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Inspector Akyl Borubaev #1
A Killing Winter
Tom Callaghan made his name as a successful advertising executive and filmmaker. Now in A Killing Winter he has created an atmospheric thriller that deftly shines a harsh fluorescent glare on the pitiless work of being a homicide detective on the frozen, mean streets of the post-Soviet 'Stans.
In this neo-noir set in the mountainous Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, hard-bitten inspector Akyl Borubaev mourns the recent death of his beloved wife--the only humanizing force in his otherwise bleak life as a homicide detective in Bishkek. As he struggles to face his personal pain, Borubaev is assigned to investigate the murder of a young woman whose horribly mutilated body is found dumped in a public park in the dead of the forbidding Kyrgyz winter. When the pathologist informs Borubaev that the killer stuffed a fetus from another woman into the womb of the victim, the detective realizes he is hunting a psychopath. Then Borubaev discovers the woman is the only daughter of Mikhail Tekebayev, the powerful and ruthless Minister of State Security, and realizes the case will probably destroy him, regardless of where the evidence leads.
Borubaev begins making enemies everywhere he turns, even as he is aided by a motley assortment of dangerous cut-throats: his uncle Kursan, whose cross-border smuggling is the stuff of local legend; the explosive police chief, who wants the case solved as soon as possible; Saltanat, a beautiful and murderous agent of the Uzbek Security Service; an entire police force of bent cops; and members of the Kyrgyz mafia.
All of which would just be another day in the life of Akyl Borubaev—if the investigation didn't turn up a blood-chilling connection to multiple homicides in several nearby countries, including one on a military base in Russia.
In this neo-noir set in the mountainous Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, hard-bitten inspector Akyl Borubaev mourns the recent death of his beloved wife--the only humanizing force in his otherwise bleak life as a homicide detective in Bishkek. As he struggles to face his personal pain, Borubaev is assigned to investigate the murder of a young woman whose horribly mutilated body is found dumped in a public park in the dead of the forbidding Kyrgyz winter. When the pathologist informs Borubaev that the killer stuffed a fetus from another woman into the womb of the victim, the detective realizes he is hunting a psychopath. Then Borubaev discovers the woman is the only daughter of Mikhail Tekebayev, the powerful and ruthless Minister of State Security, and realizes the case will probably destroy him, regardless of where the evidence leads.
Borubaev begins making enemies everywhere he turns, even as he is aided by a motley assortment of dangerous cut-throats: his uncle Kursan, whose cross-border smuggling is the stuff of local legend; the explosive police chief, who wants the case solved as soon as possible; Saltanat, a beautiful and murderous agent of the Uzbek Security Service; an entire police force of bent cops; and members of the Kyrgyz mafia.
All of which would just be another day in the life of Akyl Borubaev—if the investigation didn't turn up a blood-chilling connection to multiple homicides in several nearby countries, including one on a military base in Russia.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published January 2, 2015
33 people are currently reading
418 people want to read
About the author
Tom Callaghan
4 books31 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Tom Callaghan was born in the North of England and educated at the University of York and Vassar College, New York. A creative group head at Saatchi & Saatchi for many years, he has worked in London, New York, Singapore and Dubai.
He attended the 2011 Emirates LitFest Crime Workshop given by Mark Billingham: the result is A Killing Winter, the first novel in a series featuring Kyrgyz Murder Squad Inspector Akyl Borubaev, published worldwide in English by Quercus. Publishing director Stef Bierwerth said of it: “Right from the very beginning, A Killing Winter hits you like a steam train. It’s an incredibly polished debut thriller which convinces through its originality and timeliness.”
An inveterate traveller, Tom divides his time between Bishkek, Dubai, London and Prague.
Tom Callaghan was born in the North of England and educated at the University of York and Vassar College, New York. A creative group head at Saatchi & Saatchi for many years, he has worked in London, New York, Singapore and Dubai.
He attended the 2011 Emirates LitFest Crime Workshop given by Mark Billingham: the result is A Killing Winter, the first novel in a series featuring Kyrgyz Murder Squad Inspector Akyl Borubaev, published worldwide in English by Quercus. Publishing director Stef Bierwerth said of it: “Right from the very beginning, A Killing Winter hits you like a steam train. It’s an incredibly polished debut thriller which convinces through its originality and timeliness.”
An inveterate traveller, Tom divides his time between Bishkek, Dubai, London and Prague.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
September 6, 2021
This opening novel in the series, features a most unusual setting – Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia, and until the break-up of the Soviet Empire, dominated by the Russians.
Inspector Akyl Borubaev is with the murder squad in Bishkek, the capital. He has recently lost his wife to cancer and his fond memories of her are the only tender emotions present. This is a country where corruption rules and individual lives are worth nothing. No-one is sincere; nothing is what it seems.
In the depths of winter, Borubaev is called to examine the body of a young woman found near the centre of Bishkek. She has been horribly mutilated - I will spare you the details – but she was blonde, beautiful and far better dressed than your average Kyrgiz girl. The body was found by a prostitute (the most common female occupation in Bishkek), who stole her designer handbag.
Borubaev's boss at the murder squad (corrupt and totally untrustworthy) puts him in charge of the case. He traces the prostitute and retrieves the handbag. The victim is identified as the daughter of the Minister of National Security, a top man of incalculable wealth and power. Borubaev is given the unenviable task of working directly under his orders, which are to deliver the murderer to him as soon as possible.
As the body count mounts, it becomes clear that a political plot of huge proportions is at the back of the murders, involving the Uzbeks and the Russians.
Great plot, well written, but only recommended for those with strong stomachs!
Inspector Akyl Borubaev is with the murder squad in Bishkek, the capital. He has recently lost his wife to cancer and his fond memories of her are the only tender emotions present. This is a country where corruption rules and individual lives are worth nothing. No-one is sincere; nothing is what it seems.
In the depths of winter, Borubaev is called to examine the body of a young woman found near the centre of Bishkek. She has been horribly mutilated - I will spare you the details – but she was blonde, beautiful and far better dressed than your average Kyrgiz girl. The body was found by a prostitute (the most common female occupation in Bishkek), who stole her designer handbag.
Borubaev's boss at the murder squad (corrupt and totally untrustworthy) puts him in charge of the case. He traces the prostitute and retrieves the handbag. The victim is identified as the daughter of the Minister of National Security, a top man of incalculable wealth and power. Borubaev is given the unenviable task of working directly under his orders, which are to deliver the murderer to him as soon as possible.
As the body count mounts, it becomes clear that a political plot of huge proportions is at the back of the murders, involving the Uzbeks and the Russians.
Great plot, well written, but only recommended for those with strong stomachs!
