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The Body Snatcher
By Patricia Melo, Clifford Landers. 2015
Praise for The Body Snatcher An excellent and atypical book a fantastic adventure --The Huffington Post An…
explosive mixture of dread greed and corruption You won t put it down until you ve read the very last page --Cosmopolitan This tightly plotted novel by Brazil s best-selling crime author is a tale of drug dealing gone wrong police corruption and macabre blackmail set in a heat-soaked town in the vast untamed Brazilian lowlands bordering Bolivia One bright Sunday alone on the banks of the Paraguay River the narrator witnesses the fatal crash of a small plane He finds a kilo of cocaine in the dead pilot s backpack and pockets it along with the pilot s expensive watch Thus begins the protagonist s long slide into corruption When police locate the crash site the pilot s body is missing and a large-scale search ensues Our hero now involved in a busted cocaine deal ends up owing a Bolivian drug gang so much money that blackmailing the wealthy family of the dead pilot seems to be the only way out When the family secretly agrees to pay serious money to recover the body of their son our hero who does not have the pilot s body decides someone else s will do Or so he thinks Patricia Melo is an author and playwright born in Sao Paolo 1962 Her novels Lost World The Killer In Praise of Lies and Inferno have been published in English to rave reviews Her works have also been translated into Italian Spanish and DutchHotel Bosphorus
By Ruth Whitehouse, Esmahan Aykol. 2003
Katie Hirschel is the proud owner of Istanbul s only mystery bookshop When the director of a film starring…
an old school friend is found murdered in his hotel Katie starts her own maverick investigation After all her friend Petra is the police s principal suspect and reading all those detective novels must have taught Katie somethingCanyon Sacrifice
By Scott Graham. 2014
"This riveting series debut showcases Graham's love of nature and archeology, simultaneously interjecting some serious excitement. Graham is to be…
commended for weaving together several cultures into one story. Recommend to readers who enjoy Tony Hillerman, Nevada Barr, and C.J. Box's Joe Pickett series."-LIBRARY JOURNAL"A gripping tale of kidnapping and murder...in a style similar to mysteries by Tony Hillerman."-ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL"Graham has created a story [of] richness and depth...Graham's comfort and familiarity with his subject make the story an enjoyable read."-DURANGO HERALD"A riveting mystery...Graham takes readers intimately into the setting, his knowledge of the places he writes about apparent at every turn."-DURANGO TELEGRAPH "A terrific debut novel..."-C.J. BOX, New York Times bestselling author of Stone Cold and Breaking Point"The real star of this engrossing mystery novel is the Grand Canyon itself. Scott Graham clearly knows the territory. In addition to some fine plot twists guaranteed to keep you guessing to the end, Graham delivers a glorious portrait of one of the most compelling landscapes on earth, a place that can kill just as easily as it thrills. This is a topnotch read."-WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER, New York Times bestselling author of Tamarack County"One of the most engaging mysteries I've read in a long while! In archaeologist Chuck Bender, Scott Graham has created a flawed, all-too-human and memorable investigator who had me rooting for him to the end. The setting is magnificent and fascinating-nothing less than the Grand Canyon with its centuries-old secrets. The plot is fast-paced and filled with suspense. Canyon Sacrifice delivers it all and then some."-MARGARET COEL, New York Times bestselling author of Killing Custer"Bring an extra-large bowl of popcorn while you read Sacrifice in one sitting."-C.M. WENDELBOE, author of Death on the Greasy Grass"In this gripping, imaginative mystery set in Grand Canyon National Park, ancient Anasazi culture collides with the modern world in the most unexpected of ways. Like Tony Hillerman, Scott Graham uses his deep knowledge of the region to fashion a thrilling, compulsively readable story."-FRANK HUYLER, author of The Blood of Strangers"As unpredictable and twisty as a switchback trail plummeting into its depths, Graham's thriller sucks you into the mysteries of the canyon and the story of an unsuspecting family whose lives will never be the same."