Synopses & Reviews
In
Special Assignments, Erast Fandorin, nineteenth-century Russias 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 Moscows residents–including Fandorins 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 Fandorins 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 Akunins many fans, while challenging the gentleman sleuths brilliant powers of detection.
Praise from England:
“Boris Akunins wit and invention are a source of constant wonder.”
–Evening Standard
“[Fandorin is] a debonair combo of Sherlock Holmes, DArtagnan 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: [Akunins] 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
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.
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.