December 8, 2017
We have a major new talent in the field of crime fiction. Welcome to Kyrgz noir. Tom Callaghan has put Kyrgzstan and its capital, Bishkek on the map for readers of this genre. It is a hell of a winter, and the Bishkek Murder Squad find a young woman horrifically murdered with a dead foetus planted in her body.
Inspector Akyl Borubaev, a recent widower, follows this gruesome and deadly trail where he understands his life is at stake all of the time. He finds himself immersed in the underworld of ruthless gangsters and the state. He comes to be aided by a member of the Uzbek security forces, Saltanat, a woman no one in their right mind would want to tangle with.
Kyrgzstan is a third world country whose rulers and current political elites extract every som (currency) from its poverty stricken people. Violence is in every nook and cranny and it is merciless. Past rulers have had little regard for the people and stolen the country's wealth. The level of misogyny is breathtaking. Prostitution is rife, and rarely a choice for a woman. Life is exceedingly cheap, gangsters run amok, corruption and bribery is in every corner and no-one is free from betrayal. Police brutality is the norm and a judicial system is a nominal concept. Oh, and if all that is not enough, we have the poor, the prostitutes and others addicted to the lethal Krokodil, and heroin. Justice, where it exists, is immediately and summarily dispensed.
For most of the story, Akyl walks in that no man's land between the living and the dead. He has not let go of his wife. As the case progresses, he finds hope and a sometime lover in Saltanat. Tom Callaghan's prose is at times lyrical, "Patterns, shapes, epitaphs and reasons", and at one time Akyl says that his wife who was a scientist thought that the answers to everything lay in poetry. With a fast paced narrative, the author holds the reader right up till the end, where it comes as a shock that the book has ended. I cannot wait for the next novel.
Inspector Akyl Borubaev, a recent widower, follows this gruesome and deadly trail where he understands his life is at stake all of the time. He finds himself immersed in the underworld of ruthless gangsters and the state. He comes to be aided by a member of the Uzbek security forces, Saltanat, a woman no one in their right mind would want to tangle with.
Kyrgzstan is a third world country whose rulers and current political elites extract every som (currency) from its poverty stricken people. Violence is in every nook and cranny and it is merciless. Past rulers have had little regard for the people and stolen the country's wealth. The level of misogyny is breathtaking. Prostitution is rife, and rarely a choice for a woman. Life is exceedingly cheap, gangsters run amok, corruption and bribery is in every corner and no-one is free from betrayal. Police brutality is the norm and a judicial system is a nominal concept. Oh, and if all that is not enough, we have the poor, the prostitutes and others addicted to the lethal Krokodil, and heroin. Justice, where it exists, is immediately and summarily dispensed.
For most of the story, Akyl walks in that no man's land between the living and the dead. He has not let go of his wife. As the case progresses, he finds hope and a sometime lover in Saltanat. Tom Callaghan's prose is at times lyrical, "Patterns, shapes, epitaphs and reasons", and at one time Akyl says that his wife who was a scientist thought that the answers to everything lay in poetry. With a fast paced narrative, the author holds the reader right up till the end, where it comes as a shock that the book has ended. I cannot wait for the next novel.
March 25, 2022
I will preface this review by saying, sometimes you just don’t connect with a book that seemingly has all the ingredients you enjoy from a thriller. So please read other Goodreads reviews.
A quick summary: Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek is a leading investigator in a Murder Squad which takes him to Kyrgyzstan, a place rife with drugs and steeped in political corruption, and to the scene of a brutal murder. His investigation takes him to the rough and violent streets in the hunt for what he believes is a sadistic serial killer. The story moves at pace as he tries to work his way through gangs and suspects in the hunt for the answer as more dead bodies turn up.
Here are some of the note worthy features in the book
Biggest badest guys– ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ this read like the book version of a Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steve Segal film. The violent encounters felt more like action sequences from a movie with lots of cardboard cut-outs who were capable of inflicting the worst of injuries. So as a very physical action-packed book there is no shortage of distasteful characters and violence, and if this is what you enjoy then the book will not disappoint
Gore Factor – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ There was too much violence at the expense of a great plot. This is clearly an authors choice as to how much violence and gore they want to pack in. In this case it was way too much for my liking. A 5 star gore rating
Reading Speed – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ if you want to skip past the violence, repetitive encounters and the bundling detective scenes then you will get through this book really quickly
Snooze Factor – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The excessive violence becomes tedious after a while, and I just got so bored with another guy getting his head kicked in, I switched off completely and started falling asleep. I really struggled to finish but did.
Unfortunately, not for me.
A quick summary: Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek is a leading investigator in a Murder Squad which takes him to Kyrgyzstan, a place rife with drugs and steeped in political corruption, and to the scene of a brutal murder. His investigation takes him to the rough and violent streets in the hunt for what he believes is a sadistic serial killer. The story moves at pace as he tries to work his way through gangs and suspects in the hunt for the answer as more dead bodies turn up.
Here are some of the note worthy features in the book
Biggest badest guys– ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ this read like the book version of a Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steve Segal film. The violent encounters felt more like action sequences from a movie with lots of cardboard cut-outs who were capable of inflicting the worst of injuries. So as a very physical action-packed book there is no shortage of distasteful characters and violence, and if this is what you enjoy then the book will not disappoint
Gore Factor – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ There was too much violence at the expense of a great plot. This is clearly an authors choice as to how much violence and gore they want to pack in. In this case it was way too much for my liking. A 5 star gore rating
Reading Speed – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ if you want to skip past the violence, repetitive encounters and the bundling detective scenes then you will get through this book really quickly
Snooze Factor – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The excessive violence becomes tedious after a while, and I just got so bored with another guy getting his head kicked in, I switched off completely and started falling asleep. I really struggled to finish but did.
Unfortunately, not for me.
March 18, 2015
This intriguing debut – and hopefully the first in a new series – is set in Kyrgyzstan. Formally part of the Soviet Union, the country declared independence in 1991. However, far from resulting in freedom, Kyrgyzstan seems mired in political corruption, cheap drugs and poverty. Inspector Akyl Borubaev is a member of the murder squad, who is still mourning the recent death of his wife, Chinara, from cancer. This gritty and violent book begins with the ritualistic murder of a young woman, who he discovers is the daughter of the Minister of State Security. Under pressure from his Chief and the Minister, Chinara’s Uncle arrives to help Akyl in his investigation.