-TED BOTHA, author of The Girl With the Crooked Nose"Graham deftly weaves a first-rate mystery through the caves and canyons and winding roads of the Grand Canyon. If you've been, you'll immediately be drawn into the story. If you've never been, this may be your motivation to buy the ticket! I can't wait to read which national park he tackles next!"-TRICIA FIELDS, Hillerman Prize-winning author of Scratchgravel Road"Stunning setting, intriguing plot and likeable characters make this debut novel a bookseller's dream."-ANDREA AVANTAGGIO, owner of Maria's Bookshoptivation to buy the ticket! I can't wait to read which national park he tackles next!"-TRICIA FIELDS, Hillerman Prize-winning author of Scratchgravel Road"Rooted in the southwest in both geography and culture, Canyon Sacrifice will hook you early and keep you intrigued to the last page. You'll meet archaeologist and investigator Chuck Bender. You'll laugh with him and at him while you get drawn into the mystery he seeks to solve. Stunning setting, intriguing plot and likeable characters make this debut novel a bookseller's dream."-ANDREA AVANTAGGIO, owner of Maria's BookshopBaksheesh
By Ruth Whitehouse, Esmahan Aykol. 2006
Praise for the first Kati Hirschel Istanbul mystery:"The heroine is an offbeat amateur sleuth with a distinctive narrative voice. Fans…
of such female detectives as Amanda Cross's Kate Fansler and Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher will find a lot to like."-Publishers WeeklyKati Hirschel, the owner of Istanbul's only mystery book store, is fed up. It all started when her lover Selim insisted that she behave like the Turkish wife of a respectable lawyer. Looking demure and making witty small talk were the only requirements. Then her landlord announced an outrageous rent increase on her Istanbul apartment.She has no desire to move in with Selim. She'd rather learn the art of bribing government officials in order to find a new place. Kati is offered a large apartment with a view over the Bosphorus at a bargain price. Too good to be true until a man is found murdered there and she becomes the police's prime suspect. In her second novel Esmahan Aykol takes us to the alleys and boulevards of cosmopolitan Istanbul, to posh villas and seedy basement flats, to the property agents and lawyers, to Islamist leaders and city officials-in fact everywhere that baksheesh helps move things along.Esmahan Aykol was born in 1970 in Edirne, Turkey. She lives in Istanbul and Berlin. She has written three Kati Hirschel novels. Baksheesh is the second and has been published in Turkish, German, French, and Italian. The first, Hotel Bosphorus, was published by Bitter Lemon Press in 2011.Hotel Bosphorus
By Ruth Whitehouse, Esmahan Aykol. 2003
Katie Hirschel is the proud owner of Istanbul's only mystery bookshop. When the director of a film starring an old…
school friend is found murdered in his hotel Katie starts her own maverick investigation. After all her friend Petra is the police's principal suspect and reading all those detective novels must have taught Katie something.How to be Nowhere
By Tim MacGabhann. 2020
Life is finally on the right track for reporter and recovering addict Andrew: he is slowly coming to terms with…
the murder of his photographer boyfriend Carlos, pursuing sobriety and building a new home with a new partner. Andrew has almost forgotten about the story that ruined his life - but that story hasn't forgotten about him, and a series of deadly threats forces him into helping the very man whose gang murdered his boyfriend and left him homeless.A literary take on the classic chase movie, HOW TO BE NOWHERE is the sequel to Tim MacGabhann's genre-busting and critically-acclaimed debut CALL HIM MINE, and a blistering thrill-ride deep into the fog of Central America's murky present and tragic future.Icebound: A chilling thriller of a race against time
By Dean Koontz. 1976
A desperate struggle for survival... Set in the Arctic icefields, Dean Koontz's Icebound is a compelling thriller that delivers icy…
chills. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Richard Laymon. 'Jammed with the tensions of imminent disaster. The whole thing unfolds with the timing of a quartz watch' - Chicago TribuneA widespread drought is causing murderous famine. There is one possible solution: Arctic ice could be moved south to parched coastlines and melted for water. In an Arctic icefield, a special team of scientists have planted bombs that will detonate automatically at midnight to break away some of the ice. Before they withdraw to the safety of their base camp, a shattering tidal wave breaks loose the ice on which they are working. Now they are marooned on an iceberg during the worst winter storm of the decade. The bombs in the ice beneath them are buried irretrievably deep... and ticking. Abruptly thrown into a desperate struggle for survival, the scientists are plagued by the discovery that one of them is a ruthless killer on a strange mission of his own... What readers are saying about Icebound: 'The thrilling chain of events that follows, in the race to disarm all the explosives, is positively gripping''The plot unfurls with a frozen precision that grips you with its icy fingers, always intriguing, always willing you to guess what comes next''I read this book in one sitting. Just could not put it down. Can Koontz get any better?'The Third Day
