
The Silver Bone
A Novel (Samson Kolechko Investigates, Book 1)
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Narrated by:
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Josh Bloomberg
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By:
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Andrey Kurkov
About this listen
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE
A 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 Ukraine’s 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, 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 PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Gabriel Dax is a young man haunted by the memories of a fire that took his mother’s life. Every night, when sleep finally comes, he dreams about his childhood home in flames. His days are spent on the move as an acclaimed travel writer, capturing the changing landscapes of Europe in the grip of the Cold War. When he is offered the chance to interview Patrice Lumumba, newly elected president of the People’s Republic of the Congo, he finds himself drawn into a web of duplicities and betrayals.
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One of the best Boyd storylines, but...
- By WKB on 12-19-24
By: William Boyd
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Act of Oblivion
- A Novel
- By: Robert Harris
- Narrated by: Tim McInnerny
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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1660 England. General Edward Whalley and his son-in law Colonel William Goffe board a ship bound for the New World. They are on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I—a brazen execution that marked the culmination of the English Civil War, in which parliamentarians successfully battled royalists for control.
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I've loved Robert Harris' Books; but...
- By Lucy on 10-16-22
By: Robert Harris
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Karla's Choice
- A John le Carré Novel
- By: Nick Harkaway
- Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale, Nick Harkaway
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
George Smiley has left the Circus. With the wreckage of the West’s spy war against the Soviets strewn across Europe, he has eyes only for a more peaceful life. And indeed, with his marriage more secure than ever, there is a rumor that George Smiley might almost be happy. But Control has other plans. A Russian agent has defected in the most unusual of circumstances, and the man he was sent to kill in London is nowhere to be found. Smiley reluctantly agrees to one last simple task: interview Szusanna, a Hungarian émigré and employee of the missing man, and sniff out a lead.
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More Smiley
- By Robert F. on 10-31-24
By: Nick Harkaway
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Grey Bees
- By: Andrey Kurkov, Boris Dralyuk - translator
- Narrated by: Andrew Byron
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Little Starhorodivka, a village of three streets, lies in Ukraine's Grey Zone, the no-man's-land between loyalist and separatist forces. Thanks to the lukewarm war of sporadic violence and constant propaganda that has been dragging on for years, only two residents remain: retired safety inspector turned beekeeper Sergey Sergeyich, and Pashka, a rival from his schooldays. With little food and no electricity, under constant threat of bombardment, Sergeyich's one remaining pleasure is his bees. As spring approaches, he knows he must take them far from the Grey Zone.
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Slow-moving but valuable and enlightening
- By barbara on 01-19-24
By: Andrey Kurkov, and others
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May the Wolf Die
- A Novel
- By: Elizabeth Heider
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Nikki Serafino is enjoying the sunset from her boat in her beloved port city of Naples, Italy, when she discovers the body of a man in the warm waters of the bay. An investigator working as the liaison between local police and American troops, Nikki is certainly no stranger to violence and organized crime, but this case grows complicated when the victim turns out to be a U.S. Navy captain stationed at the nearby military base—and the autopsy reveals foul play.
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Gripping story from the first page!
- By L. Roach on 08-07-24
By: Elizabeth Heider
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The House of Doors
- By: Tan Twan Eng
- Narrated by: David Oakes, Louise-Mai Newberry
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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The year is 1921. Lesley Hamlyn and her husband, Robert, a lawyer and war veteran, are living at Cassowary House on the Straits Settlement of Penang. When “Willie” Somerset Maugham, a famed writer and old friend of Robert’s, arrives for an extended visit with his secretary Gerald, the pair threatens a rift that could alter more lives than one. Maugham, one of the great novelists of his day, is beleaguered: Having long hidden his homosexuality, his unhappy and expensive marriage of convenience becomes unbearable after he loses his savings—and the freedom to travel with Gerald.
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Great, but no “Garden”
- By Susan on 10-30-23
By: Tan Twan Eng
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Gabriel's Moon
- A Novel
- By: William Boyd
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Gabriel Dax is a young man haunted by the memories of a fire that took his mother’s life. Every night, when sleep finally comes, he dreams about his childhood home in flames. His days are spent on the move as an acclaimed travel writer, capturing the changing landscapes of Europe in the grip of the Cold War. When he is offered the chance to interview Patrice Lumumba, newly elected president of the People’s Republic of the Congo, he finds himself drawn into a web of duplicities and betrayals.
-
-
One of the best Boyd storylines, but...
- By WKB on 12-19-24
By: William Boyd
-
Act of Oblivion
- A Novel
- By: Robert Harris
- Narrated by: Tim McInnerny
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1660 England. General Edward Whalley and his son-in law Colonel William Goffe board a ship bound for the New World. They are on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I—a brazen execution that marked the culmination of the English Civil War, in which parliamentarians successfully battled royalists for control.
-
-
I've loved Robert Harris' Books; but...
- By Lucy on 10-16-22
By: Robert Harris
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Karla's Choice
- A John le Carré Novel
- By: Nick Harkaway
- Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale, Nick Harkaway
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Smiley has left the Circus. With the wreckage of the West’s spy war against the Soviets strewn across Europe, he has eyes only for a more peaceful life. And indeed, with his marriage more secure than ever, there is a rumor that George Smiley might almost be happy. But Control has other plans. A Russian agent has defected in the most unusual of circumstances, and the man he was sent to kill in London is nowhere to be found. Smiley reluctantly agrees to one last simple task: interview Szusanna, a Hungarian émigré and employee of the missing man, and sniff out a lead.
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More Smiley
- By Robert F. on 10-31-24
By: Nick Harkaway
What listeners say about The Silver Bone
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Nora
- 03-16-24
Excellent New Series
This is the first book in a fascinating new historical mystery series, set in Kiev, Ukraine in 1919, at the height of the civil war between the Soviets, democratic Ukrainians and what was left of the old imperial Russian forces. The main character, Samson Kolechko, is a sympathetic and optimistic survivor navigating his way in very treacherous waters as a police investigator.
I’ve heard Andrey Kurkov referred to as Ukraine’s answer to Boris Akunin (whose mysteries I’ve really enjoyed), but I think he’s considerably more than that. Superbly written, insightful and with a touch of magical realism, this series is well worth your time. Please translate the other books in the series as soon as possible!
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- M. R. James
- 06-24-24
Interesting history with an engaging main character
Very sympathetic lead character set in a fascinating historical era in Kiev. Immersive background and compelling story. The reader was outstanding.
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- Lorrie Hanny
- 01-13-25
Good narration
Ending was a bit abrupt leaving the main character sort of hanging. Hopefully he continues in a future endeavor.
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- A Reader
- 03-31-25
Moving and all too pertinent
The mystery plot doesn’t kick in until around the halfway point. The first part gives a harrowing depiction of daily life in Kiev in 1919, during an earlier occupation by Russian troops, with the brutal complication of Cossacks, bandits and counter-revolutionaries. The literary quality is exceptionally high, far above the usual run of detective fiction, but don’t expect an Agatha Christie-style puzzle. Rather, it’s a historical novel about an accidental policeman, who has to learn on the job. Kiev itself is vividly depicted, and the depiction can break your heart when you think of what is happening today.
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- Michael
- 04-23-24
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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- Kindle Customer
- 03-30-24
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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- VQ K.
- 07-11-24
Interesting history, disappointing plot
Learning about this tumultuous period for this long-suffering country is interesting. But, as mysteries/police procedurals go the plot is subpar. The writing is clumsy. I will chalk that up to translation. But I can not recommend the book.
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