Part of the enjoyment of this novel is in the unusual setting. Kyrgyzstan is a relatively unknown location; although the book is very much in the tradition of thrillers set within Russia itself, such as “Child 44”. In a society riddled with organised crime, many of the inhabitants of this book live on the very edge of society. Akyl’s investigation leads him to more, and ever more increasingly violent murders. However, is he seeking a serial killer or are there other motives behind the killings? Warned off by the beautiful Sultanat, this is a thriller with many plot twists and turns, before culprit, and motive, are revealed. Not for the faint hearted, this is a, sometimes gruesome, but always exciting read. I look forward to reading more about Inspector Borubaev in future books and found this a very impressive debut indeed.
Part of the enjoyment of this novel is in the unusual setting. Kyrgyzstan is a relatively unknown location; although the book is very much in the tradition of thrillers set within Russia itself, such as “Child 44”. In a society riddled with organised crime, many of the inhabitants of this book live on the very edge of society. Akyl’s investigation leads him to more, and ever more increasingly violent murders. However, is he seeking a serial killer or are there other motives behind the killings? Warned off by the beautiful Sultanat, this is a thriller with many plot twists and turns, before culprit, and motive, are revealed. Not for the faint hearted, this is a, sometimes gruesome, but always exciting read. I look forward to reading more about Inspector Borubaev in future books and found this a very impressive debut indeed.
April 15, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this debut novel. I love Russian detective novels because it's in an exotic location, bad weather, hard times, and the Russians just seemed to be wonderfully depressed. This book met all those criteria and more.
I should amend and say the book takes place in Kyrgyzstan after the revolution with Russia that gave Kyrgyzstan independence. In the country, there is a blend of ethnicities and no one trusts anyone. When the Minister of State Security's daughter is found brutally murdered, a tense investigation begins to find out who and why. A great beginning to a new series. Highly recommend to fans of Tom Rob Smith, Martin Cruz Smith (Arkady Renko), Stuart Kaminsky's Rostnikov and so on.
I should amend and say the book takes place in Kyrgyzstan after the revolution with Russia that gave Kyrgyzstan independence. In the country, there is a blend of ethnicities and no one trusts anyone. When the Minister of State Security's daughter is found brutally murdered, a tense investigation begins to find out who and why. A great beginning to a new series. Highly recommend to fans of Tom Rob Smith, Martin Cruz Smith (Arkady Renko), Stuart Kaminsky's Rostnikov and so on.
April 19, 2018
A really interesting location for a murder mystery.
Introducing Murder Squad Detective Inspector Akyl Borubaev, A Winter Killing is set in Bishkek within the emerging republic of Kyrgyzstan.
Nothing is straight forward in these former Soviet Satellite states where the shadow of Russian rule brings fear into nationalist hearts.
A most difficult case is throw our Inspector’s way which seems to point to a serial killer; yet his m.o. and bizarre positioning of the body of the murdered female casts fear amongst the general public.
The identity of the young female victim isn’t known immediately but when it is revealed it spells trouble for Akyl. This isn’t a case where he can make a name for himself. Rather it is fraught with elements that can only leave him demoted at best or died with his deceased wife of 3 months earlier.
A hard man, Akyl is still recovering from the loss of the love of his life. Indeed it his lack of a meaning left in his life that makes him both effective and something his enemies should fear.
A detective who knows no bounds and isn’t afraid of death is a real force. He is a fine detective but his new found determination to avenge these killings make him almost invincible. That is until the means e and threat appears closer to home than anyone could imagine.
I loved the sense of location. The sense of cold and the general will to live what is a hard and difficult existence make this an almost lawless place. More Wild West than law and order but where reputation stands as a positive and government agencies still hold sway.
A novel by a bright new author with lots to say. He writes with passion and conviction, in the process carries off a compelling murder mystery which is more than the who bit the why.
Introducing Murder Squad Detective Inspector Akyl Borubaev, A Winter Killing is set in Bishkek within the emerging republic of Kyrgyzstan.
Nothing is straight forward in these former Soviet Satellite states where the shadow of Russian rule brings fear into nationalist hearts.
A most difficult case is throw our Inspector’s way which seems to point to a serial killer; yet his m.o. and bizarre positioning of the body of the murdered female casts fear amongst the general public.
The identity of the young female victim isn’t known immediately but when it is revealed it spells trouble for Akyl. This isn’t a case where he can make a name for himself. Rather it is fraught with elements that can only leave him demoted at best or died with his deceased wife of 3 months earlier.
A hard man, Akyl is still recovering from the loss of the love of his life. Indeed it his lack of a meaning left in his life that makes him both effective and something his enemies should fear.
A detective who knows no bounds and isn’t afraid of death is a real force. He is a fine detective but his new found determination to avenge these killings make him almost invincible. That is until the means e and threat appears closer to home than anyone could imagine.
I loved the sense of location. The sense of cold and the general will to live what is a hard and difficult existence make this an almost lawless place. More Wild West than law and order but where reputation stands as a positive and government agencies still hold sway.
A novel by a bright new author with lots to say. He writes with passion and conviction, in the process carries off a compelling murder mystery which is more than the who bit the why.
December 18, 2014
**4.5 stars**
So firstly I should probably tell you that this book will make you shiver. Not ONLY because it is an amazingly intense and evocative crime thriller but because it has such wonderfully descriptive prose that you may actually start feeling as if you are in the middle of Winter…
I love dark novels like this one – yes it is violent but then we live in a violent society, no use ignoring it and hoping it will go away – which is precisely what Akyl Borubaev refuses to do when all around him seem determined to prevaricate and point him in all sorts of wrong directions. A young woman is dead and in a most horrific way, the politics of the region are eclectic and danger lurks around every corner – Tom Callaghan paints us a dark and disturbing picture of life on the edge and for me it was endlessly compelling and absolutely fascinating.
It has an almost “noir” feel about it, there are moments of thrilling anticipation and quieter more reflective moments, alongside an intriguing mystery and a snapshot of a different place where hardship is the norm and life is cheap. The cast of characters are all amazingly well drawn and it is an extremely addictive read – scary in places, downright emotional in others and overall I thought it was terribly terrific.
Well paced, beautifully written and a stonking good story to boot, you can’t go wrong really. Highly Recommended.
Happy Reading Folks!
So firstly I should probably tell you that this book will make you shiver. Not ONLY because it is an amazingly intense and evocative crime thriller but because it has such wonderfully descriptive prose that you may actually start feeling as if you are in the middle of Winter…
I love dark novels like this one – yes it is violent but then we live in a violent society, no use ignoring it and hoping it will go away – which is precisely what Akyl Borubaev refuses to do when all around him seem determined to prevaricate and point him in all sorts of wrong directions. A young woman is dead and in a most horrific way, the politics of the region are eclectic and danger lurks around every corner – Tom Callaghan paints us a dark and disturbing picture of life on the edge and for me it was endlessly compelling and absolutely fascinating.
