Review: The Death of Achilles

Erast Fandorin, diplomat, sleuth and generally-perceived fop, has returned to Moscow from the far East after six years, bringing back his fashion sense, his wit, and Fapanese tutor/sidekick. He checks into his hotel, only to find that his dear friend General Michel Sobolev ("Achilles") is a guest there too.

However, Fandorin never has a chance to renew acquaintenances - it seems that Achilles has died. At first it appears the General has had a heart attack, but Fandorin becomes convinced that he was murdered.

As Fandorin digs into the mystery he is led to a nightclub, and a beautiful German singer. It seems that Sobolev was in her arms when he died. Since he believes that she would not have killed him without coercion (she seemed fond of "Achilles"), Fandorin expands his search. This leads him to one theory after another that he has to discard, all the while narrowing his scope. This occupies the first half of the book.

Akunin then splits, in the second half of the story, to an entirely different protagonist and a significantly altered style. We meet someone who, except for circumstances, could probably had been another Fandorin. However, Achimas' bent is in an entirely different direction, and it becomes obvious that he and Fandorin will have to meet. How they finally do, and how they ultimately settle with each other makes up the rest of the book.

The machinations of both these characters, and the subtle humor (and some not so subtle) are wonderful to follow. And Akunin gently pokes fun at the society in which Fandorin operates, and the people he deals with. Akunin has a ear for conversation and his descriptions of Moscow and it environs, as well as the places in which Achimas grew up and had his character established. They read as someone who was familiar with what he described and could make it a part of the narrative as opposed to reading a travelogue.

In many ways, this book reads like "Wild, Wild West" set in Russia (Fandorin's Japanese "batman" reminds me of an Oriental Artemis Gordon), but far better-written. How much of the joy of reading this book is due to the translation, I can't say, but it feels as if Bromfield's translation is true and captures even the restrained humor Akunin put into his writing.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Wes Struebing

Book Review: The Death of Achilles