• The Silver Bone

  • A Novel (Samson Kolechko Investigates, Book 1)
  • By: Andrey Kurkov
  • Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
  • Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (9 ratings)

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The Silver Bone  By  cover art

The Silver Bone

By: Andrey Kurkov
Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
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Publisher's summary

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE

"With its earthy prose and stunning attention to detail, this stands apart." –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"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

From Ukraine’s most celebrated novelist,"a gift for crime fiction fans" (The New York Times) 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

©2024 Andrey Kurkov (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about The Silver Bone

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the novelty of the setting

He provdes great character development and Russian style of prose. unique location for readers who are interested in the complicated geopolitical history of the region.

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Interesting insight into Ukrainian mind, culture, and some history

Description of Ukrainian life in that troubled time. Seems like there's not much Ukrainian history that hasn't been troubled.

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