Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog (Mortalis) [Paperback]

and it's all thanks to "Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog." I haven't read (yet) Akunin's four Detective Fandorin books available in English, but I will -- while I'm eagerly awaiting release of the next in the Sister Pelagia series, "Sister Pelagia and the Black Monk."

Akunin's new, late nineteenth century protagonist is a young, sometimes clumsy, freckled and bespectacled Russian Orthodox Bride of Christ who, we learn as we read, has already solved a few criminal mysteries at the behest of her bishop, the formidable, sometimes bombastic and contradictory, but wise Mitrofanii. This time, she tackles the mystery of who is poisoning specially bred bulldogs with distinctive pelt markings and especially slobbery jowls. At least, that is her initial assignment, but Pelagia soon stumbles upon a sequence of heinous human murders and must discover how everything fits together before she ends up a corpse too.

The narrator of "Sister Pelagia" is unnamed and "hovers" wherever the author chooses. One gets the impression this is an omniscient denizen of the province's humble capital town, Zavolzhsk. In the first third/half of the book, this narrator provides an abundance -- one can claim overabundance! -- of background information on the various, colorful, sometimes blackly comical, sometimes broodingly base, sometimes just plain demented individuals who people Zavolzhsk and the bishop's aunt's country estate. All this familiarization hinders the tale's flow for a time. But once Pelagia solves the first mystery, the novel swings into high gear plot-wise. The suspense is supreme when she must fight for her life, first on land, then in water. And the courtroom scenes provide a satisfying finale to the complex mysteries Akunin devised.

The author, whose perversely playful pen name, Akunin, means "wrongdoer" in Japanese; was born in the USSR and currently resides in Moscow. In an interview (appended in this volume), he commented relevantly, "The problems that Russia faced at the end of the nineteenth century are essentially the same problems we have in Russia today." Not by accident then, "Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog" contains a loose governmental and ethical/religious organization blueprint for the story's province that Akunin evidently thinks present-day Russian public institutions could do well to emulate. The novel contains a number of leisurely exchanges between characters about the nature and reach of good government and other social influences like the Orthodox Church. This aspect of the book lends it added gravitas and consequence.

"Sister Pelagia and the White Bull Dog" is compared to Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" by Akunin's interviewer. There do exist similarities, and one definitely feels a classic "Russianness" in the style. By the way, translator Andrew Bromfield has, to this non-Russian-speaking reader, superbly conveyed the feeling we should get when reading this spry and wry Russian author. And reviewers have suggested that the intrepid Pelagia shares characteristics with famous fictional detectives Father Brown and Miss Marple. Agreed, although young Pelagia also reminds one of Sherlock Holmes who wasn't always himself either....

A wish list for future Sister Pelagia installments: a map is always welcome (even of a make-believe location), and a list of characters can't hurt...it is difficult to keep all the long Russian names straight.

This is a very rewarding read. Four and a half stars. [...]

In the midst of writing mysteries about detective Erast Fandorin, the author has also begun a new series. This one concerns a nun named Sister Pelagia, who is sent out by her Bishop to help solve mysteries and murders in a backward province of Imperial Russia. The action is fast, the plot never wavers, and the characters are all well-srawn. One interesting quirk to this story is that, when it is required, Sister Pelagia assumes the identity of her "sister", a widow who dresses and acts exactly as would an upper class member of the Russian nobility. I found the premise of this book fascinating, and the characters of both the good sister and her boss the bishop very believeable, therefore I am awaiting anxiously the next book in this marvelous series.

Boris Akunin is a well-regarded Russian author of suspense fiction, heretofore known for his Fandorin series, which concerns a part-James Bond, part-Hercules Poirot creation who nonetheless is strikingly original. SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG marks the beginning of a new direction for Akunin and fittingly introduces Mortalis, a new imprint of literary mystery and suspense fiction for Random House.

We quickly learn from the unnamed, omnipresent narrator that Sister Pelagia is a sleuth in nun's habit, wishing to devote her life to God yet feeling stifled by the requirements of the order and by the role of women in early 20th century Russia. In addition, she is quite adept at solving mysteries, a skill that she hides from all except her supervisory bishop, who keeps her abilities a secret not only to preserve the good sister's customary role but also to keep her in reserve as a secret weapon in the political skirmishes that were the hallmark of the time.

The bishop generally has his hands full, what with an inspector from the Holy Synod coming to meddle in local affairs, the gruesome discovery of two decapitated bodies, and the bishop's aunt being in a terrible state as a result of the baffling death of one of her white bulldogs, a special breed that she and her late husband had nurtured through generations. The perpetrator of the canine murder is quickly determined, even if the motive isn't, and the unforeseen nexus that connects this and other events is slowly but surely sorted out in a climactic courtroom scene in which the good sister has a starring role.

It should be noted that Russian literature tends to be the antithesis of, say, a James Patterson work --- why use one word when pages will do? --- and occasionally, as even Akunin notes with a nod and a wink through his anonymous narrator, things seem to wander off track. All is revealed in good time, however, and along the way Akunin drops nuggets of dry, subtle humor amidst social and political commentary. Those who take their mysteries with great spoonfuls of explosions and karate may find this book wanting (though it does, particularly near the end, have its moments), and there is enough political intrigue and metaphor to provide a satisfactory feast.

Lovingly translated by Andrew Bromfield, SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG is a welcome debut of a new series that hopefully will give Akunin the wider visibility in this country that his work deserves. And let's give some kudos to Random House as well for its brave launch of Mortalis. We'll happily look for more.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 13 reviews  4.3 out of 5 stars