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Title details for Special Assignments by Boris Akunin - Available

Special Assignments

#5 in series

by Boris Akunin
ebook
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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.
Praise from England:
“Boris Akunin’s wit and invention are a source of constant wonder.”
–Evening Standard
“[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
“Agatha Christie meets James Bond: [Akunin’s] 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

  • Creators

  • Series

    Erast Fandorin

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 12, 2008

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781588366696

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781588366696
      • File size: 982 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from December 3, 2007
      In this thrilling collection of two novellas, Akunin (The Winter Queen
      ) pits Erast Fandorin, his brilliant Russian detective who serves as the deputy for special assignments to the governor-general of czarist Moscow, against two different but equally deadly foes. In the comical “The Jack of Spades,” Fandorin finds a Watsonian sidekick in Anisii Tulipov, a luckless and overeducated errand boy whose life changes when Fandorin takes him under his wing. The pair must face a cunning con man and thief, reminiscent of the great French antihero, Arsène Lupin. Things take a darker turn in “The Decorator,” when Fandorin fears that Jack the Ripper is continuing his slaughter of prostitutes, this time in 1889 Russia. Clever writing and tight plotting, coupled with a willingness to shock readers by sacrificing significant characters, continue to cement Akunin's reputation as one of the finest contemporary authors of classic crime fiction.

    • Library Journal

      January 15, 2008
      Fans of the Erast Fandorin mysteries (e.g., "The Winter Queen") here get two for the price of one. In "The Jack of Spades," a clever swindler uses multiple disguises (and a seductive accomplice) to fleece the rich, his latest victim being Prince Dolgorukoi, Fandorin's protector. While pursuing Jack, Fandorin manages to pick up an assistant in the awkward but worthy Tulipov; they finally get their man, but justice isn't served in the way one would expect. Even more intriguing is that the companion story, "The Decorator," offers a novel solution to Jack the Ripper's identity. A serial killer is oozing about Moscow, murdering women and then leaving their innards neatly arranged on the ground. It's to make them more beautiful, explains the assailant in chilling interpolated passages. Fandorin recognizes the work of the famed English killer and goes about proving that he (or she?) is actually a Russian now home from London. Multiple suspects abound, and the ending is a real surprise, though as always Fandorin's triumph is bittersweet. 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.Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

      Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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