The Silver Bone -- Andrey Kurkov, Hardcover

"A fascinating series launch ... that stands apart" -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A winning offbeat crime novel that begs for a sequel" -Library Journal

From Ukraine's most celebrated novelist, a perplexing mystery that introduces rookie detective Samson Kolechko in Kyiv as he is tackling 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, Samson's life is completely upended. But as Samson juggles his personal life -including a budding romance with the ingenious Nadezhda, a statistician helping run the city's 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 city's 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 Kurkov's 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

Author: Andrey Kurkov
Publisher: Harpervia
Published: 03/05/2024
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780063352285

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 10/01/2023 pg. 11
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2024
Publishers Weekly 01/29/2024
Library Journal 02/01/2024 pg. 55