The Roman Room Method

A captivating retro detective story ideally preserves and develops the traditions of Boris Akunin’s works about the adventures of the sleuth Fandorin.

Detective Ardov has a unique memory, and this quality allows him to mentally return to the crime scene—quickly turning a young man into a star of criminal investigation in the late nineteenth century.

“The Roman Room Method” is a well-known technique since ancient times for restoring in memory the circumstances of the past, which Ilya Alekseevich Ardov masters brilliantly. After graduating from the University of Zurich, he, for some reason, decides to enter the service as an agent of the Spasskaya Section detective bureau in St. Petersburg. To have a reason to refuse the unexpected applicant, the bailiff Troekrutov orders Ardov to solve a theft of hatpins. The probation period is three days. Unraveling the crime within the allotted time is beyond even an experienced investigator—especially if someone starts killing respectable gentlemen using the stolen pins…