Special Assignments: Erast Fandorin 5 (Erast Fandorin Mysteries) - Tapa dura

Immensely readable ... the beguiling, super-brainy, sexy, unpredictable Fandorin is a creation like no other in crime fiction (The Times)

Extraordinarily readable, full of incident and excitement, swift-moving and told with a sparkling light-heartedness which is impossible to resist (Evening Standard)

Intricate, incredible, pleasurable (Literary Review)

Hugely entertaining, cunningly plotted detective novels ... clever, witty, wry page-turners to be commended to anyone with a taste for crime fiction (Daily Telegraph)

Intricate, incredible, pleasurable. (Jessica Mann LITERARY REVIEW)

Fandorin is a delightful creation - a quirky gentleman sleuth who cuts an impeccably groomed dash through the courts and political intrigues of 19th century Russia...With an eccentric cast of supporting characters and a fleeting romance, Akunin's whodunit formula is irresistible. (EASY LIVING (February))

a double treat for fans. (Omer Ali TIME OUT (10-17 January))

Akunin brilliantly ratchets up the tension...and Fandorin's unveiling of the clues will keep you enthralled. (Richard Mead FQ (January/February))

an excellent read. (Laura Wilson GUARDIAN (13.1.07))

This...demonstrates Akunin's underlying seriousness of purpose in writing the Fandorin novels, whose clever devices and mischievous tricks disguise a determination to strip bare the extremes of human behaviour. (Joan Smith SUNDAY TIMES (14.1.07))