Special Assignments (with Transcript)

We are pleased to present the new edition of the fifth book about Erast Fandorin, «Special Assignments», which contains two novels: «The Queen of Spades» and «The Decorator» with a unique addition — the chapter «Transcript», which will reveal amazing... details about the creation of this book.
The Queen of Spades. Picaresque Detective. 1886. The only novel by Akunin in which no one is killed. A great conman and a great detective engage in a complex game with each other, where any victory can turn into defeat. 
The Decorator. Maniac Detective. 1889. The most brutal novel in the series. It's better not to read while eating. Also, not before bed. The texts are accompanied by «Transcript» – an appendix that tells about the «behind-the-scenes» world of the stories.
In this chapter, Boris Akunin reveals who inspired him to write the novel and who became prototypes for the characters, how the main plot lines and their unexpected twists were formed, and which real events and historical details served as the foundation for the work.