Status
Available
Series
Publication
Random House Trade Paperbacks (2006)
Description
In 1882, after six years of foreign travel and adventure, renowned diplomat and detective Erast Fandorin returns to Moscow, in the heart of Mother Russia. His homecoming is anything but peaceful. In the hotel where he and his loyal if impertinent manservant Masa are staying, Fandorin's old war-hero friend General Sobolev ("Achilles" to the crowd) has been found dead, felled in his armchair by an apparent heart attack. But Fandorin suspects an unnatural cause. His suspicions lead him to the boudoir of the beautiful singer--"not exactly a courtesan"--known as Wanda. Apparently it was in Wanda's bed that the general secretly breathed his last.--From publisher description.
Media reviews
To say that series mysteries are predictable isn't a nasty crack. It's just a way of acknowledging that some stories deliver their satisfactions through familiarity rather than novelty. Currently, I find myself relishing the exploits of old friends like Erast Fandorin, ...
User reviews
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
I will note that while you could feasibly read this as a stand alone, you really want to go back and read the entire series in this order (not necessarily in the published order):
the Winter Queen
The Turkish Gambit
Murder on the Leviathan
If you haven't met Erast Fandorin, then you definitely need to
This book:
Our young hero has literally just returned to Russia from Japan after his duties there are completed. He comes to Moscow, where he is supposed to work under the auspices of one Prince Dolgoruski, who happens to be Moscow's governor. I believe the year is 1882. Fandorin is accompanied by his latest sidekick (he seems to have a different one in each story!) Masa, his Japanese companion. No sooner does Erast report for duty than he learns of the death of General Sobolev (who we met in The Turkish Gambit), beloved hero of Russia. The government orders an autopsy, finds no foul play, but of course, Erast thinks much differently. As he begins to investigate, he discovers that the bad guys (and there are many in this one) seem to be one step ahead of him; his work will draw him into conspiracies that threaten to put an end to his short but distinguished career.
Each book further develops Fandorin's character, and in this one is added a bonus of the character of Masa. In many ways, Masa adds a bit of comic relief when the tension starts building, and I hope this character stays for a while.
I highly recommend The Death of Achilles! Go get started on the others so you can read this one!
the Winter Queen
The Turkish Gambit
Murder on the Leviathan
If you haven't met Erast Fandorin, then you definitely need to
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go back to the Winter Queen where he gets his start.This book:
Our young hero has literally just returned to Russia from Japan after his duties there are completed. He comes to Moscow, where he is supposed to work under the auspices of one Prince Dolgoruski, who happens to be Moscow's governor. I believe the year is 1882. Fandorin is accompanied by his latest sidekick (he seems to have a different one in each story!) Masa, his Japanese companion. No sooner does Erast report for duty than he learns of the death of General Sobolev (who we met in The Turkish Gambit), beloved hero of Russia. The government orders an autopsy, finds no foul play, but of course, Erast thinks much differently. As he begins to investigate, he discovers that the bad guys (and there are many in this one) seem to be one step ahead of him; his work will draw him into conspiracies that threaten to put an end to his short but distinguished career.
Each book further develops Fandorin's character, and in this one is added a bonus of the character of Masa. In many ways, Masa adds a bit of comic relief when the tension starts building, and I hope this character stays for a while.
I highly recommend The Death of Achilles! Go get started on the others so you can read this one!
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LibraryThing member ElTomaso
Boris Akunin is at the top of his form as Erast Fandorin uses guile and luck to solve a serious crime, the murder of a famous Russian General. This is an excellent and compelling novel!
LibraryThing member akfarrar
A little disappointing. Several elements stretch belief to the limit - and coincidence is a too frequent contributor.
I did enjoy earlier Fandorin outings but this is starting to get a little formulaic.
The best character is the villain - and there 'Akunin' managed to provide some serious
The 'in-jokes' - like the price of re-building the Cathedral in Moscow and several references to 'England' I'm sure will be lost on most people.
Worth a read, but not a repeat.
I did enjoy earlier Fandorin outings but this is starting to get a little formulaic.
The best character is the villain - and there 'Akunin' managed to provide some serious
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interest.The 'in-jokes' - like the price of re-building the Cathedral in Moscow and several references to 'England' I'm sure will be lost on most people.
Worth a read, but not a repeat.
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LibraryThing member delphimo
This is another in the Erast Fandorin series set in Russia. I have lost my interest in this series, the manner of Russian names is more stimulation than I can handle. Halfway through the book, I begin to wonder which character is which, even Erast has many other names. In this story a young popular
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Russian general dies, and the official announcement states a heart attack, but of course, Erast does not believe the doctor's statement. The chase to find the killer and the secrecy of the death involve international espinage. This novel does not include the little story within the story as the other two novels by Akunin. Not a book that I would recommend. Show Less
LibraryThing member richardderus
A nice thing about series mysteries is the continuity of characters among the volumes. One grows accustomed to their faces and one expects they'll be back, if not the next time you read one of the series, then soon enough.
Bah! Humbug! sayeth Boris, happily killing off and abandoning people through
If you need a synopsis of the story, they're all over the place, but I say get goin' and make reading this your March Spring treat.
Bah! Humbug! sayeth Boris, happily killing off and abandoning people through
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the multi-year festival that is this entertaining and readable series. (Andrew Bromfield, the translator, deserves many kudos for producing such readable and thoroughly enjoyable translations.) This book's title is the clue to who dies this time, but I won't spoil it for the as-yet-uninitiated. I will, however, point them in the direction of The Winter Queen and encourage them not to shilly-shally, but start reading soon.If you need a synopsis of the story, they're all over the place, but I say get goin' and make reading this your March Spring treat.