It has an almost “noir” feel about it, there are moments of thrilling anticipation and quieter more reflective moments, alongside an intriguing mystery and a snapshot of a different place where hardship is the norm and life is cheap. The cast of characters are all amazingly well drawn and it is an extremely addictive read – scary in places, downright emotional in others and overall I thought it was terribly terrific.
Well paced, beautifully written and a stonking good story to boot, you can’t go wrong really. Highly Recommended.
Happy Reading Folks!
June 2, 2016
Reminded me a little of the series of crime novels - set in Mongolia - by Michael Walters, but far more bloody & horrific. The killing is almost relentless as are the depressing descriptions of the scenery and weather (it snows a lot in Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked and mountainous country in Central Asia). The detective "hero" is Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek Murder Squad and he has to face a lot of violence - some of it perpetrated on him - before he uncovers who is responsible for a series of vicious murders. One of the victims is the daughter of a government minister, so Akyl is under more pressure than usual to find the killer. The plot has more twists than a bent corkscrew and I almost gave up. Luckily, our "hero" didn't either.
January 19, 2015
If, like me, you felt a sense of loss at the close of Tom Rob Smith’s trilogy (Child 44, The Secret Speech and Agent 6) I may have found something to ease our collective troubled souls. A Killing Winter is a hard-hitting and not to be missed thriller from debut crime novelist Tom Callaghan, that transports the reader to the harsh and unforgiving landscape Kyrgyzstan…
When Inspector Akyl Borubaev of the Bishkek Murder Squad is called to the brutal murder scene of a young woman, all the evidence points towards a sadistic serial killer on the hunt for more victims. But when the young woman’s father is revealed as a leading government minister, the pressure is on Borubaev to solve the case not only quickly but also quietly by any means possible. Until more bodies are found. Still in mourning after the recent death of his beloved wife, Chinara, Borubaev descends into Bishkek’s brutal underworld where violence is the only solution. And so begins a thriller that is by turns sordid, violent and yet powerfully emotive that I guarantee will keep you reading..and reading..and reading…
This book contains a number of stand-out features, most notably the author’s assured use of what to many is probably a relatively unknown location. Not only does he convey to the reader the inhospitable climate of this region, where the cold really seeps into your imagination when reading, but also the socio-economic make-up of this former Soviet enclave. It is populated by a cast of characters from both ends of the social spectrum, from the desperate day-to-day existence of the local prostitutes, to those inhabiting the higher echelons of power and the rewards this reaps. Somewhere in the middle stands our dogged detective Borubaev, a man of strong moral stature, manipulated by not only his police superior, but by the wider influence of the political sphere. As the story progresses, we gain valuable insight into the troubled history of this region, and the political machinations over the ownership of the country, and how Borubaev becomes firmly enmeshed in these warring factions.
Borubaev is an intriguing character, who pivots between an unerring toughness underscored by some emotive chinks in his armour, revealed by the references to his bereavement following the death of his wife. His emotional attachment to her memory is truly moving, and the way in which his memory of her fuels his actions, “I wanted to think of her as an unseen presence, spurring me on, watching from the sidelines”, where we feel his sense of loss consistently throughout, added to by an emotive revelation at the close of the book. Throughout the course of the investigation, he always fights for the victims, and despite the sheer physical harm that is meted out on him, his dedication to justice is embodied in his every action. I liked him very much indeed.
The plot itself proved incredibly satisfying with some nice red herrings, and reveals along the way, strengthened by the tough and unrelenting sordidness of both the language and the violence. This is not a book for the more squeamish reader, but the brutal nature of the plot worked extremely well overall. It’s rough, tough and blunt-speaking, but with the emotional counterpoint, as previously mentioned in Borubaev’s private life, works exceptionally well as a whole. A Killing Winter is a brilliant debut, and an early contender for one of my top reads of the year I feel.
When Inspector Akyl Borubaev of the Bishkek Murder Squad is called to the brutal murder scene of a young woman, all the evidence points towards a sadistic serial killer on the hunt for more victims. But when the young woman’s father is revealed as a leading government minister, the pressure is on Borubaev to solve the case not only quickly but also quietly by any means possible. Until more bodies are found. Still in mourning after the recent death of his beloved wife, Chinara, Borubaev descends into Bishkek’s brutal underworld where violence is the only solution. And so begins a thriller that is by turns sordid, violent and yet powerfully emotive that I guarantee will keep you reading..and reading..and reading…
This book contains a number of stand-out features, most notably the author’s assured use of what to many is probably a relatively unknown location. Not only does he convey to the reader the inhospitable climate of this region, where the cold really seeps into your imagination when reading, but also the socio-economic make-up of this former Soviet enclave. It is populated by a cast of characters from both ends of the social spectrum, from the desperate day-to-day existence of the local prostitutes, to those inhabiting the higher echelons of power and the rewards this reaps. Somewhere in the middle stands our dogged detective Borubaev, a man of strong moral stature, manipulated by not only his police superior, but by the wider influence of the political sphere. As the story progresses, we gain valuable insight into the troubled history of this region, and the political machinations over the ownership of the country, and how Borubaev becomes firmly enmeshed in these warring factions.
Borubaev is an intriguing character, who pivots between an unerring toughness underscored by some emotive chinks in his armour, revealed by the references to his bereavement following the death of his wife. His emotional attachment to her memory is truly moving, and the way in which his memory of her fuels his actions, “I wanted to think of her as an unseen presence, spurring me on, watching from the sidelines”, where we feel his sense of loss consistently throughout, added to by an emotive revelation at the close of the book. Throughout the course of the investigation, he always fights for the victims, and despite the sheer physical harm that is meted out on him, his dedication to justice is embodied in his every action. I liked him very much indeed.
The plot itself proved incredibly satisfying with some nice red herrings, and reveals along the way, strengthened by the tough and unrelenting sordidness of both the language and the violence. This is not a book for the more squeamish reader, but the brutal nature of the plot worked extremely well overall. It’s rough, tough and blunt-speaking, but with the emotional counterpoint, as previously mentioned in Borubaev’s private life, works exceptionally well as a whole. A Killing Winter is a brilliant debut, and an early contender for one of my top reads of the year I feel.
October 15, 2020
Der Thriller "Blutiger Winter" hat mir wirklich gut gefallen. Thrill kam hier definitiv nicht zu kurz und ich kam kaum los von dem Buch!
