Murder on the Leviathan: A Novel [Hardcover]

Boris Akunin (Author), Andrew Bromfield (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2004

Paris, 1878: Eccentric antiquarian Lord Littleby and his ten servants are found murdered in Littleby’s mansion on the rue de Grenelle, and a priceless Indian shawl is missing. Police commissioner “Papa” Gauche recovers only one piece of evidence from the crime scene: a golden key shaped like a whale. Gauche soon deduces that the key is in fact a ticket of passage for the Leviathan, a gigantic steamship soon to depart Southampton on its maiden voyage to Calcutta. The murderer must be among its passengers.

In Cairo, the ship is boarded by a young Russian diplomat with a shock of white hair—none other than Erast Fandorin, the celebrated detective of Boris Akunin’s The Winter Queen. The sleuth joins forces with Gauche to determine which of ten unticketed passengers on the Leviathan is the rue de Grenelle killer.

Tipping his hat to Agatha Christie, Akunin assembles a colorful cast of suspects—including a secretive Japanese doctor, a professor who specializes in rare Indian artifacts, a pregnant Swiss woman, and an English aristocrat with an appetite for collecting Asian treasures—all of whom are con?ned together until the crime is solved. As the Leviathan steams toward Calcutta, will Fandorin be able to out-investigate Gauche and discover who the killer is, even as the ship’s passengers are murdered, one by one?

Already an international sensation, Boris Akunin’s latest page-turner transports the reader back to the glamorous, dangerous past in a richly atmospheric tale of suspense on the high seas.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Usually, crime writers who give birth to protagonists deserving of future series want to feature those characters as prominently as possible in subsequent installments. Not so Boris Akunin, who succeeds his celebrated first novel about daring 19th-century Russian sleuth Erast Fandorin, The Winter Queen, with the less inventive Murder on the Leviathan, in which the now former Moscow investigator competes for center stage with a swell-headed French police commissioner, a crafty adventuress boasting more than her fair share of aliases, and a luxurious steamship that appears fated for deliberate destruction in the Indian Ocean.

Following the 1878 murders of British aristocrat Lord Littleby and his servants on Paris's fashionable Rue de Grenelle, Gustave Gauche, "Investigator for Especially Important Crimes," boards the double-engined, six-masted Leviathan on its maiden voyage from England to India. He's on the lookout for first-class passengers missing their specially made gold whale badges--one of which Littleby had yanked from his attacker before he died. However, this trap fails: several travelers are badgeless, and still others make equally good candidates for Littleby's slayer, including a demented baronet, a dubious Japanese army officer, a pregnant and loquacious Swiss banker's wife, and a suave Russian diplomat headed for Japan. That last is of course Fandorin, still recovering two years later from the events related in The Winter Queen. Like a lesser Hercule Poirot, "papa" Gauche grills these suspects, all of whom harbor secrets, and occasionally lays blame for Paris's "crime of the century" before one or another of them--only to have the hyper-perceptive Fandorin deflate his arguments. It takes many leagues of ocean, several more deaths, and a superfluity of overlong recollections by the shipmates before a solution to this twisted case emerges from the facts of Littleby's killing and the concurrent theft of a valuable Indian artifact from his mansion.

Like the best Golden Age nautical mysteries, Murder on the Leviathan finds its drama in the escalating tensions between a small circle of too-tight-quartered passengers, and draws its humor from their over-mannered behavior and individual eccentricities. Trouble is, Akunin (the pseudonym of Russian philologist Grigory Chkhartishvili) doesn't exceed expectations of what can be done within those traditions. --J. Kingston Pierce

From Publishers Weekly

Akunin writes like a hybrid of Caleb Carr, Agatha Christie and Elizabeth Peters in his second mystery to be published in the U.S., set on the maiden voyage of the British luxury ship Leviathan, en route to India in the spring of 1878. Akunin's young Russian detective/diplomat protagonist, Erast Fandorin, has matured considerably since his debut in last year's highly praised The Winter Queen, set in 1876, and proves a worthy foil to French police commissioner Gustave Gauche, who boards the Leviathan because a clue suggests that one of the passengers murdered a wealthy British aristocrat, seven servants and two children in his Paris home and stole priceless Indian treasures. The intuitive, methodical Fandorin, who joins the ship at Port Said, soon slyly takes over the investigation and comes up with an eclectic group of suspects, all with secrets to hide, whom Gauche assigns to the same dining room. The company recite humorous or instructive stories that slow down the action but eventually relate to the identification of the killer. Gauche offers at least four solutions to the crimes, but in each case Fandorin debates or debunks his reasoning. The atmospheric historical detail gives depth to the twisting plot, while the ruthless yet poignant arch villain makes up for a cast of mostly cardboard characters. Readers disappointed by the lack of background on Fandorin will find plenty in The Winter Queen.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Random House (April 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400060516
• ISBN-13: 978-1400060511
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #562,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars funny, eccentric, ingenious!, May 9, 2004

