Knowing that I love a good mystery and enjoy all things Russian, a friend gave me Special Assignments: The Further Adventures of Erast Fandorin by Boris Akunin for my birthday. This book is one of the most original and creative mysteries that I have read.

Special Assignments takes place in Moscow during the late 1800s. Erast Petrovich Fandorin is the deputy for special assignments to the governor-general of Moscow. In creating Fandorin, Akunin gives us a cross between Sherlock Holmes and James Bond (without the high-tech gadgets). Fandorin is handsome, intelligent, and debonair, speaks several languages, engages in martial arts and is a master of disguise. Special Assignments also has a host of quirky and interesting secondary characters including Fandorin's assistant, Anisii Tulipov, and his Japanese servant, Masa.

This book is actually two separate stories--The Jack of Spades and The Decorator. In the Jack of Spades, a shrewd con-man is swindling many Moscow residents out of enormous sums of money. The thief received this name because he leaves a Jack of Spades playing card at the scene of every crime. Even Fandorin becomes one of his victims. How the deputy catches the Jack of Spades is simply ingenious and delightful. The second story, The Decorator, is just as good but less amusing and much darker. A Jack the Ripper-type character is working the streets of Moscow, brutally murdering and butchering unfortunate victims (mostly prostitutes). There is some question that this might actually be the work of the English Jack the Ripper. Fandorin has some suspects, but needs to go underground in his efforts to catch the serial killer. As Fandorin gets closer to discovering the killer's identity, the "decorator" changes his usual pattern and starts killing those involved with the investigation. The ending came as a complete shock.

There are many things about this book (and series) that appeal to me. First, creating a mystery series that takes place in 19th Century tsarist-Russia is definitely a first. Deputy Erast Fandorin is one of the most delightful and unusual protagonists of any modern series. And finally, I am amazed that this series is written by Moscow writer Boris Akunin (the pen name of Grigory Chkhartishvili) and superbly translated by Andrew Broomfield.

When I "discover" a writer who really impresses me, I tend to read everything they have written. I will definitely be reading more of Akunin and Fandorin.

i'm a big fan of the fandorin stories, and these two were incredible! the first one was playful and clever- it was nice to see that our unflappable hero can be outdone now and again. but the second one blew me away- i was not expecting the ending. it was hard to read emotionally, but from a writer's point of view, it was so in line with what had to happen to make it believeable. just incredible! the way the story shifted back and forth between fandorin and his adversary was well-written and scary. it made you uncomfortable! after reading these, i'm willing to pay for the hardback of the new one instead of waiting for the softcover. i must know what befalls of our hero next! :)

Rather than being a single novel this book is actually a collection of 2 stories, just the appropriate length to take a break between two sittings. The style and the nature of the stories are fairly different though and at times except for the composure of the detective Erast Fandorin, you could have been forgiven for believing that the two stories were written by different authors.

The first story is about the ace con man notorious as the Jack of Spades. Some of the acts of swindling are extremely audacious and one of them also includes a daring con job in Fandorin's household. The cat and moue game resembles a sparring match between two adversaries who admire each other in their own right. Though beaten early at the game Fandorin finds himself lucky the second time and the story has a reasonably satisfying ending, though overall there's not much to challenge Fandorin and there are a fair degree of cliches including the conclusion of the story.
The second story on the other hand belongs to an altogether different genre. Bordering more on the macabre, Fandorin is up against Jack the Ripper who seems to have shifted base from London and there are a series of brutal murders which seem to have a pattern in the choice of the victims as well as the way the murders are committed; especially the method of the murders leads to the serial killer being nicknamed the Decorator. As the dragnet closes in the murders start coming closer home and the final showdown is thrilling to the core, both in terms of the build up and the denouement of the identity of the murderer. In typical fashion the chapters flit between Fandorin's pursuit and the mental machinations of the serial killer. Extremely entertaining .
In short a fairly mixed bag , but well worth the buy

Boris Akunin shows his range of depth in these two astonishingly different tells of mayhem and murder. Mayhem is represented by the Jack of Spades, a twisty, delightful comic romp that causes Fandorin no small amount of discomfort and considerable delight for the reader. Jack the Ripper is the complete opposite. Dark, chilling and at times truly heartwrenching, Akunin shows not just depth of ability but an authentic storyteller's gift for following the tale to its logical conclusion and not indulging in sentiment or bathos.

