The State Counsellor is the sixth mystery instalment of the Erast Fandorin series first penned by acclaimed Russian writer, Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili who goes by the pen name, Boris Akunin in 2003.

The first instalment in the series was The Winter Queen, which was published in 1998.

Five books later in The State Counsellor, Akunin’s writing doesn’t seem to have lost any steam.

Journey Of A State Counsellor

Erast Fandorin, equipped with his wit, tackles mysteries with the likes of 007 or James Bond. Though always entangled in romance, Fandorin still manages to save the day in the end.

Erast Fandorin, the State Counsellor (who is an official of the state), has been framed in the murder plot of General Khrapov, the newly appointed Governor-general of Siberia. The only piece of evidence that can help clear Fandorin’s name is a knife, the murder weapon, bearing the initials ‘CG’. Although unable to resist arrest, Fandorin is released soon after, when the Governor-general’s staff realise their mistake.

Still, Fandorin can’t seem to wash his hands of the matter, especially when the job of Prince Dolgorukoi, the predecessor of the Governor-general (who now resumes his former position) is in jeopardy, since Prince Dolgorukoi may not be able to carry on temporarily in the office of Governor-general, a post he held before his successor was murdered. Since he is a fan of Fandorin, the distressed Prince picks him to head the investigation. Fandorin jumps into the investigation right away.

Post-mortem

Akunin is a brilliant storyteller and kept UrbanWire hooked with the many twists and turns in his unpredictable plot as it unfolded. The leading character, Erast Fandorin was bound for promotion in the end but instead he chose a private and ordinary life.

Seemingly harmless characters become a lot more devious and cunning as the story progresses. Some of the ‘bad guys’, such as the character and mastermind ‘Green’, only get their just desserts in the last few pages of the book too.

The author describes every scene so vividly that, as UrbanWire pored over the pages, the words in the book seemed to jump out and were magically translated into moving scenes and dialogue bursting with emotion. Readers get a rush reading dialogue like, “But I will find him, I will! I’ll exonerate myself! I’ll move heaven and earth! Otherwise there’ll be nothing for it but to blow my brains out!”

Although this book is the 6th in the series, UrbanWire didn’t get confused by details of the previous instalments. Akunin pens every of his books as a separate adventure and only relates the whole series through the protagonist – Erast Fandorin, making each book a standalone reading experience. While The State Counsellor narrates political terrorism that happened in the late 19th century of Russia, other books in the series explore various murders, swindling and world domination. UrbanWire prefers The Winter Queen out of the 12 in the series, for its in-depth introduction of the character, but The State Counsellor does a decent job in engaging the reader.

At The End Of The Tracks

The State Counsellor is a must-read for all mystery fans. You’d better be prepared to be kept hanging by a thread as you turn each page.

Remember, with Akunin, things are never what they seem to be…

UrbanWire gives The State Counsellor 4 out of 5 stars.

The State Counsellor is now available at all major bookstores at $30.79(w/o GST).

Look out for more of Erast Fandorin’s escapades in the upcoming sequels. You can find out more of Boris Akunin and his novels at his official site.