Murder on the Leviathan

1998 novel by Boris Akunin

Leviathan

Russian hardback version

Author| Boris Akunin
Original title| Левиафан
Translator| Andrew Bromfield
Language| Russian
Series| Erast Fandorin
Genre| Historical detective
Publisher| Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Publication date

| 1998
Publication place| Russia

Published in English

| April 2004
Media type| Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages| 704 pp
ISBN| 0-7538-1843-4
OCLC| 57282875
Preceded by| The Turkish Gambit
Followed by| The Death of Achilles

Murder on the Leviathan (Russian: Левиафан ("Leviathan"); British edition titled Leviathan) is the third novel in the Erast Fandorin historical detective series by Russian writer Boris Akunin. It was the second book in the series to be translated into English. Its subtitle is герметический детектив ("hermetic detective"). Akunin conceived of the Fandorin series as a summary of all the genres of detective fiction, with each novel representing a different genre. Leviathan is his nod to Agatha Christie's style, with an exotic setting, a cast of unusual characters who each have secrets of their own, and a strange murder to start the action.

## Plot summary

[edit]

The novel is set in 1878. The story opens with the murder in Paris of Lord Littleby, all seven of his servants and two children of servants. All were poisoned except for Littleby, who was bludgeoned with an ancient Indian artifact, a golden statuette of Shiva, which belonged to Lord Littleby and was stolen from his room, along with an old Indian shawl.

French detective Gustave Gauche, in charge of the investigation, boards the passenger ship Leviathan. Gauche knows that the murderer must be one of the first-class passengers, because one of the special golden badges for the ship's first-class passengers was left in Littleby's room. Among the suspects are a Japanese Army officer, an addled English aristocrat, a married Swiss woman, and a clever young Russian diplomat on his way to his new post in Japan. The diplomat is Erast Fandorin, the master detective, who shoots down each of the ineffectual Gauche's incorrect conclusions, and in the end takes it on himself to find the murderer.

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

* Leviathan was nominated for Best European Crime Novel in the Gumshoe Awards 2005.[1]

## BBC Radio Adaptation

[edit]

The novel was adapted for the BBC's Saturday Play. Simon Robson played Fandorin and Stephen Moore was Gauche. The original broadcast was on 3 December 2005.

## Television

[edit]

The novel was adapted for the long running Polish television series Teatr Telewizji (Television Theater). The episode aired on 8 March 2021, and starred Piotr Zurawski as Fandorin.[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Gumshoe Awards 2005 Archived 2006-06-26 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ "Lewiatan". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Full text of the novel, in Russian, at Boris Akunin's official website.
* Short New York Times review
* TimesOnline review

* v
* t
* e

Works by Boris Akunin

Erast Fandorin series|

* The Winter Queen
* The Turkish Gambit
* Murder on the Leviathan
* The Death of Achilles
* Special Assignments
* The State Counsellor
* The Coronation
* She Lover of Death
* He Lover of Death
* The Diamond Chariot
* Ying and Yan
* Jade Rosary Beads
* All the World's a Stage
* The Black City
* Planet Water
* Not Saying Goodbye
* Erast Fandorin's Dao
* Tamba's Lessons
* Frog Bashō

Masahiro Shibata series|

* Just Masa
* Yama

Nicholas Fandorin series|

* Altyn Tolobas
* Extracurricular Reading
* F.M.
* Falcon and Swallow

Sister Pelagia series|

* Pelagia and the White Bulldog
* Pelagia and the Black Monk
* Pelagia and the Red Rooster

Brüderschaft with Death series|

* The Infant and the Devil
* The Torment of a Broken Heart
* The Flying Elephant
* Children of the Moon
* The Wandering Man
* Let the Thunder of Victory Rumble!
* Maria, Maria...
* Nothing Sacred

The Genres|

* Children's Book
* Spy Novel
* Science Fiction
* Quest
* Children's Book For Girls
* Fairy Tales from Around the World

Adaptations|

* Azazel (2002)
* The Turkish Gambit (2005)
* The State Counsellor (2005)
* Spy (2012)
* Fandorin: Azazel (2023)
* Leviathan (2021)

*[OCLC]: Online Computer Library Center number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template