Eliza Altairsky-Lointaine is the toast of Moscow society, a beautiful actress in an infamous theatre troupe. The estranged wife of a descendant of Genghis Khan, her love life is as colourful as the parts she plays: her ex-husband has threatened to kill anyone who courts her. He appears to be making good on his promise. Fandorin is contacted by concerned friend – the widowed wife of Chekhov – who asks him to investigate an alarming incident involving Eliza. But when he watches Eliza on stage for the first time, he falls desperately in love . . . Can he solve the case – and win over Eliza – without attracting the attentions of the murderer he is trying to find?

About the Author

BORIS AKUNIN is the pseudonym of Grigory Chkhartishvili. He has been compared to Gogol, Tolstoy and Arthur Conan Doyle, and his Erast Fandorin books have sold over forty million copies around the world. He lives in London.

ReviewsAs always, Akunin manages to pull off a witty pastiche that is as involving and engaging as any straight crime novel. * S Magazine, Sunday Express *Book InformationISBN 9781474604413Author Boris AkuninFormat PaperbackPage Count 432Imprint Weidenfeld & NicolsonPublisher Orion Publishing CoWeight(grams) 340gDimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 34mm