Many people hesitate to read stories about the Ukraine during the Great War because of the violence of the fighting between the Red Army and White Army. This is the period when communism was first introduced to Russia by sword and the ensuing confusion for the citizens made them face a time of unprecedented uncertainty. It is this period that Andrey Kurkov chooses to use as a backdrop for the first book of his series of detective stories, “The Silver Bone.”
Perhaps the consummate work of interlaced fact and fiction for the first score of the twentieth century is Isaac Babel’s “Red Cavalry.” It is easy to imagine that Kurkov uses this book as a guide in tapering the violence in “The Silver Bone.”
Through a series of events, Samson Kolechko finds himself working as a rookie detective at the Kyiv police station solving crimes under the able tutelage of Comrade Nayden. He has also acquired a love interest, Nadezhda, who works as a statistician for the government and comes to live with him after he removes the Red Army criminals, Anton Tsvigun and Fyodor Bravada from his residence.
In this era, money has become a fungible commodity and Kolechko offers payment of confiscated salt to Tailor Sivokon for his stitching prowess that is instrumental in solving a mystery. One wonders if Kolechko could successfully reward his business associates if it were not for Nayden’s understanding of theft and graft in early twentieth-century Russia.
“The Silver Bone” offers comedic insight into an emerging world of strange bedfellows literally and figuratively that yields the beginning of the country of Russia as we now know it.

Atmospheric mystery set in post-WWI Ukraine as the Bolsheviks are taking over. Although it's not really a page-turner, the story has a classic feel to it. Liked watching Samson navigate through the various difficulties he faces and how he grows into his new job as a policeman.

"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."

We should all be learning and reading more about Ukraine, and that includes supporting it's authors who write wonderful mysteries.

fun mystery on par with death and the penguin! and like it its mostly a dark comedy and less a mystery. thanks dor the arc

I enjoyed reading this offbeat mystery, but mostly I enjoyed the immersive sense of place created by the author. The efforts of the characters to maintain a bit of normalcy while living in a war zone, faced with daily violence and the total breakdown of their society. I considered the actual mystery more of a subplot. I also enjoyed the quirky but relatable characters who all seem to have suspicious ulterior motives. Even the actions of the protagonist are completely unpredictable and kept me interested until the end.

The word that comes to mind when I first think of this book is quirky. It is set in Kyiv after the First World War and follows the life of a young man who becomes an investigator for the local police. It is a murder mystery-ish with a little bit of fantasy thrown in and set against the tumultuous time directly after the war. This story is offbeat and oftentimes odd, but in the end I quite liked it.

What a delightful first book in this historical mystery series. I really appreciate how clueless Samson is, rather than being a 21st Century genius detective dropped into a setting a hundred years old. Eagerly anticipating the next book!

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher HarperVia for an advance copy of this book set after the First World War in the Ukraine, where the peace was worse than the war, and where a man with good penmanship and excellent hearing could be hired to enforce justice.

I've grown tired of American mysteries both police procedural and private detective. American mysteries don't have a fresh stories to tell, are mostly unbelievable, and don't reflect the truth about American justice in any way. International mysteries, those remain my jam. I feel that mysteries can revel a lot about a society, in that usually the lead is asking questions about things they should know, but are still trying to get the real story. One can learn a lot in mysteries, how the law works, the average corruption level, the history of the place and the country. Where American mysteries depress me, international ones make me excited to learn new things, to look through others eyes. A mystery set in a different time period, and a different place, I know I am going to have fun. Even if the characters in the books are not. The Silver Bone is the first in a series featuring Samson Kolechko, a recently hired police investigator set in the Ukraine after World War I, and written by international bestselling author Andrey Kurkov, and translated by Boris Dralyuk..