By Chochana Boukhobza. 2010
A leading Israeli musician and her protégé return to Jerusalem for three days to perform with the Philharmonic Orchestra. Both…
women - one a gifted young cellist, one a Holocaust survivor saved by her extraordinary musical talent - have been in America for some time, are quickly caught up in tangled threads from former lives. Elisheva is reunited with her godson, Daniel; Rachel must face both her distant father and Erytan, a former lover, whose lingering power over her now threatens all she has worked for. Elisheva is coaching Rachel for the solo performance, but something else has drawn her to Jerusalem. Another old friend has lured a Nazi eugenicist, the Butcher of Majdanek, to Israel from Venezuela. The Butcher performed torturous experiments on Elisheva, determining not only her fate but also that of her closest friends. On the third day of her stay, the day of the concert, she will take her revenge. Set in the late 1980s, The Third Day is a vivid portrait of life in Jerusalem and a sensitive meditation on the power of music and the sacrifices it demands. And at its heart is a gripping narrative of retribution that brings the novel's many moving strands towards a tense and shattering conclusion.Holy City
By Guillermo Orsi. 2012
A passenger liner runs aground on the muddy banks of the Río de la Plata. One by one, its passengers…
are abducted by Buenos Aires' criminal classes. As the kidnapping of three foreign businessmen sends stock markets into freefall, the job of solving the chaos falls onto the weary shoulders of Deputy Inspector Walter Carroza of the serious-crime squad. But top of his agenda is former Miss Bolivia Ana Torrente. Why are the bodies of the men who try to take her to bed always found minus a head?No-One Loves a Policeman
By Guillermo Orsi. 2007
It is December 2001 and Argentina is in political and economic meltdown. Pablo Martelli, once in an elite branch of…
the police force known to all as the 'National Shame', is a shadow of his former self, scraping by as a bathroom salesman. He cannot forget the enigmatic woman he met in a dance hall. She left him when she found out who he was working for, and he has never recovered from the blow. Late one evening, Martelli is summoned to a friend's coastal retreat. He arrives to find his friend dead and is drawn into a bewildering sequence of events, on an odyssey that leads him through vast, empty pampas, along endless highways and into ghost towns seething with danger and brutality, to the ailing heart of his country. Before long he is forced to uncover the truth of his past life. It is a dangerous confession: after all, no-one loves a policeman. A highly original crime novel with a rich, dark humour, a host of extraordinary characters and plenty of smoking guns.The Embalmer: A gripping new thriller from the international bestseller
By Alison Belsham. 2020
Has the ancient Egyptian cult of immortality resurfaced in Brighton?When a freshly-mummified body is discovered at the Brighton Museum of…
Natural History, Detective Francis Sullivan is at a loss to identify the desiccated woman. But as Egyptian burial jars of body parts with cryptic messages attached start appearing, he realises he has a serial killer on his hands. Revenge, obsession and an ancient religion form a potent mix, unleashing a wave of terror throughout the city. Caught in a race against time while battling his own demons, Francis must fight to uncover the true identity of the Embalmer before it's too late...The Weekend: The international bestseller, shortlisted for the Stella Prize 2020
By Charlotte Wood. 2020
A #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER One of The Times books of the year: 'Ripples with wit, insight and vitality' 'The Weekend…
