As far as detective stories go its ok but from the reviews I was expecting something a bit more challenging - how many of you had figured it out well before Erast?

The plot was ok but I found it irritating that the villains were so obvious, even the ones who were disguised as good guys. I think the story was a little fantastical in places and I found Erast Fandorin to be a very annoying character. He's disturbingly naive and in some instances just plain stupid.

However, it was redeemed slightly by an absolutely blinding, out of the blue ending. It was this that upped the star rating in my opinion - I know, I have issues

Its very clever of Akunin to end the story like this as (I have to confess) it does make you curious about what happens next. However, in spite of this I don't think I'll be reading any more of these stories.

To begin with I quite liked Fandorian and started this book with high exectations because in part it was entirely diffrent to books I have previously read.I found it very boys-own-adventure in style and loved the pastiche of earlier times of which I had little previous knowledge-for example I was ignorant of the fact that Russia untill I think 1929 used a diffrent calender system.
Unfortunately it began to lose some of its appeal about half to three-quarters through the novel as the plot became ever more complicated and contrived.I began to be able to see twists before they arrived(I knew fandorians new boss would prove to be a wrong 'un) and found myself increasingly getting bored throughout hence the skim-reading which I try to avoid unless a novel becomes too labourious.
I found the marriage at the end a little sudden also,seeing as the pair had only exchanged words a few times and by the end I too thought Fandorian a little too naive and his increasing number of lucky escapes a bit too lucky.I kinda guessed as well that his new wife would die(didn't Ian Fleming use this to better effect in James Bond?)and found myself screaming at the book "bomb,bomb you cosy dunt-for chrissakes throw it out the fracking window!!!!!"

In my review on dooyou,someone commented that they had read the next two in the series and that this was the better entry,the third novel being truly dire apparently,well I can safely say that after my high expectations of this novel were crudely dashed to the rocks below,I will definetly give the rest of the series a miss which is a shame because I felt it had the potential to be sooo much better.

Not for a long time has a book destroyed my expectations so rapidly after such a build up.I really thought this was going to be better.....never mind only two days of my life wasted-thank god I read books so quickly.

Just how lucky can one person get? To have escaped one of the attempts on his life was unlikely but to have escaped a suicide attempt after a bet with the Count, a stabbing, drowning, a couple of shootings and a bomb!!! The ending was unexcepted and I did go back and read the last page again becasue I thought I read it wrong first time. I actual thought he had realized the parcel was a bomb but being more implusive than sensible he rushed out to try a capture the man who had brought it instead of making sure his new wife was safely out of the room. He seems to bumble through the case and most of the time just stumbled on the villains by good luck. But to be fair I think it was meant to be a ‘tongue in cheek’ novel and not meant to be taken as a serious crime novel, and if that is the case it did succeed to some extent. (If I’m wrong I have just upset the author). I bought the 2nd book a while ago but wanted to read this first but I am now unsure about reading Book 2.

that it was pretty much tongue-in-cheek. I enjoyed reading it for the sake of reading. It was well written and quite amusing and I liked Sister Pelagia's character. It reminded me of Miss Marple and Cluedo (characters brought together at high society soirees, shock outbursts, oohs and aahs, posh frocks and lead piping). You didn't read it to find out who killed who - it was just an enjoyable ride/read. It didn't leave me wanting more though as I wished Akunin had featured more of Sister Pelagia in the book - she was great. I suppose he was setting everything up for the series.

Anyway, was interested to read everyone's posts on The Winter Queen. I wouldn't mind reading it to check out the ending.

Really didn't think I'd enjoy the book and did find it slow to get into but was reading it last night and it did pick up the pace and come a little more of a crime novel to the point where I was actually enjoying it - just had to get used to it!

I agree that the ending was unexpected... especially the jump from one minute getting blow up to the next getting married and then again blown up and yup, my thoughts are the same as Sparkys. I'd thought he'd have known it was a bomb if he heard the countdown! You don't just leave it in the room - you chuck it into the carriage of the one who send it

I guessed early on who was involved but lots of loose ends were left - the Chiefs surprise at seeing Fandorin was a bit too obvious. I'd have liked Grushin to be involved somewhere instead of getting kicked out of it so early on - thought Fandorin may have confided in him somewhere along it. And where are Zurov and Amalia?

Part of my dislike(?) of it was what exactly was Azazel up to ? I wish they had had a more focussed threat like assasinating a president etc. And once he was double-crossed by someone he trusted I was instantly suspicious of all the other characters, good or bad.

being almost indestructable eg. surviving bombings, drownings etc.  I think this was covered in the book when Brilling tells a story about another man who avoids injury in battle- has a 'halo' around him.

which also- towards the end- features a shadowy International organisation, 'The Brotherhood', which goes about assassinating former treacherous members...