The Silver Bone: A Novel (The Kyiv Mysteries, 1)

ISBN: 0063352281

Author: Kurkov, Andrey

Condition: New

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZEA Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2024"Very intriguing and atmospheric ... a fascinating read in the light of contemporary events. -Alexander McCall Smith, Bestselling Author of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency"With its earthy prose and stunning attention to detail, this stands apart." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)From Ukraines most celebrated novelist, "a gift for crime fiction fans" (New York Times Book Review) that introduces rookie detective Samson Kolechko in Kyiv as he tackles his first case, set against real life details of the tumultuous early twentieth century.Kyiv, 1919. World War I has ended in Western Europe, but to the East, six factions continue to vie for control of Ukraine. Amidst the political turmoil, young Samson Kolechko is forced to place his engineering career on hold. But in the city of Kyiv everything remains up for grabs and new opportunity lurks just around the corner . . .When two Red Army soldiers commandeer his home, Samsons life is completely upended. But as Samson juggles his personal life -including a budding romance with the ingenious Nadezhda, a statistician helping run the citys census- with the soldiers intrusion, he winds up overhearing their secret plans. Deciding to report them, Samson instead finds himself unwittingly recruited as an investigator for the citys new police force.His first case involves two murders, a long bone made of pure silver, and a suit of decidedly unusual proportions tailored from fine English cloth. The odds stacked against him, Samson turns to Nadezhda, who proves to be more than his match. Inflected with Kurkovs signature humor and off kilter universe, The Silver Bone takes its inspiration from the archives of Kyiv's secret police, crafting a propulsive narrative bursting to life with rich historical detail.Translated from the Russian by Boris Dralyuk