Tag: Boris Akunin

Finished The Winter Queen

In The Winter Queen, Erast Fandorin’s instincts don’t quite compensate for his inexperience.

Cover of The Winter Queen.
In The Winter Queen, Erast Fandorin’s instincts don’t quite compensate for his inexperience. Fandorin senses there is more to a student’s public suicide in the Alexander Gardens, but he is unprepared for where his suspicions lead him. Now finding himself in an ever-widening conspiracy, the young sleuth must travel across Europe to discover the truth, nab the villain and escape with his life.

Russian names aside (they’re a mouthful for me), Boris Akunin’s writing is clear and clean with wonderful details in all the right places. The humor is charming and the twists are numerous. I enjoyed meeting Akunin’s strange characters — even lamenting the demises of some of Fandorin’s adversaries. The Winter Queen is a terrific detective story and I’m eager to pick up the next Fandorin adventure.

Have you read it? What do you think?

Began The Winter Queen

I’ve decided to put down a few words when beginning a new book. The Winter Queen, by Boris Akunin, was recommended to me. It’s a Russian murder mystery novel.

I’ve decided to put down a few words when beginning a new book. The Winter Queen, by Boris Akunin, was recommended to me. It’s a Russian murder mystery novel. I don’t recall having read this genre before — straight-up detective stories. Winter Queen is the first of a series centering on the protagonist Erast Fandorin in Tsarist Russia, late 1880s.

I take recommendations seriously. They’re an excellent way to pick up a book one would otherwise never consider and encounter new authors and their style of writing. The paperback edition is 264 pages, so hopefully I will finish it by next weekend. I want to read it, but account for time to participate in NaNoWriMo.