I greatly enjoyed the two distinct but slightly interlinked stories contained in this volume. They displayed all the best aspects of Akunin's writing and Fandorin's character. I have read all American translations of the Fandorin series and like this one second best to Winter Queen. ( )

Two novels in one volume. The first one is about a con artist who have conned the governor of Moscow. The second story is about a serial killer in Moscow.
As previous novels by Akunin, the suspense goes to the last two pages. It's worthwhile. ( )

Very, very clever stories. ( )

This novel is reminiscent of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. Fandorin is a brilliant deducer assisted by the faithful, but nowhere near as brilliant, Tulipov. This book contains two of Fandorin’s adventures. In the first, he goes after a con man who is as brilliant as Fandorin. The ending is much like a Holmes’ ending—justice is served, but the con man gets away. In the second story, Fandorin goes after Jack the Ripper who appears to have moved to Russia. The author provides a surprise ending. Fans of Holmes should add Fandorin to their reading list. ( )

Two stories in one book that features the Deputy of Special Assignments, Erast Fandorin. However that's where the similarities end. The tone of the stories cannot be more different!

The former is a light read and revolves around a con artist who had been doing some monetary trickeries around Moscow in 1886. Known as Jack of Spades, for he always leave behind the Jack of Spade card after him, he finally met his match in a battle of wits with Fandorin. This is also where we are introduced to Anissi Tulipov, who ended up becoming Fandorin's most trusted assistant.

The latter is set in Holy Week 1889 and the tone is so much darker, like a huge cloud of storm looming in the horizon. A serial killer, known as the Decorator, is out to "beautify" those cursed with ugliness. These brutal killings are similar to those by Jack the Ripper in London, where prostitutes were annhilated. It is up to Fandorin and Tulipov to stop this monstrous killer before it is too late.

The second story is much more gripping than the first as it is set in a much faster pace and one can feel the urgency to get to the bottom of the mystery. With descriptive words by the author combined with a pinch on my own imagination, the word brutal is taken to an entirely new level!

Overall, both stories are well plotted with an interesting Russia backdrop and characters. I look forward to reading more of Erast Fandorin's adventures. ( )