The Winter Queen: A Novel (An Erast Fandorin Mystery)

I agree with all the fans of Akunin's series about Fandorin, and have only comment to add. Author is not writing just a mystery novel, Akunin sets a field for character development, which will continue throughout the series. In the first book Fandorin is an unexperienced detective, where some readers may guess who is the actual villain way before the main hero does. In every consecutive story his character is maturing and it becomes more and more difficult to predict the end... With the maturity of Fandorin, it almost feels like author matures at the same time by adding more and more interesting and complicated twists to the stories. I personally have read all of the books out of order (in Russian) and after reading all of them, sat down to go through the books in the chronological order, which made a lot of difference. Last advice: if you absolutely hated "The winter queen" don't give up. Read another book or two from this series and then decide that it is not worth the time. As for myself, I can't wait to get my hands on the next book that came out three days ago in Russia.

Such a small book and yet so richly packed. The translation is, well, delightful. You'd swear this book really was written in the 1870s. It's full of wonderful little details such as Russian Roulette being referred to as American Roulette, and Fandorin's boss having one of the first of a new invention called the telephone. The characters are intriguing, especially the neophyte detective Erast Fandorin. More than a few times I was thinking, "No! Don't do that! Pay attention to your job!" But, obviously he wasn't listening... I was sad to see this book end and hope the rest in the series get translated NOW. If you like reading Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky (is that spelled right?), give this a shot. It's not as deep as those authors, but it captures their styles well.Also, this had one of the most shocking and devastating endings I've read in a book in a LONG time. I am still trying to deal with it.

To all those waiting for the new Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle -- the wait is over. This is a must-read for the lovers of high-quality mystery novels. The storyline is suspenseful and emotional, the setting is charming, the language is delightful. You will not be able to put it down. Honestly.

It seems to me that one can not possibly ride the Metro (Subway) in Moscow without seeing someone sitting there, engrossed in a Boris Akunin book. Not being fluent enough in Russian to actually sit down and read a book from cover to cover (Yet), I always wondered what all the fuss was. Now, I see...great book by a wonderful author. My hope is that all of his books get translated.

If you like the detective-driven mystery genre, especially the old masters, you should enjoy THE WINTER QUEEN. Just when you think you know what will happen to our hapless hero, Erast, real life steps in and spins him in a different direction. Certain elements are expected, you will probably guess the villains' secret identities a little sooner than the detective, but other pieces will surprise and delight. The author and translator use a beautiful array of words which helps place the novel in time, so keep a dictionary near.