is so great I am struggling to find the words to do it justice... Wood is an agonisingly gifted writer: I am now going to read all her other books!'Marian Keyes'It was refreshing to encounter a novel that so profoundly sympathises with women on the forbidding cusp of being classified as "elderly". Wood ably conveys that older women didn't used to be old, and that the experience of ageing is universally bewildering'Lionel Shriver (Observer, Books of the year) 'Riveting' Elizabeth Day 'A perfect, funny, insightful, novel about women, friendship, and ageing. I loved it'Nina Stibbe 'Authentic, funny, brutally well-observed... As with the novels of Elizabeth Strout or Anne Tyler, these are characters not written to please, but to feel true'The Sunday Times 'Glorious... Charlotte Wood joins the ranks of writers such as Nora Ephron, Penelope Lively and Elizabeth Strout' Guardian'The Weekend triumphantly brings to life the honest, inner lives of women' Independent'A lovely, lively, intelligent, funny book' Tessa Hadley 'One sharp, funny, heartbreaking and gorgeously-written package. I loved it' Paula Hawkins'One of those deceptively compact novels that continues to open doors in your mind long after the last page' Patrick GaleSylvie, Jude, Wendy and Adele have a lifelong friendship of the best kind: loving, practical, frank and steadfast. But when Sylvie dies, the ground shifts dangerously for the remaining three.These women couldn't be more different: Jude, a once-famous restaurateur with a spotless life and a long-standing affair with a married man; Wendy, an acclaimed feminist intellectual; Adele, a former star of the stage, now practically homeless. Struggling to recall exactly why they've remained close all these years, the grieving women gather for one last weekend at Sylvie's old beach house. But fraying tempers, an elderly dog, unwelcome guests and too much wine collide in a storm that brings long-buried hurts to the surface - a storm that will either remind them of the bond they share, or sweep away their friendship for good.Call Him Mine: A Telegraph Thriller of the Year
By Tim MacGabhann. 2019
A TELEGRAPH THRILLER OF THE YEAR 'A wild ride' Ian Rankin'Tough and uncompromising: you'll be glad you read it' Lee…
Child'Hilarious, gripping, poetic. I loved it' Adrian McKinty, author of The Chain 'Gripping from beginning to end' Independent'Intoxicating and chilling' Observer 'Pacy and exciting' Daily Telegraph'Vivid and lyrical' Guardian'MacGabhann paints an extraordinarily vivid picture of Mexico, in all its seething, sweltering madness and beauty' Irish Independent Nobody asked us to look.Every day, every since, I still wish we hadn't. Jaded reporter Andrew and his photographer boyfriend, Carlos, are sick of sifting the dregs of Mexico's drug war: from cartel massacres to corrupt politicians, they think they've seen it all.But when they find a body even the police are too scared to look at, what started out as just another assignment becomes the sort of story all reporters dream of... ...until Carlos pushes for answers too fast, and winds up murdered, leaving Andrew grief-stricken and flailing for answers, justice, and revenge.The Natural Way of Things: 'The Handmaid's Tale for our age' (Economist)
By Charlotte Wood. 2015
'Savage: think Atwood in the outback' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train'An unforgettable reading experience' Liane Moriarty,…
author of Big Little Lies'Ferocious... recalls the early Elena Ferrante' NPR'A masterpiece' Guardian'Devastating' EconomistShe hears her own thick voice deep inside her ears when she says, 'I need to know where I am.'The man stands there, tall and narrow, hand still on the doorknob, surprised.He says, almost in sympathy, 'Oh, sweetie. You need to know what you are.'"Two women awaken from a drugged sleep to find themselves imprisoned in a brokendownproperty in the middle of a desert.Strangers to each other, they have no idea where they are or how they came to be therewith eight other girls, their heads shaved, guarded by two inept yet vicious jailers.Doing hard labour under a sweltering sun, the prisoners soon learn what links them: ineach girl's past is a sexual scandal with a powerful man.They pray for rescue but as the hours turn into days and the days into weeks and months,it becomes clear only the girls can rescue themselves. Winner, 2016 Stella PrizeWinner, 2016 Indie Book of the Year AwardWinner, Fiction Book of the Year, 2016 Indie Book AwardWinner, 2016 Prime Minister's Literary Award for FictionWinner, Reader's Choice, 2016 ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year Shortlisted, 2016 Miles Franklin Literary AwardShortlisted, 2016 ABA Nielsen BookData Booksellers Choice AwardLonglisted, 2017 International Dublin Literary AwardRepentance
By Eloísa Díaz. 2021
A FINANCIAL TIMES 'SUMMER BOOKS OF 2021' PICK'An accomplished, inventive detective novel thrumming with tension and family secrets' Sanaë Lemoine,…