Two first class novellas from one of the best crime series I have had the pleasure to read.

This latest work about Erast Fandorin gives the reader two shorter tales of his investigations. The first one, in which his new assistant is introduced, is more of an amusing story, even though it involves crimes, of a sort. The second tale, however, is grim and grisly, with murders, vivisections, and just plain awful things happening. Oddly enough, both stories involve miscreants named "Jack", which is about all that I will say on that score. Where the first tale ends in farce, the second ends in tragedy and sorrow. Erast has really changed from the callow youth we first met in "The Winter Queen", and now he appears more like Sherlock Holmes, aloof and cerebral, rather than the more human side we learned to admire. I actully prefer the younger Erast, but time goes on and people age and mature, so we now have this "new" Erast, and will go down his future paths of investigation with him, as I know there are at least another six Erast novels written.

Boris Akunin has stated that each of his stories is written in one of the sixteen sub-genres of mystery novels. In this case he has written two novellas, each with it's own style and characters. There are two characters who are with Erast Petrovich for both stories and lend a very important sidelight as to Erast's personality.

In "The Jack-of-Spades" Erast Petrovich is faced with a confidence man. He is the typical swindler that you read about in so many novels and will remind you of "Maverick" or "Sawyer from Lost". These are men who are gifted at creating larcenous "characters" who appeal to those of us who have never been fleeced by a confidence man. They are the magician of words because they tell you one thing and while your looking at what they are pointing at, they are picking your pocket. Like all good confidence men, 'The Jack' is able to fool his marks by appealing to their greed or to their naivete. Either way, count your fingers after shaking hands with him.

On the other hand, "The Decorator" is the story of a serial killer. In this case, he's supposed to be a Russian who was the original 'Jack the Ripper' (lots of Jacks and Knaves in these two stories) who has escaped back to Mother Russia. This one is much darker than any of the previous stories and is gory in a Edgar Allen Poe way. Jack continues to murder people until he is caught and executed by Erast, but it comes at a cost to Fandorin. Erast Petrovich loses the assistant that he has created out of a 'poor soul' who is murdered by Jack, and because of how he deals with Jack in the end he loses his beloved Angelina to a convent.

These two stories show the range that Akunin has in his writing. You would be hard put, should all the names be changed and the stories published separately to prove they have the same author. Akunin is considered a genius in Russia, and these two novellas go along way to proving they are right.

Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin mysteries track the adventures of a Russian detective in the latter quarter of the 19th-century. They are well written, fast-paced and enjoyable. Each one contains the same basic ingredients: the brilliant but emotionally scarred detective Erast Fandorin; charming yet dangerous women; a murder or mystery which has or could have a political impact on mother Russia; and a villain who tests Fandorin's physical and mental skills. Yet, Akunin manages to mix and match the ingredients enough to make each new story seem fresh. The fifth in the series to be published in English, "Special Assignments", is as fresh as the first and was great fun to read.

"Special Assignments" consists off two separate novel-length stories. "The Jack of Spades", is light and almost whimsical. It pits Fandorin against a skilled con-artist who takes great delight in scamming Moscow's rich and powerful ruling elite. Fandorin must try to match wits and best the Jack of Spades even as he comes to admire the con-man's ability to separate a ruler from his rubles. "The Decorator" pits Fandorin against a brutal serial killer who, like London's Jack-the Ripper, has started on a campaign of torturing and killing Moscow's street walkers. This story is not for the squeamish. Nevertheless, it takes a few stunning turns and the climax was both surprising and powerful.

