Special Assignments (with Transcription)

We are pleased to present the new edition of the fifth book about Erast Fandorin, «Special Assignments», which contains two novels: «The Queen of Spades» and «The Decorator» with a unique addition - a chapter titled «Commentary», which will reveal amazing details about the creation of this book.

The Queen of Spades. Picaresque detective. 1886. The only novel by Akunin in which no one is killed. A great conman and a great detective engage in a complex game, where any victory may turn into defeat. 

The Decorator. Maniac detective. 1889. The most brutal novel in the series. It’s better not to read while eating. Also not before bed. The texts are accompanied by «Commentary» - an appendix that discusses the «behind-the-scenes» world of the stories.

In this chapter, Boris Akunin describes who inspired him to write the novel and who became the prototypes for the characters, how the main plot lines were formed and their unexpected twists, and what real events and historical details served as the basis for the work.