debonair combo of Sherlock Holmes, D’Artagnan and most of the soulful heroes of Russian literature. . . . This pair of perfectly balanced stories permit the character of Fandorin to grow.”

–The Sunday Telegraph

“Agatha Christie meets James Bond: [Akunin’s] plots are intricate and tantalizing. . . . [These stories] are unputdownable and great fun.”

–Sunday Express

“The beguiling, super-brainy, sexy, unpredictable Fandorin is a creation like no other in crime fiction.”

–The Times

About the Author

Boris Akunin is the pen name of Grigory Chkhartishvili, who was born in the republic of Georgia in 1956. A philologist, critic, essayist, and translator of Japanese, he published his first detective stories in 1998 and quickly became one of the most widely read authors in Russia. He has written ten Erast Fandorin novels to date, which have sold more than eight million copies in Russia and been translated into nearly two dozen languages. He lives in Moscow.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780812978605
Subtitle:
The Further Adventures of Erast Fandorin
Author:
Akunin, Boris
Translator:
Bromfield, Andrew
Publisher:
Random House Trade
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - Historical
Subject:
Private investigators
Subject:
History
Subject:
Russia History 1801-1917.
Subject:
Private investigators - Russia (Federation) -
Edition Description:
Paperback
Series:
Erast Fandorin Mysteries
Publication Date:
February 2008
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
335
Dimensions:
7.98x5.28x.77 in. .58 lbs.

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