By 

RachelWalker "RachelW" (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder on the Leviathan: A Novel (Hardcover)

I'm afraid I might have done Boris Akunin a great disservice. I thought The Winter Queen was a decidedly average read; I didn't find the plot too gripping, and I disliked the style. Now, there's nothing I can do about the plot: I've simply never been fond of "adventure" stories, so I'm not particularly going to like a pastiche of one, either - as The Winter Queen was. However, I must have been in some bizarre mood, because I found the style of Leviathan to be an absolute delight!

This is the third Erast Fandorin novel - the second to be translated into English (Turkish Gambit, the real 2nd, is scheduled for publication in December). Here, we see less of Fandorin than we did in TWQ, or it certainly seems like it. This is partly because Leviathan is told from five different perspectives. One is that of French "Investigator of Especially Important Cases", Gustav Gauche (who definitely lives up to his name); the remaining four perspectives are those of four main suspects in a murder inquiry (two of these are told in the 3rd person, two in the 1st). Thus we see Fandorin through only their eyes, making him a decidedly enigmatic and intriguing detective.

The crime being investigated is the murder, in Paris, of Lord Littleby, collector of fine things, and nine members of his staff. (Yes, nine.) Due to a clue left at the crime scene (in the form of a badge shaped as a golden whale), Gauche deduces that the murderer will be one of the passengers on the steamship Leviathan - newly built and embarking upon its maiden voyage to Calcutta. He boards the ship and begins his enquiries, trying to sift out the murder from the 142 first-class passengers (yes, 142.)

As evidenced partly by the ridiculous number of suspects and murder victims (in the end it totals 11), Akunin is clearly having a good time pointing fun at the traditions of the detective genre. And he does it very well indeed. Leviathan is an excellent detective story in its own right, while all the while it gently makes fun of itself and the genre - as TWQ did with espionage fiction. It is a hilarious novel at times; a brilliant, incredibly clever pastiche.

Akunin's main source here is, of course, Agatha Christie. The set-up is immediately recognisable as almost classic Christie, a la Murder on the Orient Express or Death on the Nile. He even manages to work in Cards on the Table and The Clocks (particularly hilariously!) among others, and that is on top off the usual Russian literary influences. For example, one of the periphery characters mentioned is named "Marcel Prout".

Leviathan is an absolutely excellent novel. I would recommend it to anyone. It is not necessary to have read The Winter Queen, and I'd probably advise that you just jump straight in here. Akunin's 2nd novel in translation is an incredibly sharp, teasing, funny, and ingenious mystery, with a great set of characters. A Japanese passenger, one of the four main suspects, is particularly wonderful. Certainly, it was his sections of the book I enjoyed most of all, highlighting fascinatingly the class of 19th century cultures. Plus, his sections of narrative are the only time I have ever come across a book that is part-written in what I can only describe as "landscape".

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tribute to Agatha Christie, April 27, 2004

By 

Alexander Gitlits (Moscow, Russia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder on the Leviathan: A Novel (Hardcover)

First of all, while "Murder on Leviathan" is billed as a second novel in the Fandorin series, it is really the third. For some reason "The Turkish Gambit" was passed over in the American edition, may be, it will be published at a later date. Fear not, though. The novel is totally accessible on its own, you don't even need to know the events of "Winter Queen".

Each novel in the series is a take on another sub-genre of mystery story - there are spy stories, political stories, etc. Here Akunin enters the kingdom of Agatha Christie - if you have read a Poirot mystery, you know what to expect from "Leviathan". This novel could be a Poirot mystery - it is worthy of the Queen of the mystery herself. If it were, would it be her best? No. But it won't be worst, too.

The main thing I like about Akunin is that he is writing novels not only set in the past, but imitating the style of that era. Most of the authors today try to cram everything into a novel - mystery, thriller, family saga, etc. The Fandorin books have a kind of simpler, purer feel to them. And thus they are somehow more pleasant to read then the majority of page-turners.

