The aim of this paper was to analyze Akunin's novel Leviathan and determine whether he respects the rules of writing classic detective fiction set forth by S. S. Van Dine, and to what extent he follows the structure in the classic detective novel observed by Stanko Lasić. After a few words about the emergence of crime fiction in Russia and the importance of Akunin's work, we approached the structural analysis. We found that deviations from genre conventions are visible in the narrative techniques used by the author, and in the depictions of investigators and criminals. In the novel he implements the theme about the values of Japanese culture in order to distract the reader's attention, but also to open a space for socio-cultural awareness. The murders take place in an apparently closed space that is always passable for the murderer. Therefore, this is another deviation from the rules of writing classic crime novels. We concluded that the author feels longing and nostalgia for classical Russian literature and for a more morally upright society. He thus borrows from the 19th century what he considers to be valid in order to provide future generations with an example for the creation of a society in which a man like Fandorin will not be a rarity.