Hooked on another crime series: Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin

On another crime reading spree!

Am really excited about making my way through another list having just discovered Boris Akunin’s Russian detective novels featuring the wonderfully named, Erast Fandorin. What a great name!

Am half way through the first book, The Winter Queen, and already totally hooked. The books are set in Russia in the early nineteenth century and feature the young detective Erast, who works in the Criminal Investigation Division of Moscow Police.

Akunin easily builds the suspense and evokes the atmosphere of Russia in 1876.

The chapters have the most entertaining subtitles, for example:

• Chapter Two, which consist entirely of a conversation
• Chapter Four, which tells of the ruinous power of beauty

I liked Erast straight away, he is clever and intelligent but also slightly vain. There is the hilarious scene involving a male whalebone corset!

There are 10 Erast Fandorin novels, which are still being translated into English. I can’t wait read more about his adventures and have the second book, The Turkish Gambit, on waiting for me on my shelf already!

Hooked on Ian Rankin's Rebus series

Got given Ian Rankin's Fleshmarket Close for present and gotta say am now officially addicted to Inspector Rebus!

Rankin's writing is so clean, clear and crisp. There is not one wasted word or description. I love the dialogue too and the droll humour of the characters, including of course Rebus.

What I liked is that Rankin is able to so easily grab you and get you into the story immediately. I haven't got into a book so quickly for a while.

The great thing about being a late convert is that I now have an extensive back list to read. Nearly finished Book 2 - Hide and Seek and have Book 1 Tooth and Nail waiting.

Will pick up Book 3 Tooth and Nail from library tommorow!

Soooo good to find myself working through another list;-)