SISTER PELAGIA AND THE RED COCKEREL is the third Sister Pelagia book by Boris Akunin, who is perhaps better known for his series of books starring Erast Fandorin. The setting remains the same — early 20th-century pre-Revolution Russia — but the theme is vastly different. As can be imagined from the title, the plot revolves around religious belief, the meaning of scripture, Christianity, Judaism, heretical beliefs and a re-imagining of what the word of God may have truly meant.
The Fandorin series is almost a Russian version of Sherlock Holmes, with a quirky main character solving improbable crimes. But the Sister Pelagia series doesn’t strike me as analogous to any of the famous detective series featuring clerical characters with which we’re familiar. Oh, she’s the whole indomitable-but-humble nun stereotype who soldiers on against intense odds because God is with her, that kind of thing, but there is much more religious detail and prayer here, and for readers who love that aspect of crime fiction, they will find much to enjoy.
A strange preacher known as Manuila is found murdered aboard a passenger ship. He is the leader of a new sect called the Foundlings, roundly despised by the different religious factions, and the object of much animosity. However, the corpse turns out not to be Manuila, but one of his apostles. As Investigator Dolinin works the case, he begins to find Sister Pelagia’s observations useful, and the two of them join in the hunt for the real killer, and the location of the real Manuila. But this is not just a simple manhunt crime novel.
Akunin has an interesting technique of revealing the background story of a character you think is merely a side character, but who ends up being heavily involved in the tale. Sometimes this works exceedingly well, as we meet the Middle Eastern guide Salakh who becomes integrated into Sister Pelagia’s search; sometimes it seems contrived and pointless, as with the Jewish communards the good Sister encounters on the passenger ship.
In any event, we jump from story to story, from Pelagia to Dolinin, to a provincial prosecutor named Birdichevsky whose adventures occupy fully a third of the tale, all of them revolving around this mysterious Manuila. These disparate stories eventually resolve into the resolution of a fairly intricate plot, and while this is eminently satisfying, it does take some patience on the reader’s part.
The plot and story are strong, stronger even than any entrant in the Fandorin series, but the relentless religiosity and Jew-baiting can be uncomfortable for an agnostic reader. Intense vignettes such as the Jewish commune fighting its Circassian neighbors is a story on its own, but detract from the central tale.
The final bit, the resolution of the plot and Sister Pelagia’s coda make the book worthwhile. But do have a taste for matters clerical in order to fully enjoy the work. —Mark Rose
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• THE DEATH OF ACHILLES by Boris Akunin
• SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS by Boris Akunin