Modern thrillers are often compared to a wild ride. Well, instead of that, try a comfortable journey on a luxury cruiser.
The "Leviathan" will be leaving port shortly! Refreshments and murder are served on board.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Good Book from Boris Akunin!, June 22, 2004

By 

Leonard Fleisig "Len" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder on the Leviathan: A Novel (Hardcover)

Boris Akunin's Murder on the Leviathan is the second English language publication of a series of novels involving Russian sleuth Erast Fandorin. Leviathan is different in tone and structure from Akunin's first Fandorin mystery, The Winter Queen, but makes for a worthy successor.

The reader should note that this is actually the third book in the Erast Fandorin series but only the second published in English. Murder on the Leviathan does contain a couple of references to Fandorin's adventures in Turkey, that formed the basis of the second book, but those references do not have any impact on the reader's ability to enjoy this book standing on its own.

It is no insult to advise the reader that Murder on the Leviathan is a highly structured, formulaic mystery that is written within the clear guidelines established for genre-mysteries in the Agatha Christie tradition. The enjoyment to be gained from reading books of this sort is derived from the writer's ability to work within that structure in an entertaining and exciting way. Akunin accomplishes this task with ease and, in the process, also manages to add a few new wrinkles to the genre.

The story centers on a gruesome mass murder carried out in connection with the commission of a brazen robbery of a priceless Indian shawl in Paris in 1878. The investigation is led by a less than stellar Parisian detective, the aptly named Inspector Gauche. Like Christies' Murder on the Orient Express, the initial investigation leads Inspector Gauche to a restricted setting with a limited number of suspects. In this case the setting is the S.S. Leviathan, making its initial voyage from Southampton, England to Calcutta,India via the Suez Canal.

Inspector Gauche boards the ship in Southampton after determining that the murderer will be on the vessel. Suspects are readily identified. Those suspects are a diverse bunch. They include an upper-class Englishman of dubious sanity, an apparently delicate young Swiss woman in the middle of her first pregnancy, a mysterious Japanese army officer whose knowledge of things military seems a bit sparse, and a professor who just happens to specialize in ancient Indian artifacts of the sort found missing in Paris.

Everyone has, or appears to have a motive. As the story unfolds the reader is provided with any number of clues and red herrings as is common of this sort of mystery. The story races to its inevitable and dramatic conclusion. It would be unfair to reveal more.

As noted earlier, the success of a book of this type centers on the ability of the author to work well within the established formula for these sorts of parlor mysteries. Akunin handles the formula with aplomb and grace and even breathes some fresh life into this venerable category of mystery books.

First, Leviathan does not consist of a straightforward narrative written in one voice. Rather, each chapter is written in the voice of one of the characters in the book, whether Inspector Gauche, one of the suspects or our own Erast Fandorin (more on his role in a bit). The story is advanced in each chapter but the change in voice adds a different perspective and insight. It also leads the reader to wonder whether he was reading the words of a guilty or innocent party. This structure added a layer of interest to the story and also served to paint the characters with a deeper, fuller brush.

Second, Erast Fandorin, although arguably the `hero' of these stories plays a somewhat minor yet very critical role in the development of the story and the ultimate solution of the crime(s). Fandorin does not join the ship until it has made at least one port of call. Fandorin does not take charge of the investigation. The bumbling, pompous Inspector Gauche remains firmly (or so he thinks) in charge of the investigation. Fandorin only interjects himself into the action when it becomes clear that Gauche is about to veer dramatically off course. When Fandorin does talk - people listen - and the reader pays attention. For example, it is Fandorin, alone amongst the passengers who has some understanding of the manner and way of thinking of the mysterious Japanese passenger. In fact, Akunin in real life speaks Japanese fluently and at one point in his life worked as a Russo-Japanese translator.

Keeping Fandorin off center stage also allowed the other passenegrs room to develop as characters as the story progresses. It was not all about Fandorin and the greater development of the other passengers' characters made for a more compelling read.

Fandorin's role also happens to be the books primary weakness in my opinion. I purchased Murder on the Leviathan in part because I was drawn to the character of Fandorin that Akunin had set out so masterfully in Winter Queen. The conclusion of Winter Queen left me wanting to see Fandorin grow and survive. I did not see that in Leviathan except for one section where Fandorin looks into the tortured soul of one of his fellow passengers with great empathy and understanding. This minor disappointment was outweighed though by the story itself and by the way Akunin told the story. I do look forward to seeing more of Fandorin in future volumes of the series.

I did like this book. I think anyone who likes this type of mystery genre will like Leviathan. First, Akunin shows respect for the structure. Second, Akunin's respect for the form did not prevent him from writing a highly entertaining and fresh piece of work. I only add that reading Winter Queen is not a prerequisite to enjoying or understanding Murder on the Leviathan. It would, however, enhance the reading experience.