author of The Margot Affair'An astonishingly assured first novel, both funny and moving'The Times Crime Club'Very impressive... Repentance is an evocative crime thriller with a likeable, self-aware protagonist, but also skilfully explores the darkest period in Argentina's modern history'Financial Times'A powerful crime novel ... Opening old historical wounds that still strongly affect Argentinian society, this is a tale with many layers, many of them painful to evoke and a strong depiction of a country and a period that still simmers between the pages of history books and the crime novel is a perfect way of lancing the boil. Recommended'Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time BUENOS AIRES, 1981.Argentina is in the grip of a brutal military dictatorship.Inspector Joaquín Alzada's work in the Buenos Aires police force exposes him to the many realities of life under a repressive regime: desperate people, terrified people and - worst of all - missing people.Personally, he prefers to stay out of politics, enjoying a simple life with his wife Paula. But when his revolutionary brother Jorge is disappeared, Alzada will stop at nothing to rescue him.TWENTY YEARS LATER...The country is in the midst of yet another devastating economic crisis and riots are building in the streets of Buenos Aires. This time Alzada is determined to keep his head down and wait patiently for his retirement. But when a dead body lands in a skip behind the morgue and a woman from one of the city's wealthiest families goes missing, Alzada is forced to confront his own involvement in one of the darkest periods in Argentinian history - a time ofcollective horror and personal tragedy.Alternating between two key moments in the life of a man and his country, Repentance is a noir with a difference, featuring an unforgettable character on a quest to solve a case that offers both a painful reminder of all he has lost and a last chance at redemption.Brazilian Psycho (São Paulo Quartet #4)
By Joe Thomas. 2021
'BRAZILIAN PSYCHO is a riveting and explosive masterpiece of political crime fiction that deserves to share the shelf with AMERICAN…
TABLOID, THE POWER OF THE DOG and A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS, and confirms Joe Thomas as one of our very best contemporary crime writers.' David Peace'Complex and compelling, and shot through with moments of horror and beauty, BRAZILIAN PSYCHO is a magnificent achievement.' The Times Crime Club'Fans of Don Winslow and James Ellroy's epic forays into the societal effects of systematic dysfunction and corruption will want to check this out' Publishers WeeklyBrazil, 1 January 2003: President Luis Inacio 'Lula' da Silva begins fifteen years of left-wing government. 1 January 2019: Jair Bolsonaro is inaugurated, a president of the populist right. How did it come to this? A blockbusting novel of our times, Brazilian Psycho introduces and completes Joe Thomas's acclaimed Sao Paulo quartet. Over sixteen years, a diverse cast of characters live through the unfolding social and political drama, setting in motion a whirlwind of plots and counterplots: the murder of a British school headmaster and the consequent cover-up; the chaos and score-settling of the PCC drug gang rebellion over the Mothers' Day weekend of 2006; a copycat serial killer; the secret international funding of nationwide anti-government protests; the bribes, kickbacks and shakedowns of the Mensalao and Lava Jato political corruption scandals, the biggest in Brazilian history. Brazilian Psycho weaves social crime fiction, historical fact, and personal experience to record the radical tale of one of the world's most fascinating, glamorous, corrupt, violent, and thrilling cities. PRAISE FOR JOE THOMAS 'Brilliant' The Times 'Feverish energy' Guardian 'Wonderfully vivid' Mail on Sunday'Sophisticated, dizzying' GQ'Vivid and visceral' The Times'Superbly realised vivid and atmospheric' Guardian'Original' Mail on Sunday'A stylish, atmospheric treat an inspired blend of David Peace and early Pinter' Irish Times 'Sparse, energetic, fragmented prose' The Spectator 'Vibrant, colourful, and complex' Irish Independent 'Stylish, sharp-witted, taut. A must for modern noir fans' NB Magazine 'Definitive confident and energetic' Crime Time 'Brilliant manic energy' Jake Arnott 'Wildly stylish and hugely entertaining' Lucy Caldwell 'Vivid, stylish, funny' Mick Herron 'Gripping, fast-paced, darkly atmospheric' Susanna Jones 'Snappy, thoughtful, moving' John King 'Exciting, fresh, incredibly assured' Stav Sherez 'Happy days!' Mark Timlin 'Utterly brilliant' Cathi Unsworth 'Had James Ellroy and David Peace collaborated on a novel they'd have written something like this' Paul WilletsRio Noir (Akashic Noir)
