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Boris Akunin is the pseudonym of Grigory Chkartishvili, a Russian writer whose Erast Fandorin books have sold almost twenty million copies in Russia alone, and been translated into 35 languages. Pelagia and the Black Monkis the second in the sister Pelagia series.

Pelagia is a rather un-nunnish nun who undertakes the solving of a mystery when the first two of the Bishop’s envoys have come to sticky ends. One has apparently gone mad and the police chief has been murdered.

Pelagia’s resourceful handling of the case is a delightful romp through a series of adventures. She narrowly avoids being murdered, drowned and raped and, not unlike Agatha Christie’s heroines, suspects a whole series of likely madmen (and women) of being at the root of the mystery of the hooded monk who walks on water and terrorises the inhabitants of the St Basilisk monastery.

This is wonderful writing and great fun – right up to the superb final twist when the villain sails away …

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