More espionage than murder mystery, this book is highly reminiscent of certain Christie and Conan Doyle books which deal more with international conspiracies than classic crime. Overall I enjoyed the read, and liked the main character of Fandorin, who brings a charming combination of naivety, intelligence, and luck. The plot had a wait for it...wait for it style of development where the reader waits for the revelation that they've spotted rather sooner than Fandorin, but this can be accepted as part of the story.However, I will not be continuing with the series thanks to a classic "fridging" of a female character in the final chapter. This development killed what was until then my intention to read further.