By Clifford Landers, Tony Bellotto. 2016
"The latest installment of Akashic's geographically wide-ranging mystery series lands in Rio de Janeiro, a city whose famous imagery--the massive…
statue of Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf mountain, the beautiful beaches--constitutes the public face of the city, but behind lurks a 'world of shadows, blood, intrigue, violence, hideouts, and mystery'...A good introduction to writers of the region and to the dark side of a very sunny place."--Booklist"As Rio de Janeiro prepares to host the 2016 summer Olympics amid fears of the Zika virus, this anthology of 14 dark and violent short stories set in the Brazilian city might give prospective visitors more reasons to be concerned...A solid addition to Akashic's acclaimed noir series."--Publishers WeeklyAkashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.Brand-new stories by: Tony Bellotto, Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, MV Bill, Luiz Eduardo Soares, Guilherme Fiuza, Arthur Dapieve, Victoria Saramago, Arnaldo Bloch, Adriana Lisboa, Alexandre Fraga dos Santos, Marcelo Ferroni, Flávio Carneiro, Raphael Montes, and Luis Fernando Verissimo. All stories translated from Portuguese by Clifford Landers (Coelho's The Alchemist, etc.).From the introduction by Tony Bellotto:"The images of Rio de Janeiro are well known: high rises aligned along white sandy beaches, a blue sea, freshwater lakes, and luxuriant forests that stretch through winding mountains of stone...the open arms of Christ the Redeemer blessing a happy, cordial, mixed-race people ever ready to dance a samba or offer a welcoming smile to the tourists who move about in the streets admiring beautiful women shimmying nude atop floats in Carnival parades...Opa!This is not a tourist guide. The city revealed in this book is a different Rio. Even though famous landscapes are present in the pages of Rio Noir, what is exposed here is a world of shadows, blood, intrigue, violence, hideouts, and mystery (and also of humor, of course, as is necessary with any undertaking involving Cariocas)...Whether we have succeeded in deciphering an enigma with the dramas of our procurers, card readers, colonels, cops, traffickers, socialites, slum dwellers, embezzlers, tourists, brokers, detectives, journalists, politicians, assassins, editors, outlaws, travelers, coup plotters, writers, lovers, and everyday citizens, I don't know. But we have surely added a large shadow to the sunny landscape of this wonderful city."The Breath of Night
By Michael Arditti. 2013
Philip Seward travels to the Philippines to investigate the case of a missionary priest imprisoned for murder, where he is…
drawn into a labyrinth of vice, violence, and corruption where nothing and nobody are what they seem.'Part Conrad, part Waugh, part Greene, and pure genius' Independent on Sunday'This is Arditti's most dazzling novel to date because of the scale of his ambition and his triumph in pulling it off' Peter Stanford, Daily TelegraphWhile working as a missionary priest in the Philippines during the Marcos dictatorship, Julian Tremayne championed the Communist rebels and found himself imprisoned for murder. Now, three decades later, following Julian's death, a cult develops around him, even calling for sainthood. When Philip Seward goes to investigate on behalf of Julian's family, he is drawn into a labyrinth of vice, violence, and corruption where nothing and nobody are what they seem. Enriched by a gallery of engaging characters ranging from priests to prostitutes, GIs to gangsters, and street children to Imelda Marcos, this outstanding novel is at once a gripping psychological thriller, a challenging moral mystery, and an unforgettable voyage into a dark and exotic landscape.Oblivion
By Antonina W. Bouis, Sergei Lebedev. 2011
"Opening in stately fashion and unfolding ever faster with fierce, intensive elegance, this first novel discloses the weight of Soviet…
