Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog, Boris Akunin

Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog
by Boris Akunin

Boris Akunin reminds me very much of Alexander McCall Smith. Both authors write mysteries of a light and amusing nature based in a far-away place that itself is mysterious for the reader. Akunin also bases his mysteries in a far-away time, Tsarist Russia of the nineteenth century. The books of both authors are pleasant to read; they are not ponderous or heavy, and the reader is permitted to know in advance that the sleuth will solve the case in an unexpected and very clever manner, based primarily on keen observations of facts that the reader is not permitted to know in advance. Both authors provide philosophical lectures along with their mysteries. And now both authors have created female sleuths of a light and amusing nature. If one reason for reading is pleasant escape, then these books succeed in that goal. These authors pleasantly transport their readers to another world filled with fantasy and mystery.

In this book, Akunin introduces his female sleuth, Sister Pelagia, and sends her off to solve the mystery of the death of a white bulldog. As she solves this "crime", the reader is led through the culture of a remote village in nineteenth century Tsarist Russia. One of the techniques Akunin uses to entertain the reader is to employ the Russian custom of using two sets of very complicated Russian names for each person in the book -- either the character's first two names, or the single last name. This technique produces a puzzle for the reader, who must quickly learn these names and remember them when continuing to read after the book has been put aside for a time.

These books are meant to be fun, and they are fun. They are not intended as serious books, but as pleasant little escapes into a fantasy world.