Grove/Atlantic 2020
Russia: Zakharov
Bulgaria: Ednorog
France: Presses de la Cite
Israel: Books in the Attic
Poland: Swiat Ksiazki
Serbia: Bash Kniga
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She Lover of Death
There's been rising concern in Moscow over a wave of suicides among the city's young bohemians. An intrepid newspaper reporter, Zhemailo, begins to uncover the truth behind the phenomenon – that the victims are linked by a secret society, the Lovers of Death. But Zhemailo is not the only investigator hot on the heels of these disciples of the occult. Little do they realise that the latest 'convert' to their secret society, assuming the alias of a Japanese prince, is none other than Erast Fandorin.
But when a young and naïve provincial woman, Masha Mironova, becomes embroiled in the society, and Zhemalio dies a mysterious death, Fandorin must do more than merely infiltrate and observe. Especially when the spin of the Russian roulette wheel decrees that our dashing hero be the next to die by his own hand. Can Fandorin fake his own demise, all while outwitting the cult's dastardly leader?
Kirkus Reviews:
Akunin continues to notch the most consistently varied approaches to the adventures of the Great Detective on record.
Intriguing...The concept of a “secret society of death worshippers” who pledge to kill themselves is a promising one, and Akunin does a good job of bringing the reader into the mindset of a wannabe member of such a group, Marya Mironava, who arrives in the city in pursuit of a love-interest.
Each of Boris Akunin’s acclaimed historical mysteries featuring aristocratic Inspector Fandorin takes on a different set of crime fiction tropes and makes them Akunin’s own, and She Lover of Death promises to continue the series’ tradition...Perfect for all those who remember how good Young Sherlock Holmes was!
Booklist:
Akunin (the pen name for Russian-born essayist and critic Grigory Chkhartishvili) adds interest and texture here with multiple narrators, but it’s the witty Fandorin who shines.
The Historical Novel Society:
Continually surprising, thought-provoking, and thoroughly entertaining. This first read of a Fandorin mystery is, for this reader, a beguiling invitation to delve into others.