The Erast Fandorin series by Boris Akunin (Grigory Chkhartishvili) is a must-read for fans of historical mysteries who enjoy high-stakes intrigue mixed with deep philosophical undercurrents.

: Erast Fandorin evolves significantly throughout the series. He starts as a naive, incredibly lucky young investigator in The Winter Queen and develops into a polyglot master of logic and disguise with a distinct code of honor.

: Each novel is uniquely written as a different sub-genre—from spy thrillers and "locked-room" mysteries to Westerns and comedies of manners.

: The best starting point, introducing a young Fandorin in 1876 as he stumbles into a global conspiracy.