Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable, well-constructed historial romp
Review: This is a great thriller, though I think it's being sold as brainier than it actually is. Set in 1876 in Russia and England and featuring a fresh-faced young detective who learns the difference between hearts and diamonds in the afternoon and beats the house at cards in the evening, speaks English and French fluently, studies Indian breathing techniques and occasionally wears a false moustache to hide his involuntary youthful blushes. It builds nicely until you work out what's happening about twenty pages before the hero does; after that, you sit there expecting to be more twists as good as the ones there've been already, and being surprised when there aren't any. Loved the period detail and the fusty yet enthusiastic writing.
Rating:
Summary: A good start to the series
Review: We learn from the book-jacket (and from the description above) that Akunin has sold millions of books in Russia, and that The Winter Queen is the first in a series of novels involving 19th century criminal investigator Erast Fandorin. I stumbled across this book on a table in Harrod's, and if the rest of the series are as fast-paced, witty and well-written as this one I am a new Akunin fan. The book takes place in 1876 Moscow, where a good-looking, wealthy young gentleman approaches some ladies in the park and shoots himself in the head. Some in the Criminal Investigation Department wish to close the file immediately, an obvious suicide by a lovesick youth, but young Fandorin, a newcomer to the department, takes the investigation seriously. He starts uncovering all sorts of interesting secrets and conspiracies, taking him to London and back. Along the way he must deal with attempts on his life, learn how to gamble for high stakes, preserve his honor by issuing a challenge to a duel, and decide whether an agent in London is trust-worthy or a double-agent. Some here have likened Fandorin to James Bond, or a Russian Sherlock Holmes, but he doesn't really fit either bill since he is too young, naive, eager to please and vulnerable compared to those classic characters. At various times in the novel Fandorin prepares to meet his maker, including one chilling scene in London where he gets to take a swim in the Thames, Harry Houdini style. We know he must make it to the next book in the series, but he seems to make it by the skin of his teeth. I agree with the reviewer who likens him more to the young protaginist from Caleb Carr's The Alienist, a much closer match in my opinion. The language of the novel can get a little wooden at times, common especially with translated works, but the dialogue occasionally sparkles, and Akunin is trying to emulate a late 19th century style. Overall I enjoyed this book immensely, and will have to look for some of the later books in the series. Four stars.
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