The time is 1919 after the War to End All Wars, also called the First World War, in Kyiv the capital of the Ukraine. Six different factions are fighting for control of the country and Samson Kolechko and his father soon become casualties of this battle. Samson's father is decapitated, and Samson's ear is cut off, which leaves him with an odd gift for hearing things clearer than before. Adrift, Samson gives up school, but is caught up in the matchmaking efforts of his neighbor, and the machinations of the Red Army, when two officers demand to be quartered in his house. Samson is able to hear their plans for theft, and finally having enough goes to the new police headquarters to make a report. Instead of justice, Samson is given a job as an investigator, because of his grammar and penmanship. Samson's first case is a tough one. Two people have been murdered, a long bone made of silver and a fine set of English clothes the only clues. Samson draws on the people around him, especially his new love, maybe, Nadezhda to help him solve this case. A case that gets stranger and more dangerous as time goes on.

Andrey Kurkov is a popular author in the Ukraine, the Stig Larsson or maybe even the James Patterson of his country. Though he is a much better writer. This is a mystery, a history, a horror story, and a Kafkaesque tale of just trying to get by, when the world is really falling apart in everyway. One does not like Samson much at the beginning, his father is decapitated and he seems not to be too emotional, but one realizes that Samsom is in trauma, that never seems to end. Samson's future wife is being decided by a neighbor, he gets house guests invaders, and a job because of his handwriting dealing with murdered people. It would be a lot for everyone. Andrey Kurkov is a very good writer, developing characters to fill in the story and help keeping things moving who are funny, unique and in odd ways important to the tale. The mystery is a bit of horror, with the violence, and the faint hint of vampires around it. However it is Samson that makes this story, and makes one want to read and know more. In addition the historical touches are really well done, and explain so much about this region today.

Recommended for people who are finding conventional mysteries dull. And those that like the weird, the eerie and people slowly winning against everything the state throws at them. A very good start to a series I would like to read more of.

The Silver Bone
by Andrey Kurkov


Of course I was interested when PW and The Millions sponsored a galley giveaway. Among the many offerings, one jumped out at me: The Silver Bone by Andrey Kurkov. I had read his Death and the Penguin years ago and was curious to see what this new book (and presumably the start of a new series) offered.

No fan of gratuitous violence, I was wondering if I’d be putting The Silver Bone down after the opening pages in which a vicious attack by Cossacks results in the beheading of young Samson Kolechko’s father and leaving Samson with just one ear (which he is able to retrieve and safeguard. With its exterior missing, the damaged ear can sometimes detect faraway sounds and conversations). It’s 1919 and factions are still fighting for control of Ukraine, and the townspeople of Kyiv don’t always know whom to trust. Amid the paranoia, shortages, and persistent crime, Samson learns that his parent’s flat is to become the living quarters for two Red Army soldiers. At night, Samson begins to piece together the soldiers’ extracurricular work—confiscating silver. When some of his family’s possessions are improperly requisitioned and Samson goes to the local police station to file a complaint, the chief, Nayden, compliments him on his penmanship and offers Samson a job on the spot. Meanwhile, Samson’s landlord, the mercurial yard-sweeper’s widow, is trying to make a match between Samson and the robust working-class gal, Nadezhda. Kurkov ultimately delivers a straightforward police procedural, with a colorful twists along the way—the titular silver bone (which may or may not be connected to a vampire), a pair of competing tailors, a surgeon who still carries the royal title of princess, and the irrepressible Vasyl, the police station’s tea maker. It’s a long build-up to a quick climax and short denouement, but clearly Kurkov already has the second installment in mind, and that’s a good thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for this ARC.

Set in Kyiv at the end of WWI and the start of the Russian Civil War (1919), "The Silver Bone" follows Samson Kolechko as he navigates his first case as a rookie detective. Trained as an electrical engineer, Kolechko has never aspired to be a detective and essentially falls into the role after the police commend his excellent handwriting when filing a police report.

Needing a job, Kolechko accepts the spontaneous job offer and bumbles about as a naive detective while trying to solve crimes and navigating neighborhood politics and civil war. Like every good detective, Kolechko discovers his own superpower: being able to "hear" conversations through his severed ear that he can leave in covert locations to eavesdrop on suspicious characters.

After reading this book, I understand why Andrey Kurkov is known as the Ukrainian Steig Larsson. His storytelling is masterful as he expertly weaves in elements of magical realism, historical fiction, and crime thrillers. The fact that actual crime archives from Kyiv inspired this plot makes this story even more impactful. The mystery surrounding the mountains of silver and a peculiar silver bone ends satisfyingly, and the reader will be left with no unanswered questions at the conclusion of this novel. However, the star in "The Silver Bone" is how Kurkov consistently inserts humor surrounding the political climate of such a disruptive yet transformative time in Ukraine's history into a well-written crime novel.

