Summary of The Turkish Gambit
“The Turkish Gambit” is a historical novel set in Bulgaria during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. Erast Fandorin, a Russian detective, investigates the activities of a Turkish secret agent during the siege of the city of Plevna.
Reasons to read The Turkish Gambit
“The Turkish Gambit” is the second book of a series of best-selling historical novels set in 19th-century Imperial Russia, featuring the fictional Russian detective Erast Fandorin. Boris Akunin, a Georgian-Russian author, was named Russian Writer of the Year in 2000. Now based in London, he is an outspoken critic of Putin’s regime. In July 2025, a Moscow military court sentenced him in absentia to 14 years in prison as retaliation. “The Turkish Gambit” was adapted into a high-budget Russian film in 2005, along with other novels from the series, including “The Winter Queen” and “The State Counsellor”.
Setting: Plevna – Pleven (Bulgaria)
Original title: Турецкий гамбит (Turetskiy gambit)
Year of publication: 1998
Nr of pages: 240
