Boris Akunin - The Erast Fandorin Mysteries

Has anyone here read Boris Akunin's work? I've tried The Winter Queen and Murder on the Leviathan so far, and thought the first terrific (how a detective's first case really ought to be handled, with Erast Fandorin as naive as he is intelligent) and the second not bad at all (a murder mystery set aboard a luxury liner). Really old-school stuff, with humour and a nice period feel.

What do you all think, and does Akunin keep up this standard throughout the series?

I've only read his newest work Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog. I found it enjoyable, but the many names were confusing to me (not just many characters, but different names for the same characters).

I've read about 12 of them so far, 9 of the Erast Fandorin, and the 3 Sister Pelagia ones, but through German (which is a second language for me.) I have enjoyed all of them so far, but they are all pretty different.

I think I remember reading somewhere an interview with Akunin where he explained that each of the books deliberately had a different style, and will appeal to a different type of person. For example Murder on the Leviathan is almost an Agatha Christie type.

Hhmm, I very much disliked the whole Perils of Pauline melodrama style of the first book and have avoided the rest, but if the styles are quite different, perhaps I should try another...