"Coronation, or the Last of the Romanovs" by Boris Akunin, summary Automatic translate

This detective novel was written in 2000. The story is told from the perspective of a court servant — a courtier loyal to the monarchy — whose perception of events contrasts sharply with the classic detective’s approach to investigation. The limited perspective of this devoted servant forces the reader to wander further into the darkness of this cunning plot. This book is an unusual detective story, revealing terrifying events through the eyes of someone infinitely removed from the detective profession.

The work was awarded the Russian literary prize "Antibooker" in the "Brothers Karamazov" category for the best prose of the year.

The novel is part of the popular "Adventures of Erast Fandorin" series. It is the eighth book in this detective series. The series is also known for other successful works: "Azazel," "The Turkish Gambit," "Leviathan," and "The Death of Achilles."

Arrival of the Imperial Court

In the spring of 1896, Moscow prepares for the sacred coronation of Nicholas II. Butler Afanasy Zyukin manages the staff of servants for Grand Duke Georgy Alexandrovich. The royal family is housed in the Hermitage Palace. The Grand Duke’s children, Paul, young Xenia, and four-year-old Mikhail, affectionately known to his family as Mika, arrive with the Romanovs. They are accompanied by the French governess, Mademoiselle Emilie Declique. The court also receives English guests — Lord Banville, Mr. Carr, and the imperturbable British butler, Freyby.

Zyukin is meticulous, strict with his subordinates, and sincerely devoted to the monarchy. He takes immense pride in his profession, which demands complete dedication and impeccable self-control. This perfect routine is suddenly disrupted during a routine stroll through the alleys of Neskuchny Garden. Unknown villains attack the governess and young children. A retired special assignments official, Erast Fandorin, accidentally witnesses the crime. Together with his faithful Japanese valet, Masa, the detective kills one of the robbers and rescues the Grand Duchess. Little Mika is taken away in a closed carriage.

Blackmail and secret negotiations

The Romanovs receive a daring message. An international criminal calling himself Doctor Lind demands that the child be exchanged for the famous Orlov Diamond. This precious stone adorns the imperial scepter. The criminal threatens to disrupt the ceremony and return the Grand Duke piecemeal, beginning a bloody blackmail operation right on the eve of the celebrations. The highest dignitaries gather for a secret council. Giving up the state regalia is unthinkable; such a move would forever disgrace the ruling dynasty. Fandorin proposes a cunning plan: borrow the diamond from the villain.

The Romanovs will pay huge sums daily for a delay, buying precious time to find Lind’s hideout. The palace police, led by Colonel Karnovich, take control of the operation, but Fandorin conducts his own manhunt. The first attempt to transfer the ransom is irrevocably thwarted. Zyukin is carrying the ransom, but a street urchin lures him into a trap. The butler sees a frightened Mika in a speeding carriage and gives chase, but the bandits quickly escape with the heavy suitcase.

Searching in Moscow’s slums

Dr. Lind demands further large payments. Mademoiselle Declique delivers priceless jewelry from the Empress’s personal jewelry box to the criminals every day. The governess is driven blind each time, painstakingly covering her tracks. Fandorin teaches Emilia to count the revolutions of the wheels by the creaking of the axles. The detective hopes to calculate the exact distance to the hiding place using mathematical calculations. Then the detective and the courtier head to the seedy alleys of Khitrovka. They search for the leader of a local gang nicknamed "Kultia."

This one-armed criminal secretly works for Lind. Disguised as an experienced thief, Fandorin infiltrates a criminal gathering in abandoned wine cellars. The sudden appearance of the police completely ruins the plan. Karnovich stages a raid, and Kultia dies in a brief shootout. A valuable witness is irretrievably lost. Enraged, the Japanese man Masa beats Zyukin for his unwitting betrayal — the butler had previously inadvertently tipped off the police about the detective’s intentions.

Khodynka disaster

The search reaches a dead end. Fandorin suspects Lind’s lair is in an old tomb near the walls of the Novodevichy Convent. The hiding place turns out to be empty; the criminals have quietly escaped through ancient underground passages. The detective and Zyukin wander for a long time through dark, earthen labyrinths, miraculously reach the river, and rush to intercept the doctor’s accomplices. The day of mass public celebrations arrives. The huge crowd on Khodynka Field turns into an uncontrollable force. A terrible stampede ensues, and thousands die.

Amidst this frantic chaos, Zyukin and Fandorin discover a dead postal worker secretly working for a blackmailer. Lind coldly eliminated an unnecessary witness by stabbing him in the chest with a stiletto. The criminal remains elusive. There remains a slim chance of saving the hostages. Fandorin uncovers a hidden spy within the Hermitage itself. Assistant butler Somov kills Mr. Carr and attempts to escape, but dies in a deadly fight with the detective. All suspicion falls on Lord Banville. The Englishman has mysteriously disappeared, leaving an empty room. He is confidently believed to be the cruel Dr. Lind.

A bitter solution

A final, decisive meeting is scheduled. Zyukin must bring the Orlov diamond in a special golden sphere. A sensitive fuse is securely hidden within the metal sphere: the slightest strong impact will shatter everything around it. The butler and Emilia arrive at a chilly chapel. There, they are met by the gray-haired jeweler Linda, who verifies the diamond’s authenticity. Fandorin, disguised as a deaf-mute coachman, kills the jeweler and quickly descends into the dank dungeon. A furious shootout with the bandits ensues. Mademoiselle screams that Linda is hiding here, after which the villain vanishes without a trace into the darkness of the underground void.

Early in the morning, Zyukin brings the collected jewels to the suspension bridge in Vorobyovsky Park. Fandorin comes out to meet him, dressed in a black monk’s robe. Suddenly, loud shots ring out. The detective falls gravely wounded, and his unseen adversary rolls to the bottom of a deep ravine. The butler descends to the slain enemy and, with chilling horror, recognizes Mademoiselle Declique. Doctor Lind’s insidious plot is fully exposed. The brutal international criminal turned out to be a modest French governess.

She masterfully manipulated those around her, evoking in them selfless, blind devotion. Emilia cold-bloodedly orchestrated a daring kidnapping, methodically killed her own accomplices, and attempted to eliminate Fandorin forever. Little Mikhail is long dead — the governess killed the defenseless boy almost immediately, continuing to cynically blackmail the Romanovs. The Emperor generously rewards the shocked Zyukin. The butler receives the high rank of chamberlain, 10,000 rubles, and a diamond-studded snuffbox.

The Romanovs reliably conceal the bitter truth, publicly announcing that the child died suddenly of measles. The dynasty’s outward prestige is saved, but Zyukin’s sincere faith is completely shattered. He clearly sees the falsehood, the indifferent cynicism, and the utter heartlessness of his crowned masters. The English butler watches the departing tsar melancholically and translates a random phrase from his bilingual dictionary: "The last of the Romanovs."