"Special Assignments" will not disappoint fans of the Erast Fandorin mysteries. It should also be enjoyed by people who are new to Akunin's work. It stands up well on its own and can be enjoyed by people who have not read the earlier book. Having said that, I think the reading experience would be enhanced by reading Akunin's earlier books in the series. They include The Winter Queen: A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mysteries), Murder on the Leviathan: A Novel, and The Turkish Gambit: A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mysteries). First, they are each excellent in their own right. Second, they provide the reader with background information on Fandorin that does make some of his actions here a bit easier to grasp. Each volume is good by itself but the sum is far greater than its individual parts. L. Fleisig

Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin mysteries track the adventures of a Russian detective in the latter quarter of the 19th-century. They are well written, fast-paced and enjoyable. Akunin has done an excellent job in keeping the series fresh despite the fact that each story in the series tends to adhere to a conventional detective formula. Each one contains the same basic ingredients: the brilliant but emotionally scarred detective Erast Fandorin; charming yet dangerous women; a murder or mystery which has or could have a political impact on mother Russia; and a villain who tests Fandorin's physical and mental skills. Yet, in each one Akunin manages to mix and match the ingredients enough to make each new story seem fresh. The fifth in the series to be published in English "Special Assignments" is as fresh as the first and was great fun to read.

"Special Assignments" consists off two separate novel-length stories. "The Jack of Spades", is light and almost whimsical. It pits Fandorin against a skilled con-artist who takes great delight in scamming Moscow's rich and powerful ruling elite. Fandorin must try to match wits and best the Jack of Spades even as he comes to admire the con-man's ability to separate a ruler from his rubles. "The Decorator" pits Fandorin against a brutal serial killer who, like London's Jack-the Ripper, has started on a campaign of torturing and killing Moscow's street walkers. This story is not for the squeamish. Nevertheless, it takes a few stunning turns and the climax was both surprising and powerful.

Some have called Fandorin a Russian Sherlock Holmes (including the books` promoters from what I can see) but I don`t really agree. There is certainly a surface similarity in that they each rely on `deductive logic` in solving crimes. However, where Holmes was all about solving a puzzle with nothing else but logic, Fandorin relies also on grunt work, intuition and sometimes brute force. If I had to compare Fandorin to anyone it would be to Arkady Renko, the protagonist in Martin Cruz Smith's series of books involving another formidable Moscow investigator.

One note about the translation: Andrew Bromfield has translated all of Akunin's work and he continues to do an excellent job. For example, Bromfield uses idiomatic (British) English to highlight the class differences among the characters. As translated by Mr. Bromfield, one could hear the accents, the differences in tone and usage amongst the characters and I think that added to my enjoyment off the stories.

"Special Assignments" will not disappoint fans of the Erast Fandorin mysteries. It should also be enjoyed by people who are new to Akunin's work. It stands up well on its own and can be enjoyed by people who have not read the earlier book. Having said that, I think the reading experience would be enhanced by reading Akunin's earlier books in the series. They include The Winter Queen: A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mysteries), Murder on the Leviathan: A Novel, and The Turkish Gambit: A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mysteries). First, they are each excellent in their own right. Second, they provide the reader with background information on Fandorin that does make some of his actions here a bit easier to grasp. Each volume is good by itself but the sum is far greater than its individual parts. L. Fleisig

"The Jack of Spades". The conman is brilliant as he tricks government officials. Embarrassed to be taken in, most prefer to say nothing about their foolishness; a few are outraged but their descriptions of this master thief never match in the slightest except for the same calling card the felon leaves behind. The Moscow Governor-General assigns his deputy for special assignments the great detective Erast Fandorin to end this brazen criminal's activity. Fandorin takes on pathetic Anisii Tulipov as his assistant as they battle in a game of wits with a master opponent.

"The Decorator". In 1889 someone is killing the prostitutes of Moscow. Fandorin believes to his deepest concern that the Modus Operendi is identical to what he has heard about the Ripper case in London. He hopes to have better success than his English counterparts in bringing Jack to justice as Fandorin bases his chances as better because he brings different values and preconceptions than the Bobbies to the hunt.

These are two terrific investigative Tsarist era police procedurals as those who already have met Fandorin (see THE WINTER QUEEN and THE TURKISH GAMBIT) know he is the Russian Sherlock Holmes with Tulipov as the Muscovite Watson. The tales showcase the vast talent of Boris Akunin as they are incredibly different in tone with The Jack of Spades being lighthearted and amusing so much so that the hero enjoys the game while The Decorator is dark and tense with the hero forced to cross ethics line to stop the serial killer. These are two strong works in one of the best historical mystery series on the market today.

Harriet Klausner