I enjoyed this book and was translated well! I look forward to more!

I thought the character development was great and to me that makes a book easier to enjoy! The developing plot was great and writing style I liked!

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I knew I wanted to read this book when I saw that the author was billed as the "Ukrainian Story Larsson". I'm glad I picked this up. Its fast paced and engaging. I'm excited to see what the author does next.

In 1919 Kiev, Samson Kolechko exists within the confines of society. AFter he's appointed to a position in the police department he is assigned to a case involving a mysterious silver bone. Kurkov's first in a new series is sure to appeal to fans of historical mysteries with bite.

This book was translated well from Andrey Kurkov’s work. It had a unique concept overall and that the mystery had a great overall feel to it. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and glad I got to read this.

The setting of this story is Kyiv. It is 1919 and the city is still something of a warzone with warring factions moving about the city. Samson loses both his ear and his father when saber swinging soldiers ride by them. Well. he doesn't exactly lose his ear, he saves it in a tin box and seems to continue to "hear" through it. When he "hears" the soldiers quartered in his home talking about killing him and realizes that their trunks are full of stolen goods Samson goes to file a report with the police. His written complaint is so well done that the police decide he should work for them. So he begins to work on cases. When he asks what the police are supposed to do he is told they keep order. I enjoyed this book. There is a lot of humor about bureaucracy in a crazy time - sort of like Catch 22.
Thank to NetGalley for an eGalley of this title.

I'll start by saying I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next one.

I though the characters were really well devleoped (and likeable) which made reading the book enjoybale. I, also, enjoyed the historical context interwoven into the plot. It was interesting to peek inside crime/muder story based on real life archives of crime enforcement agencies in Kyviv ffrom the early 1900s.

I know absolutely nothing about history, so reading about 1919 Kyiv was quite interesting, but that also means I can't tell you how historically accurate The Silver Bone is or isn't.

Having read the synopsis of The Silver Bone I thought it was going to be a mystery about solving a murder, but this isn't quite the case. The Silver Bone is weirdly Slice-of-Life, it just follows Samson through the turmoil of his life during 1919 Kyiv. It takes half the book before the murder case actually shows up and you'll have to read through 70% of the book before the silver bone of the title appears. None of this is necessarily a bad thing, but it was definitely not what I was expecting and not what I personally like in books. From the synopsis I also thought that Nadezhda was going to be involved in solving the murder, but she really wasn't, so that was kind of disappointing.

I was under the impression that The Silver Bone was meant to be set in the real world, and I'm pretty sure it is, but Samson has a sort of 'ability'. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but once again it was not what I was expecting and I was actually kind of confused when I first read it because I couldn't figure out if I was severely misunderstanding or if the book was actually doing what I though it was doing, which it was. So just a heads up about that. I did find his 'ability' to be a fun and interesting addition to the book though.

I found the conclusion to the mystery and book to be slightly unsatisfying and ridiculous. When solving the mystery I didn't always follow exactly how they were coming to the conclusions they were coming to (could just be me being stupid and not caring enough to reread parts). Also (talking vaguely to avoid spoilers here) Samson receives a threatening message, but if the people threatening him had never written this message, Samson would have never had the heads up to expect something bad and therefore they would have probably succeeded. That just seemed kind of goofy because I couldn't see a reason why they would have written the threatening message since it didn't benefit them at all.

I don't think The Silver Bone is a bad book, but it wasn't quite what I expected and as far as my personal preference goes, I prefer more 'focused'/'directed' books, and as I mentioned before The Silver Bone ended up feeling weirdly Slice-of-Life-y (except instead of the usual mundane, wholesome setting it was set in a dangerous and unstable place). And I do think the ending is a lil bit wonky, I can't say it without it being spoilers, but Jacobson is... wow. All in all, it was a sort of interesting book, but I didn't love it.

(also why does Nadezhda cry at a funeral for a person she'd never even met?)