January 21, 2015
"A killing winter" is the most thrilling and intelligent book I´ve read in this genre besides "Child 44" by T.R.Smith. I was excited to read this thriller after I´ve heard a crazy amount of praising reviews. Sebastian Fitzek, one of Germanys most famous thriller-authors even recommended "A killing winter" as the best book he has read in this genre in a long time. My high expectations weren´t disappointed! I loved the setting of the story. I totally immersed into the deepest Kyrgyz winter and extraordinary crime. The cold atmosphere and biting cold was even sensible.
A lot of setting-changes and short chapters formed a high dynamic and permanent arc of suspense.
What a great start of the series around Detective Akyl Borubaew! A moving story with an original hero !Thanks Tom for the pleasure of reading your book <3
A lot of setting-changes and short chapters formed a high dynamic and permanent arc of suspense.
What a great start of the series around Detective Akyl Borubaew! A moving story with an original hero !Thanks Tom for the pleasure of reading your book <3
February 20, 2018
Set in Kyrgyz, its quite a grisly opening, a body discovered in the snow which has been mutilated & graphic is the description too.....
Some of the early dialogue was a bit cheesy for me, cliché certainly – will I (did I) persevere?
Well it actually grew on me, the cheesy bits seem to dissipate leaving only the occasional eye-roll, the introduction of other characters helping immensely to give a flavour of Kyrgyz & fill in the background to MC Inspector Akyl Borubaev's story.
The subsequent investigation(s) involve a very seedy underbelly, politics of the Stans, various shadowy military & underworld organisations, illicit trade (smugglers)..... I think i covered the main parts. we find out that life in Kyrgyz is cheap & the low life bountiful.
I’ll say again, its grisly & very graphic in places! You have been advised :)
I must say I kinda enjoyed the style of writing after a sticky start, warming to the MC as we went (with help from other characters – I mean they can’t all have bad judgement about him!)
Overall it panned out into a fast exciting read, certainly had me turning pages late into the night.
Solve it if you can, 4.25 stars for me & a series I’ll be going forward with.
Some of the early dialogue was a bit cheesy for me, cliché certainly – will I (did I) persevere?
Well it actually grew on me, the cheesy bits seem to dissipate leaving only the occasional eye-roll, the introduction of other characters helping immensely to give a flavour of Kyrgyz & fill in the background to MC Inspector Akyl Borubaev's story.
The subsequent investigation(s) involve a very seedy underbelly, politics of the Stans, various shadowy military & underworld organisations, illicit trade (smugglers)..... I think i covered the main parts. we find out that life in Kyrgyz is cheap & the low life bountiful.
I’ll say again, its grisly & very graphic in places! You have been advised :)
I must say I kinda enjoyed the style of writing after a sticky start, warming to the MC as we went (with help from other characters – I mean they can’t all have bad judgement about him!)
Overall it panned out into a fast exciting read, certainly had me turning pages late into the night.
Solve it if you can, 4.25 stars for me & a series I’ll be going forward with.
July 20, 2019
A new series with great potential.
February 14, 2021
Set in the remote, rugged, landlocked Central Asian Kyrgyzstan, A Killing Winter is the first in a series of four books by Tom Callaghan. It’s certainly an apt title for the book centred around Inspector Akyl Borubaev of the Bishkek murder squad. The winter is dark and bleak and there’s plenty of killing. In fact, the killing is actually quite relentless as Borubaev uncovers a series of violent murders with multiple perpetrators and motives. What starts as an investigation into a particularly gruesome murder of a senior government official’s daughter quickly turns into an exposure of a plot to cause to terror and confusion in a region where political tensions run rife.
The plot runs thick and fast throughout the book and Borubaev ricochets from violence to violence. There’s very little if anything that is happy in this book, as Borubaev grieves the death of his wife 12 months earlier. His processing of her death and his grief is an underpinning theme throughout the book.
Despite the violence, bloodshed, death and sadness prevalent in this dark tale, Callaghan brings an amazing insight into the underbelly of Kyrgyzstan, a brief insight into the political tensions that exist between the ‘stans’ and Russia, an understanding of the strategic positioning of the country on the Silk Road, and a gruelling description of a dark wintry landscape. While it doesn’t make for a tourist advertisement for Kyrgyzstan it certainly does fill me with intrigue to understand more of this part of the world that has so much history yet so unknown. That’s what I love in a book. Dark, damaged heroes and dark, intriguing landscapes. A Killing Winter is a tick for me on both those.
The plot runs thick and fast throughout the book and Borubaev ricochets from violence to violence. There’s very little if anything that is happy in this book, as Borubaev grieves the death of his wife 12 months earlier. His processing of her death and his grief is an underpinning theme throughout the book.
Despite the violence, bloodshed, death and sadness prevalent in this dark tale, Callaghan brings an amazing insight into the underbelly of Kyrgyzstan, a brief insight into the political tensions that exist between the ‘stans’ and Russia, an understanding of the strategic positioning of the country on the Silk Road, and a gruelling description of a dark wintry landscape. While it doesn’t make for a tourist advertisement for Kyrgyzstan it certainly does fill me with intrigue to understand more of this part of the world that has so much history yet so unknown. That’s what I love in a book. Dark, damaged heroes and dark, intriguing landscapes. A Killing Winter is a tick for me on both those.
May 29, 2016
It would not surprise me in the slightest if A Killing Winter has been banned by the Kyrgyzstan tourist board as it paints a dismal picture of the country – high-levels of state corruption, strong criminal gangs and a crime-ridden society, crippling poverty, wide scale drug and alcohol abuse, and terrible, freezing weather. From a crime fiction perspective, it’s certainly an interesting setting, however, especially with a protagonist who believes in law, order and justice, and utilising intimidation and violence to achieve those ends. Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek Murder Squad is a complex character with a moral compass pointing in roughly the right direction, though he turns a blind eye to the worst excesses of his colleagues and to the criminal elements of his family. Recently widowed, his sense of self-preservation is also a little skewed. It needs to be to solve a series of brutal murders – this is not a book for the squeamish or faint-hearted – and take on the killer. Right from the start Callaghan employs vivid violence and then counterpoints it with pathos in a series of quickly moving switchbacks to create an engaging police procedural thriller. The plotting is nicely done, with the investigation constantly shifting gears and direction as Borubaev chases shadows and motive, leading to a nice denouement. Beyond some sentences designed to shock rather than simply tell the story, my main issue was I couldn’t work out why Borubaev was alive at the end of the book; it made no real sense when witnesses and others were being killed not to also dispose of him. Otherwise this was an evocative, pacey tale and the start of what I think should be an interesting series featuring Borubaev.