history and its consequences. ... Highly recommended for anyone serious about literature or history."--Library Journal (Starred review)"Packs a wicked emotional punch through fierce poetic imagery ... Lebedev takes his place beside Solzhenitsyn and other great writers who have refused to abide by silence ... Courageous and devastating."--Kirkus Reviews (Starred review)"An important book about where Russia is today, with poetic descriptions and unforgettable images evoking that nation's often elusive attempts to understand its dark past. I stand in awe of both the author and translator."--Jack F. Matlock, Jr, former US Ambassador to the Soviet Union "The subject matter of Oblivion is the eerie frozen landscape scattered with the human detritus of an inhuman bygone era. What brings it back from oblivion is the author's exceptional power of language. A haunting read."--Michael Zantovsky, former press secretary to Czech President Vaclav Havel, author of Havel: A Life and former Czech Ambassador to the United States, Israel and Britain"Beautifully written, haunting and unputdownable. A masterpiece novel which relates the horrors of Russia's unburied Soviet past through the eyes of a man revisiting--and filling in the gaps in--his half-understood childhood." --Edward Lucas, senior editor, The Economist and author of The New Cold War: Putin's Russia and the Threat to the West"Sergei Lebedev's debut novel is a haunting tale about the loss of national memory and its moral consequences for the individual. The brilliant translation by Antonina W. Bouis captures the evocative beauty of the poetic first-person narration and renders it into memorable English."--Solomon Volkov, author of Shostakovich and Stalin, St. Petersburg: A Cultural History, and The Magical Chorus: A History of Russian Culture from Tolstoy to Solzhenitsyn"An extraordinary book that takes readers across Russia's desolate northern landscape and turns up secrets about the terrible legacy of the Soviet gulags, described through evocative, often poetic portraits of people and places."--Celestine Bohlen, International New York Times columnist and former Moscow correspondent for The New York Times"A monomaniacal meditation on memory and forgetting, presence and emptiness ... Lebedev's magnificent novel has the potency to become a mirror and wake-up call to a Russia that is blind to history."--Neue Zürcher Zeitung"Sergei Lebedev opens up new territory in literature. Lebedev's prose lives from the precise images and the author's colossal gift of observation."--Der Spiegel"The beauty of the language is almost impossible to bear."--Frankfurter Allgemeine ZeitungIn one of the first twenty-first century Russian novels to probe the legacy of the Soviet prison camp system, a young man travels to the vast wastelands of the Far North to uncover the truth about a shadowy neighbor who saved his life, and whom he knows only as Grandfather II. What he finds, among the forgotten mines and decrepit barracks of former gulags, is a world relegated to oblivion, where it is easier to ignore both the victims and the executioners than to come to terms with a terrible past. This disturbing tale evokes the great and ruined beauty of a land where man and machine worked in tandem with nature to destroy millions of lives during the Soviet century. Emerging from today's Russia, where the ills of the past are being forcefully erased from public memory, this masterful novel represents an epic literary attempt to rescue history from the brink of oblivion.Sergei Lebedev was born in Moscow in 1981 and worked for seven years on geological expeditions in northern Russia and Central Asia. His first novel, Oblivion, has been translated into many languages.A Spring Betrayal (An Inspector Akyl Borubaev Thriller #2)
By Tom Callaghan. 2016
'Even better than Child 44. Akyl Borubaev is a terrific creation' Anthony HorowitzWE UNCOVERED THE LAST OF THE BODIES IN…
THE RED HOUR BEFORE DUSK, AS THE SUN STAINED THE SNOWCAPS OF THE TIAN SHAN MOUNTAINS THE COLOUR OF DRIED BLOOD. . .Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek Murder Squad has been exiled to the far corner of Kyrgyzstan, but death still haunts him at every turn. Borubaev soon finds himself caught up in a mysterious and gruesome new case: several children's bodies have been found buried together - all tagged with name bands. In his search for the truth behind the brutal killings, Borubaev hits a wall of silence, with no one to turn to outside his sometime lover, the beautiful undercover agent Saltanat Umarova.When Borubaev himself is framed, accused of involvement in the production of blood-soaked child pornography, it looks as though things couldn't get any worse. With the investigation at a dangerous standstill, Borubaev sets out to save his own integrity, and to deliver his own savage justice on behalf of the many dead who can't speak for themselves . . .'Just keeps getting better . . . buy the whole series right away' Peter Robinson, No.1 bestselling author of Sleeping in the Ground'Storytelling of the highest quality . . . Introduces a detective it is impossible not to believe in. Callaghan is a new voice to be welcomed' Daily Mail