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LibraryThing member mojacobs
I was disappointed by this book: I found it very hard going, not because it is difficult reading, but frankly, I could not care less what happened next... You get very little historical background, and the main characters stay cardboard figures. In my opinion, it is no more than a simple thriller,
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and a slow one at that - but look at the Amazon's reviews...Ah well, after three Akunin books I know they are not for me.” Show Less
LibraryThing member polarbear123
Ok I agree with some of the reviews- it is not the best Akunin, but he is still trying our various narrative devices and it is still a cut above the average thriller. Read it but not as your first Akunin. Second half is better than the first that is probably the main problem, it is just a bit slow
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to get going. Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
I like the hero of this series, Fandorin, and his Japanese servant Masa. I didn't care for the structure of this book though -- it is divided into 3 sections or "Books". By far the longest is the first part, which was a straightfoward narrative of Fandorin's investigation into the death of
Otherwise this is a fun historical fiction mystery & Andrew Bromfield's translation is excellent.
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"Achilles", the popular Russian general Sobolev. Then, the second section breaks the train of the narrative and tells the history and background of the killer, leading up to the point at which the first section broke off. The third section then continues with the action. I found this second section disrupted the flow and although interesting, it was unnecessary to the story. Perhaps the publisher told Akunin that the book wasn't long enough so he added this section to pad it out.Otherwise this is a fun historical fiction mystery & Andrew Bromfield's translation is excellent.
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LibraryThing member setnahkt
The Death of Achilles, the latest Erast Fandorin novel (at least the latest in English translation), has many of the same flaws and merits of its predecessors. The “look and feel” is still anachronistic; I’m just not getting a feel for Moscow in 1882. The hero has acquired yet another mystery
It’s also less of a mystery and more of an adventure novel; I can’t say too much about that without revealing spoilers but suffice it to say that even if you follow things closely the identity of the murderer is still a surprise. The victim is General Michel Sobolev, “The Russian Achilles” and hero of the Russo-Turkish war (who was encountered in The Turkish Gambit). Sobolev is found dead the day Erast Fandorin returns from six years in Japan with the Russian diplomatic service. It’s apparently a heart attacks bit some of the powers that be thinks otherwise and direct Fandorin to investigate. We have the expected femme fatale, Russian gangsters, Russian politicians, and all the usual suspects. The Faithful Oriental Servant is vital to the action, and as Fandorin moves up in the Civil Service the level of political complexity increases.
Each Fandorin novel so far has had a different Point of View; this one continues that tradition - the first half is centered on Fandorin and the second half sees things from the murderer’s perspective. This works surprising well and makes up for the paucity of clues to the murder’s identity in the first part. One thing I liked is the author’s not afraid to show the hero making mistakes; many of the actions Fandorin takes in his part of the novel turn out to be egregious errors when seen through the perpetrator’s eyes. There’s a very subtle humor here that I’m beginning to appreciate more as the series continues.
Added later: I’ve since found out that Akunin has divided mystery stories into 16 genres, and intends to write a Fandorin novel in each. That explains the stylistic differences between novels.
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novel cliché, the Faithful Oriental Servant. And Fandorin is still possessed of supernatural luck, to the extent that he engages in a series of “handkerchief duels” with the sublime self assurance that he’ll be the one with the loaded pistol.It’s also less of a mystery and more of an adventure novel; I can’t say too much about that without revealing spoilers but suffice it to say that even if you follow things closely the identity of the murderer is still a surprise. The victim is General Michel Sobolev, “The Russian Achilles” and hero of the Russo-Turkish war (who was encountered in The Turkish Gambit). Sobolev is found dead the day Erast Fandorin returns from six years in Japan with the Russian diplomatic service. It’s apparently a heart attacks bit some of the powers that be thinks otherwise and direct Fandorin to investigate. We have the expected femme fatale, Russian gangsters, Russian politicians, and all the usual suspects. The Faithful Oriental Servant is vital to the action, and as Fandorin moves up in the Civil Service the level of political complexity increases.
Each Fandorin novel so far has had a different Point of View; this one continues that tradition - the first half is centered on Fandorin and the second half sees things from the murderer’s perspective. This works surprising well and makes up for the paucity of clues to the murder’s identity in the first part. One thing I liked is the author’s not afraid to show the hero making mistakes; many of the actions Fandorin takes in his part of the novel turn out to be egregious errors when seen through the perpetrator’s eyes. There’s a very subtle humor here that I’m beginning to appreciate more as the series continues.
Added later: I’ve since found out that Akunin has divided mystery stories into 16 genres, and intends to write a Fandorin novel in each. That explains the stylistic differences between novels.
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LibraryThing member hailelib
It's 1882 and Erast Fandorin has returned to Moscow for the first time in six years accompanied by a Japanese servant. Almost immediately he becomes embroiled in an investigation into the death of the war-hero often referred to as Achilles. There are things going on under the surface and the
About halfway through the book, just as Fandoran seems to have solved the final puzzle, the reader turns the page and we are, seemingly, in a different story. After a while I realized that this is the life story of the murderer and in the short third section of the novel the two stories do come together. I don't recall reading a mystery constructed quite like this one before. Although the switch to Achimas was slightly off-putting at first, I soon saw where we were heading and, in the end, I did enjoy this mystery.
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investigation leads Fandoran into troubled waters.About halfway through the book, just as Fandoran seems to have solved the final puzzle, the reader turns the page and we are, seemingly, in a different story. After a while I realized that this is the life story of the murderer and in the short third section of the novel the two stories do come together. I don't recall reading a mystery constructed quite like this one before. Although the switch to Achimas was slightly off-putting at first, I soon saw where we were heading and, in the end, I did enjoy this mystery.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English