March 24, 2022
I think this is not one I would have chosen had I not been looking for a book specifically in the region of Central Asia. Though I try not to be sexist, I think this is more a man's novel than one for women. There are three female characters who have speaking parts: two of them are prostitutes, the other is hard as nails with enough strength to enact successful self-defense skills in a situation where she knows she will die without using them. Why I call this a man's novel is the vile names they call each other. The names they apply are the worst of the names usually applied to women in such situations. I won't repeat them, you know them. There is a lot of violence beyond the gruesome description of the first and subsequent murders.
There is plenty of plot in this and not much characterization. Akyl Borubaev's wife Chinara has recently died of breast cancer. We know this because he so often thinks of her, remembers her in the few quiet moments he has. These paragraphs were very poignant. The writing is appropriate for the plot and even with the vile language I couldn't fault it.
I learned a thing or two. There is a lake in Kyrgyzstan called Issyk-Kul. Despite it being located in the bitter cold (think double-digit degrees below zero in winter), it never freezes. In the summer it is a resort area. Despite such harsh winters, Kyrgyzstan is known for its apples. Perhaps there is other significant agriculture, too, though it wasn't mentioned in this novel.
As they say, so many books, so little time. I'm not sorry I read this, but I probably won't be reading any more of the series. This is barely 3-stars and I might be being generous at that.
There is plenty of plot in this and not much characterization. Akyl Borubaev's wife Chinara has recently died of breast cancer. We know this because he so often thinks of her, remembers her in the few quiet moments he has. These paragraphs were very poignant. The writing is appropriate for the plot and even with the vile language I couldn't fault it.
I learned a thing or two. There is a lake in Kyrgyzstan called Issyk-Kul. Despite it being located in the bitter cold (think double-digit degrees below zero in winter), it never freezes. In the summer it is a resort area. Despite such harsh winters, Kyrgyzstan is known for its apples. Perhaps there is other significant agriculture, too, though it wasn't mentioned in this novel.
As they say, so many books, so little time. I'm not sorry I read this, but I probably won't be reading any more of the series. This is barely 3-stars and I might be being generous at that.
December 8, 2025
Tom Callaghan delivers a brutal unflinching punch. Inspector Akyl Borubbaev is determined to solve the grotesque murder of a young woman. He is part of the Kyrgystan Murder Squad where he has to deal with inept supervisors, corrupt politics, poorly managed forensics, while trying to eke out information from drug addled prostitutes, crime lords and God knows who else. Kyrgyzstan is a harsh place, even harsher at 20 below zero. Yet another Country checked of my World Challenge.
Callaghan smoothly inserts Kyrgyz vocabulary while also defining them within pages. I only had to look up a few words. He also educates the reader of Kyrgyz politics, culture, history, and mind-set.
Callaghan smoothly inserts Kyrgyz vocabulary while also defining them within pages. I only had to look up a few words. He also educates the reader of Kyrgyz politics, culture, history, and mind-set.
May 22, 2017
This was definitely a page-turner book...
Good crime story that was wrapped up nice in the end...
The characters where quite enjoyable...even if a lot of them where gritty, dark, and selfish son of a b*&*...
The whole setting with a lot of infos about Kyrgyzstan country, the people and the real deal there was pretty awesome.
Now I`m looking forward for the second one in the row...
Good crime story that was wrapped up nice in the end...
The characters where quite enjoyable...even if a lot of them where gritty, dark, and selfish son of a b*&*...
The whole setting with a lot of infos about Kyrgyzstan country, the people and the real deal there was pretty awesome.
Now I`m looking forward for the second one in the row...
March 17, 2018
Not much to take away from this one. not sure if I will pick another one from this series.
one time read.
one time read.
January 4, 2018
My sister bought the book for me. It was in a three for a pound bin at the local bookshop. She thought that I may be interested as I had worked in Kyrgzstan. I was certainly interested but sadly disappointed in the book. I found the graphicness of the killings unnecessary and designed only to shock rather than add to the story. The descriptions of the country were extremely thin and something that could have been culled from a guide book. It read as if the author had visited the few expat bars in Bishkek (Metro, the Dragons Den) a drive around the city back to the airport and away. The detail of the countryside were pathetic. The drive to Osh was described in a few lines, the journey back the "hero" slept in a helicopter. You cannot travel that road and dismiss it in a few lines, it deserves so much more than that. In Bishkek there was no real description of a city that had declined from "one of the greenest in the Soviet Union" to the state it was in the early 2000 or how it was regenerating. I also found the use of italicized Russian / Kyrgyz words rather patronizing as there wasn't any explanation, again as if it was thrown in to add credibility. Very disappointing and not a book I would recommend to anyone other than someone who likes unnecessary gore and has no interest in an interesting country. Avoid.
March 2, 2020
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3346896.html
It's a detective novel set in Kyrgyzstan, mostly in the capital, Bishkek, but with excursions to Osh, the second city, and to the Chinese border. The narrator, Inspector Akyl Borobaev, has recently lost his wife to cancer, and is brought in to solve the gruesome murder of the daughter of the Minister for State Security. There is a lot of very good circumstantial detail of the human and physical geography of Kyrgyzstan, a country of which I know very little, and the various characters (all deeply unpleasant, apart from a glamorous Uzbek security agent) are very vividly depicted. I was less convinced by the revelation of the villain's identity; I did not quite get the means or motivation. Still, an interesting change. Apparently the first of a series, though not sure how energetically I will seek out the rest.
It's a detective novel set in Kyrgyzstan, mostly in the capital, Bishkek, but with excursions to Osh, the second city, and to the Chinese border. The narrator, Inspector Akyl Borobaev, has recently lost his wife to cancer, and is brought in to solve the gruesome murder of the daughter of the Minister for State Security. There is a lot of very good circumstantial detail of the human and physical geography of Kyrgyzstan, a country of which I know very little, and the various characters (all deeply unpleasant, apart from a glamorous Uzbek security agent) are very vividly depicted. I was less convinced by the revelation of the villain's identity; I did not quite get the means or motivation. Still, an interesting change. Apparently the first of a series, though not sure how energetically I will seek out the rest.
June 21, 2019
This book is a thing of poetry. How did this make it past an editor? I look forward to the inevitable Street performance where somebody dresses up as inspector Borubaev dishing out gems such as “You haven’t looked inside her womb” and “The snow has stopped falling, as heartless and final as a whore’s kiss”
February 9, 2020
Dear God this is an abysmal piece of work on every level. Shame there isn't a minus stars rating.
