The Coronation

Boris Akunin

Feb 2019 · Grove Press

About this ebook

“Fandorin . . . dominates this, the seventh of his adventures to be published in the States, as he always does—with Sherlockian elan” (The Washington Post).
 
Boris Akunin has been hailed as Russia’s answer to both Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for his beloved Fandorin mystery series. In The Coronation, he delivers a fantastically entertaining and deftly plotted take on the hostage novel, not to be missed.
 
After five years spent abroad building up a business as something of a private investigator, the handsome, stuttering Fandorin is back in Moscow—and in for a case that entangles him with the highest echelons of Romanov royalty.
 
Grand Duke Georgii Alexandrovich arrives in Moscow with three of his children for the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II. During an afternoon stroll in the park, Georgii’s daughter Xenia is dragged away by bandits, only to be rescued by an elegant gentleman and his Japanese sidekick. The passing heroes introduce themselves as Erast Petrovich Fandorin and Masa, but panic ensues when the party realizes that four-year-old Mikhail has been snatched in the confusion.
 
A ransom letter arrives from an international criminal demanding the handover of the Count Orlov, an enormous diamond on the royal scepter which is due to play a part in the coronation. Can the gentleman-detective find Mikhail in time?
 
“Akunin keeps the action fast-paced, and the logical twists head-spinning, without sacrificing humor or depth of characterization.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
“Just when you think you know what’s coming next, Akunin, the most audacious author of historical mysteries in the business, shows that he’s way ahead of you . . . a treat.” —Kirkus Reviews

Ratings and reviews

This book is wonderful and it made me work to fact check what things were like in Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution. As for the detective Fandorin, he is resourceful, athletic, a master of disguises, insightful, is plagued by a nemesis, is a master of logic, and has a very useful sleuthing partner. Sound somewhat familiar? But he is definitely his own character, just as Russia is quite dissimilar from England even in this time of the final days of the tsars. The investigation of the kidnapping mastermind, evil as he is, is full of twists and red herrings as well as action and adventure and is related by the chief butler to the royals who involves himself even more than he expects to. This is one in a series ably translated by Andrew Bromfeld, but any floundering by this reader is not the fault of the author or translator, but my own ignorance of Russian history. I requested and received a free ebook copy from Grove Atlantic via NetGalley. Thank you!

About the author

Boris Akunin is the pen name of Grigory Chkhartishvili, who was born in the Republic of George in 1956. A philologist, critic, essayist, and translator of Japanese, Akunin published his first detective novel in 1998 and has gone on to become one of the most widely read authors in Russia. He is the author of the Fandorin mysteries, including The Winter Queen, which was a finalist for the CWA Silver Dagger Award, and the Sister Pelagia series. He lives in London, Paris, and Andalusia.