The Coronation

Erast Fandorin, the hero of the detective novels of Boris Akunin, is in my opinion the nearest any writer has come to creating a Russian Sherlock Holmes. His latest adventure, The Coronation, is a truly fascinating book even by the high standards that Akunin has set for himself. He has chosen to present his story in the form of a memoir by one ofthe characters centraly involved in the action with Fandorin appearing on the periphery of the main narrative. The story is set during the coronation of Tsar Nicholas, the last of the Romanovs. Although the Capital was moved to St Petersburg by Peter the Great the coronation must by tradition be held in Moscow and so all the Court and it's principal members have moved there for the ceremony. The story is told through the words of Afanasii Stepanovich butler to the Grand Duke Georgii Alexandrovich, uncle of the Tsar and a prominent member of the familly council that advises His Imperial Majesty. Shortly after their arrival it is decided that Afanasii should take the Grand Duke's two children, Prince Mikhail and Princess Xenia, for a walk in the park surrounding the palace that the familly and it's entourage have been allocated.During the walk Prince Mikhail is kidnapped by agents of the fiendish master criminal Dr Lind. Shades of Moriarty! That is as much of the story as I will put down here as the narrative of the pursuit of the evil Doctor in the words of a servant obviously out of his depth but anxious to fulfill his obligation to the familly that has his total loyalty is as fascinating a tale as this writer has read in a long while. I began by comparing Erast Fandorin to Sherlock Holmes, a comparison that may provoke disagreement from some readers but having read all but one of the previous Fandorin stories of Boris Akunin I believe that mu assertion stands. It is, of course, for other readers to reach their own conclusions.