It fails as a thriller - not the merest coil of tension as Inspector Akyl Borubaev bumbles rather aimlessly from one vicious murder scene to another encountering a series of ever more brutal vicious repellent individuals. And as detective novels go it has completely failed to join the 21st century - not the merest hint of any modern policing methods like fingerprints, DNA, computer analysis or profiling. Its the policing dark ages with just an endless series of fairly pointless journeys across Kyrgystan ending in multiple maimings, deaths or both with a selection of rather dull old school hardware ie fists, knives and guns (and for big excitement a George Formby grill - I kid you not) . The plot if you can call it such is pretty thin and rather muddled - a series of murders to whip up public anger for political gain - but in the end the reader just doesn't care. There just isn't a single character to invest a flicker of interest in not even Akyl whose redeeming features seem to be that he loved his dead wife and doesn't take bribes. But as he has so many memory flashbacks to her dying moments and her mountaintop grave in every chapter I ended up like him wishing he had indeed joined her there.
The writing style is for those with short attention span. Paragraphs of no more than three sentences often only one sentence (really!!).
There is no attempt at character expansion, just butchers block gratuitous violence spiced with appallingly bad nonsensical similes every few pages.
'seventy years old, deadly as distilled snake venom'
'he laughed, the low rustle on the night air like death creeping up on tiptoe'
'silence hung over us like an axe poised to descend'/i>
The only redeeming feature of the book for me was Bishkek a place I had never heard of and knew nothing about. Google proved very informative and I found myself quite intrigued about this hugely distant but rather interesting and geographically varied part of our planet. Sadly this is much more than Tom Callaghan managed to convey as frankly the narrative could be anywhere on the planet for all the descriptive detail he gives in the novel. Based solely on 'A killing winter' one would think Kyrgystan is a place to avoid visiting at all costs, full of extremely violent dangerous human beings with a corrupt backward police force run by criminal gangs. So I was more than a little amused to see Mr Callaghan's acknowledgement in the rear of the book to the 'kindness and generosity of Kyrgyz people and the beauty of their country' with an endorsement of the warm welcome to be found at a certain Bishkek hotel. Not I trust like the warm welcomes his hero Akyl endures.
It fails as a thriller - not the merest coil of tension as Inspector Akyl Borubaev bumbles rather aimlessly from one vicious murder scene to another encountering a series of ever more brutal vicious repellent individuals. And as detective novels go it has completely failed to join the 21st century - not the merest hint of any modern policing methods like fingerprints, DNA, computer analysis or profiling. Its the policing dark ages with just an endless series of fairly pointless journeys across Kyrgystan ending in multiple maimings, deaths or both with a selection of rather dull old school hardware ie fists, knives and guns (and for big excitement a George Formby grill - I kid you not) . The plot if you can call it such is pretty thin and rather muddled - a series of murders to whip up public anger for political gain - but in the end the reader just doesn't care. There just isn't a single character to invest a flicker of interest in not even Akyl whose redeeming features seem to be that he loved his dead wife and doesn't take bribes. But as he has so many memory flashbacks to her dying moments and her mountaintop grave in every chapter I ended up like him wishing he had indeed joined her there.
The writing style is for those with short attention span. Paragraphs of no more than three sentences often only one sentence (really!!).
There is no attempt at character expansion, just butchers block gratuitous violence spiced with appallingly bad nonsensical similes every few pages.
'seventy years old, deadly as distilled snake venom'
'he laughed, the low rustle on the night air like death creeping up on tiptoe'
'silence hung over us like an axe poised to descend'/i>
The only redeeming feature of the book for me was Bishkek a place I had never heard of and knew nothing about. Google proved very informative and I found myself quite intrigued about this hugely distant but rather interesting and geographically varied part of our planet. Sadly this is much more than Tom Callaghan managed to convey as frankly the narrative could be anywhere on the planet for all the descriptive detail he gives in the novel. Based solely on 'A killing winter' one would think Kyrgystan is a place to avoid visiting at all costs, full of extremely violent dangerous human beings with a corrupt backward police force run by criminal gangs. So I was more than a little amused to see Mr Callaghan's acknowledgement in the rear of the book to the 'kindness and generosity of Kyrgyz people and the beauty of their country' with an endorsement of the warm welcome to be found at a certain Bishkek hotel. Not I trust like the warm welcomes his hero Akyl endures.
February 27, 2015
Kirgisistan, Schnee, Prostitution, Alkohol, Korruption und Brutalität. Eine Menge junger Frauen müssen ihr Leben lassen, auf eine sehr grausame Art und Weise: aufgeschlitzt, ausgeweidet und sie werden zusammen mit einem toten Fötus so präsentiert, dass sie eine Schwangerschaft bzw. eine Geburt darstellen. Nichts Nettes also, ganz und gar nicht.
"Blutiger Winter" - der perfekte Titel für dieses Buch. Zum Einen weist er darauf hin, welches Genre wir zu erwarten haben, natürlich, einen Thriller. Zum anderen beschreibt er das Setting sehr gut: ein klirrend kalter Winter im in Gewalt und Korruption (und natürlich Schnee) versinkenden Kirgisistan. Dann verrät er uns aber auch schon den Stil und das Gefühl, das man beim Lesen hat: kalt und brutal. Dieses Gefühl kam bei mir nicht nur wegen der Handlung auf (die es wirklich in sich hat), sondern wahrscheinlich noch viel mehr wegen des Erzählstils, der brutalen und aggressiven Wortwahl. Alle Charaktere wirken abgehärtet, ich könnte eigentlich mit niemandem mitfühlen außer mit den armen toten Mädchen, über die man jedoch leider nicht viel erfährt. Nicht mal der "Held" des Buchs, der moralisch allen überlegen scheinende Inspektor der Mordkommission in Bishkek, war mir sympathisch. Und so hatte ich auch meine Probleme mit dem Buch. Der Spannungsbogen, super, die Handlung, rätselhaft und verzwickt, es passiert eine Menge in relativ kurzer Zeit und es wird nie langweilig, brutale Morde, die sehr ungewöhnlich waren...und ja, das war an manchen Stellen etwas übel, aber nicht auf eine schlechte Weise, beim Lesen eines Thrillers fühlt man sich ja nun mal nicht heimelig ;) Aber mit der sprachlichen Gestaltung und der Zeichnung der Charaktere konnte ich mich nicht anfreunden. Damit konnte ich mich so gar nicht anfreunden, am Ende war ich sogar froh, nicht noch mehr Zeit mit dem Inspektor und den Kirgisen zu verbringen, dabei hätte ich gerne etwas mehr über das Land gelesen.
Wer gerne harte Thriller liest und wem auch bei krass brutalen Morden nicht schlecht wird, der sollte sich "Blutiger Winter" mal etwas näher anschauen, solange er/sie sich auch nicht an einem derben Ausdruck stört.
