| Date: 22 May 2011, 20:31
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Once again we are treated to a well-written tale concerning Erast Fandorin who, in this installment, is working for the Governor of Moscow. A series of assassinations, near assassinations, and robberies brings out all of the law enforcement forces in Moscow to solve the crimes, and Erast is part of the group
There is a mystery here becasue the head of the revolutionaries, a Mr. Green, keeps receivng secret instructions as to where to find victims, and what to do. It appears to Fandorin that there is a traitor in the government ranks, and that is one of the tasks he sets himself to solve. Along the way he becomes intimately involved with a beautiful young lady whose sympathies lie with the bomb throwers, but he is drawn to her despite this, and despite the fact that he suspects that she may be the person passing on the information.
There are a myriad of other suspects as well, and the tale moves along briskly. The time period is never really given, but from surrounding situations it appears to take place sometime during the reign of Nicholas II's father. That means the 19th century is slowly drawing to its end, although there is more than a decade to go, and possibly more. Some "modern" inventions are mentioned: the telephone, electric lights and the phonograph, so Russia had those things in some degree for the well-off while the workers and peasants barely survived.
Be warned: the body count is pretty high, and there's one scene with Fandorin escaping from the top of a building which tends to strain belief, but I suppose anything is possible.
In the end the identity of the traitor is revealed and justice, of a sort, is meted out to various characters. Fandorin ends the book by deciding that, at least for the time being, he has had enough of government work, and wishes to retire to private life. I suspect that, in the next book, Erast will be back solving mysteries, either for the government or for private clients. Whichever way he works I will be there to read and cheer him on.
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