She Lover of Death
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Boris Akunin |
| Products | Historical detective novel |
She Lover of Death is a historical detective novel authored by Russian writer Boris Akunin. It represents the eighth entry in the series centered around the fictional investigator Erast Fandorin.
Plot
Masha Mironova, an innocent woman from the provinces, relocates to Moscow, adopts the pseudonym Columbine, and becomes a member of the Lovers of Death, a bohemian circle of poets anticipating romantic suicides at the turn of the century. The group's leader, known as the Doge, replaces members following each death. A figure presented as a Japanese prince is revealed to be Fandorin operating incognito. A journalist named Zhemailo investigates the connection between the suicides and the society but dies under suspicious circumstances. The police informant Horatio is also involved in the unfolding events. Fandorin discovers that numerous apparent suicides are actually homicides, some perpetrated by a young participant called Caliban. These killings serve as a diversion for the Doge’s illicit activities, which come to light after he pushes Columbine toward an attempted suicide.
Release and reception
She Lover of Death was released in hardcover format in the United Kingdom by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in October 2009, spanning 272 pages. A paperback edition with the same page count followed in September 2010.
The book was met with generally positive critiques. Marcel Berlins from The Times lauded its imaginative and surreal narrative, featuring "outrageous" characters alongside an "irresistible" protagonist in Fandorin. John Thornhill of the Financial Times described it as "conventional yet self-indulgently enjoyable," emphasizing its strong influences from Russian literary tradition and stylistic homage to late 19th-century authors and Arthur Conan Doyle.
According to The Sunday Times, the Fandorin series stands out as "engagingly original," combining emotional depth with pastiche while delivering "clever and unexpected twists." Cheryl Jorgensen from The Courier-Mail noted Akunin’s lighthearted approach and characterized the novel as "a captivating story set in Imperial Russia," likely to attract a wide readership.