"Blutiger Winter" - der perfekte Titel für dieses Buch. Zum Einen weist er darauf hin, welches Genre wir zu erwarten haben, natürlich, einen Thriller. Zum anderen beschreibt er das Setting sehr gut: ein klirrend kalter Winter im in Gewalt und Korruption (und natürlich Schnee) versinkenden Kirgisistan. Dann verrät er uns aber auch schon den Stil und das Gefühl, das man beim Lesen hat: kalt und brutal. Dieses Gefühl kam bei mir nicht nur wegen der Handlung auf (die es wirklich in sich hat), sondern wahrscheinlich noch viel mehr wegen des Erzählstils, der brutalen und aggressiven Wortwahl. Alle Charaktere wirken abgehärtet, ich könnte eigentlich mit niemandem mitfühlen außer mit den armen toten Mädchen, über die man jedoch leider nicht viel erfährt. Nicht mal der "Held" des Buchs, der moralisch allen überlegen scheinende Inspektor der Mordkommission in Bishkek, war mir sympathisch. Und so hatte ich auch meine Probleme mit dem Buch. Der Spannungsbogen, super, die Handlung, rätselhaft und verzwickt, es passiert eine Menge in relativ kurzer Zeit und es wird nie langweilig, brutale Morde, die sehr ungewöhnlich waren...und ja, das war an manchen Stellen etwas übel, aber nicht auf eine schlechte Weise, beim Lesen eines Thrillers fühlt man sich ja nun mal nicht heimelig ;) Aber mit der sprachlichen Gestaltung und der Zeichnung der Charaktere konnte ich mich nicht anfreunden. Damit konnte ich mich so gar nicht anfreunden, am Ende war ich sogar froh, nicht noch mehr Zeit mit dem Inspektor und den Kirgisen zu verbringen, dabei hätte ich gerne etwas mehr über das Land gelesen.
Wer gerne harte Thriller liest und wem auch bei krass brutalen Morden nicht schlecht wird, der sollte sich "Blutiger Winter" mal etwas näher anschauen, solange er/sie sich auch nicht an einem derben Ausdruck stört.
October 7, 2015
I thought this was a good police thriller. It is well written and its setting in Kyrgyzstan is very well done.
It is the setting which sets this book apart from the ordinary. Tom Callaghan creates an excellent sense of place in the bleak winter in Central Asia, and his depiction of the corrupt, almost lawless society which his central character is trying to police is excellent. He also gives a very good view of the politics of the region but does it without lecturing, weaving it into the plot so you hardly notice you're being informed about relations between neighbouring countries and ethnic groups.
Callaghan's prose is very good. He creates a very good atmosphere and believable characters, and he drives the plot along very well. The plot itself has plenty of very familiar features: hideously butchered women, a decent cop (with, naturally, a Personal Tragedy in his past) trying to conduct a truthful investigation in the face of official corruption and obstruction, drug gangs, political involvement... You get the idea. It is saved by the quality of the writing and the setting, although I hope that Tom Callaghan will ease up a little on the graphic violence against women in future novels; I thought it bordered on the gratuitously sensational at times.
Small reservations notwithstanding, this is a good, well written police thriller which kept my attention throughout and left me with a very haunting sense of the setting. I will certainly read the next in the series, and I can recommend this.
It is the setting which sets this book apart from the ordinary. Tom Callaghan creates an excellent sense of place in the bleak winter in Central Asia, and his depiction of the corrupt, almost lawless society which his central character is trying to police is excellent. He also gives a very good view of the politics of the region but does it without lecturing, weaving it into the plot so you hardly notice you're being informed about relations between neighbouring countries and ethnic groups.
Callaghan's prose is very good. He creates a very good atmosphere and believable characters, and he drives the plot along very well. The plot itself has plenty of very familiar features: hideously butchered women, a decent cop (with, naturally, a Personal Tragedy in his past) trying to conduct a truthful investigation in the face of official corruption and obstruction, drug gangs, political involvement... You get the idea. It is saved by the quality of the writing and the setting, although I hope that Tom Callaghan will ease up a little on the graphic violence against women in future novels; I thought it bordered on the gratuitously sensational at times.
Small reservations notwithstanding, this is a good, well written police thriller which kept my attention throughout and left me with a very haunting sense of the setting. I will certainly read the next in the series, and I can recommend this.
November 30, 2018
This. Was. Good!
Welcome to the world of Inspector Akyl Borubaev of the Bishkek Murder Squad in the Northern portion of Kyrgyzstan. Inspector Borubaev is a recently sober, widower that is pretty much the sole person to investigate any murder that happens in his homeland. Something that he is very good at, and those around him on both sides of the law know it.
This cold winter climate is the stage for a murder investigation that could have national consequences and takes the Inspector's investigation from one end of the country to the other.
If you are easily offended, or squeamish about the descriptive details of murders and injuries, then this might not be the book for you. The writer tends to get very descriptive at times.
Once I started this book, I had a hard time putting it down at night so I could get some sleep. I wasn't sure about this book from reading some of the other reviews here, but I am glad I took the chance and gave this a read. I have Book 2 in the series primed and ready to go!
Welcome to the world of Inspector Akyl Borubaev of the Bishkek Murder Squad in the Northern portion of Kyrgyzstan. Inspector Borubaev is a recently sober, widower that is pretty much the sole person to investigate any murder that happens in his homeland. Something that he is very good at, and those around him on both sides of the law know it.
This cold winter climate is the stage for a murder investigation that could have national consequences and takes the Inspector's investigation from one end of the country to the other.
If you are easily offended, or squeamish about the descriptive details of murders and injuries, then this might not be the book for you. The writer tends to get very descriptive at times.
Once I started this book, I had a hard time putting it down at night so I could get some sleep. I wasn't sure about this book from reading some of the other reviews here, but I am glad I took the chance and gave this a read. I have Book 2 in the series primed and ready to go!
July 4, 2019
I'm in sharp disagreement with most of the other Goodreads members who have reviewed this book; I'm not even sure why I kept reading it after the first 50 pages, but I did. Takes place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I'm traveling to Uzbekistan soon and this was the closest I could get to a "good" thriller. Although there was a sense of how the weather (cold & snow makes investigators lives more difficult) and ethnic tensions between different countries separated by boundaries "invented" by the Russians - the endless violence, lack of interesting or appealing characters and again - the violence - end up with this being an unsatisfying read!
December 6, 2022
Bloody hell, this one's brutal and doesn't pull many punches. Apart from the overuse references to his dead wife, Akyl is top drawer. Great book, great read and a series I tend to continue, although a holiday to Kyrgyzstan probably isn't on the cards.
May 12, 2016
4.5 stars
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