"Extracurricular Reading" by Boris Akunin, summary Automatic translate

The work was published in 2003. Each chapter of the novel is named after a famous work of classical literature, and the final line of the text is a verbatim copy of the last sentence of the masterpiece of the same name. The detective story is considered the second book in the "Adventures of a Master" series. This literary series also includes the novels "Altyn-tolobas," "F.M.", and "The Falcon and the Swallow."

Two eras of one history

The plot unfolds in two parallel timelines. Palace intrigues of the late 18th century alternate with the criminal adventures of the early 21st century. The heroes of the past and present are closely connected by family ties — their actions echo across the centuries. The Russian-British Nicholas Fandorin and his ancestor Danila possess striking similarities in character. Both heroes value human dignity and constantly find themselves in the most dangerous situations.

Conspiracy against the Empress

Retired Horse Guardsman Alexei Karpov brings his seven-year-old son to St. Petersburg. The captain dreams of demonstrating the child’s incredible talents to Catherine the Great. The boy, Mithridates, is gifted with a phenomenal memory. At court, the young genius accidentally overhears a secret conversation. Yeremey Metastasio, secretary to the favorite Platon Zurov, plans to poison the empress. The conspirators plan to use a slow-acting poison.

At an evening reception, Mithridates saves the aging empress’s life. The boy knocks a glass of poisoned tincture from the royal hand. Catherine’s beloved greyhound licks up the spilled liquid. The animal dies instantly from vocal paralysis — the poison works instantly and silently. The empress generously rewards the child prodigy’s father and leaves her gifted savior in the palace.

Secret Society of Satanophagists

Metastasio methodically attempts to eliminate a young witness. The killers cause a heavy bronze chandelier to fall directly onto the child’s bed. Later, the attacker pushes the boy into a deep kitchen well. Mithridates miraculously survives. Soon, the child prodigy turns to the head of the secret police, Prokhor Maslov, for help.

A perceptive child accidentally uncovers a terrible truth. The head of the Secret Expedition turns out to be the leader of a Masonic order of Satanophagists. A special symbol in the form of a flower is tattooed on the dignitary’s body. The secret order plans to install the ruler’s young grandson as emperor — this will allow the conspirators to rule the state from the shadows. The disgraced heir, Pavel, also turns out to be a puppet in the hands of the insidious organization. Maslov decides to eliminate Mithridates, who has acquired such dangerous information.

The Forest Hermit

Salvation comes in the form of Danila Fondorin. The former courtier, deeply disillusioned with humanity, retreated into the remote Novgorod forests. He had previously lost his beloved wife and young son, Samson. The hermit helps the boy escape the capital. The fugitives encounter Countess Pavlina Khavronskaya on the postal route. The noblewoman is hiding from the persistent and rude advances of Prince Platon Zurov.

The Countess’s carriage is being pursued by Zurov’s adjutant, Pikin. The cruel captain-lieutenant mercilessly murders Pavlina’s loyal servants. Danila engages his pursuer in combat. Fondorin is a brilliant hand-to-hand combatant and fencing expert. The hermit defeats the guardsman in a fair duel, generously sparing the villain’s life. Pikin vows to leave the fugitives in peace.

Rescue and a new family

The travelers take refuge at the estate of the wealthy landowner Miron Lyubavin near Moscow. The successful owner of the estate unexpectedly turns out to be a brother of the order of Satanophagists. The fanatic receives orders from the Great Mage to eliminate the messenger of dark forces in the guise of a child. The mad foreman attempts to drown Mithridates in an icy hole.

Danila once again rescues his young ward. The friends once again set out on the run across the snowy plain. Pavlina catches up with the travelers on the winter road. The Countess invites the hermit and the boy to go to a remote Ural factory. The heroes decide to start a new, strong family, far from palace intrigue and political upheaval. Danila names the rescued boy Samson in honor of his own deceased son.

Modern Moscow

Danila’s descendant, Nicholas, runs the consulting company "Country of Soviets." A strange client, Ivan Ilyich Shibyakin, visits the office. The distraught widower informs him of impending death sentences for dishonest businessmen. Soon, Nicholas finds the visitor’s body beneath the building’s windows. Police investigator Volkov shows Fandorin a list of convicted businessmen. The name of the president of "Country of Soviets" appears at the very end.

Nicholas sends warning letters to the list members. The Magister hopes to prevent the upcoming murders. One of the merchants has already been killed in a car bombing, and another has been shot. The situation demands immediate action to protect his own life. Valya’s loyal assistant, Glen, hides the boss in a country cottage. This androgynous young man courageously tries to lead the bandits down a false trail, but the mercenaries discover the Magister’s location.

Cynical puppeteer

One of the people on the list requests an urgent meeting with the master. Plastic surgeon Mirat Kutsenko hires Nicholas as a tutor for his 18-year-old daughter, Miranda. Having grown up in a provincial orphanage, the girl was recently reunited with her wealthy father. The employer promises Fandorin a substantial salary and a safe haven within the walls of a guarded estate. The tutor develops a computer game for his ward about his ancestor, Erast Petrovich. The tutoring in social manners is going well.

In reality, Kutsenko is waging a merciless war with pharmacy chain owner Oleg Yastykov. The two rivals are vying for the purchase of a large chemical plant. Yastykov plans to mass-produce a legal drug disguised as a harmless sedative. Mirat Vilenovich intends to stop this criminal enterprise at any cost.

Cruel game

The warring parties don’t shy away from radical methods. Yastykov enlists the help of professional assassin Zhanna Bogomolova. The cold-blooded criminal skillfully eliminates investigator Volkov. The killer takes Nicholas and young Miranda hostage. The criminals demand that the surgeon voluntarily lose the bidding for a state enterprise.

Kutsenko agrees to the cynical blackmailers’ terms. Fandorin is amazed by the pragmatic businessman’s parental dedication. However, Yastykov decides to break the agreement. The criminal pharmacist orders Zhanna to kill the hostages after the auction ends.

The denouement of the thriller

The situation spirals out of control. Zhanna is about to brutally murder the captives. The Master engages the killer in uneven hand-to-hand combat. Suddenly, one of Yastykov’s guards comes to Nicholas’s aid. A young man named Anatoly coldly stabs the crazed sadist to death. A sense of justice compels the bandit to spare the brave tutor and the frightened teenager. Zhanna herself, shortly before her own death, deals with her employer, Yastykov.

The rescued Nicholas analyzes the recent chain of events in detail. The truth is shocking. Kutsenko skillfully manipulated the insane widower Shibyakin to physically eliminate his rivals. The surgeon deliberately adopted an orphan girl to pretend to be his daughter. The false heiress served as the perfect bait for his enemies. Miranda learns the brutal truth about her supposed father.

Retribution

A young woman decides to take revenge on a cold, manipulative man – she reveals a terrible secret to his wife. Miranda tells the surgeon’s wife, Inga, horrific details of their family life. Kutsenko once deliberately diagnosed his lover with a fatal disease. The sadist personally performed a complex plastic surgery, removing the perfectly healthy woman’s reproductive organs. This cruel act forever bound the grateful patient to the brilliant doctor.

Having learned the truth about her own injury, Inga slits her husband’s throat with a scalpel while he sleeps. The widow is committed to a psychiatric hospital. Miranda, an ordinary resident of the Krasnokommunarsk orphanage, inherits a vast medical empire. The newly minted millionaire sponsors the creation of a research group to reconstruct her late stepfather’s surgical technique. Nicholas Fandorin returns to his wife Altyn and young children, having realized the true value of a peaceful family life. Cemetery flowers on the grave of the murdered doctor remind the hero of the eternal cycle of existence.