The Silver Bone

**A Summer 2024 pick in the Times Literary Supplement and the Financial Times**<BR><BR>"Andrey Kurkov is often called Ukraine's greatest living writer, and it is a gift for crime fiction fans that he writes in this genre" New York Times<BR><BR>"A very intriguing and atmospheric novel by a highly accomplished writer . . . A fascinating read in the light of contemporary events" Alexander McCall Smith, Bestselling Author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency<BR><BR>Kyiv, 1919. The Soviets control the city, but White armies menace them from the West. No man trusts his neighbour and any spark of resistance may ignite into open rebellion.<BR><BR>When Samson Kolechko's father is murdered, his last act is to save his son from a falling Cossack sabre. Deprived of his right ear instead of his head, Samson is left an orphan, with only his father's collection of abacuses for company.<BR><BR>Until, that is, his flat is requisitioned by two Red Army soldiers, whose secret plans Samson is somehow able to overhear with uncanny clarity. Eager to thwart them, he stumbles into a world of murder and intrigue that will either be the making of him - or finish what the Cossack started.<BR><BR>Inflected with Kurkov's signature humour and magical realism, The Silver Bone takes inspiration from the real life archives of crime enforcement agencies in Kyiv, crafting a propulsive narrative that bursts to life with rich historical detail.<BR><BR>Translated from the Russian by Boris Dralyuk