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A Killing Winter by Tom Callaghan (view source)
Revision as of 10:39, 20 November 2014
, 10:39, 20 November 2014no edit summary
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|summary=A solid crime novel, '''A Place Called Killing Winter''' succeeds most with its depiction of the Kyrgyz Republic. Cold, foreboding, corrupt and forgotten, Callaghan depicts the setting wonderfully. However, unlikeable characters and explicit violence make it a read that, unlike the snow that permeates this story, takes a while to truly chill the reader.
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Kyrgyzstan, or the Kyrgyz Republic.
A country traditionally consisting of Yurt dwelling nomads, Kyrgyzstan began to be ruled by Soviet Powers in 1919, until independence was decreed in 1991. Political unrest followed, and has yet to truly cease, with corruption in public office both frequent and well publicised.
Little has been written about the Kyrgyz Republic - which means that '''A Killing Winter''' really benefits from its setting, a place so corrupt, troubled and squalid that it's difficult to determine what is fact from fiction. In the capital, Bishkek, we are introduced to our lead, Akyl Borubaev - an Inspector of the Bishkek Murder squad.
Investigating the murder of a young woman, it soon becomes clear that this is the work of a serial killer, and a sadistic one at that.
Many thanks to Quercus for the copy.
Another book set in Soviet lands is [[Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith]]. Another gripping murder mystery, Child 44 grips deep and refuses to let go, and like '''A Killing Winter''' depicts a murky society incredibly well.
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