A Killing Winter (Inspector Akyl Borubaev 1)

Author/Guide: Tom Callaghan

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2000s: The first installment in the Inspector Akyl Borubaev series

ISBN: 978-1784299989
Genre: Crime

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What you need to know before your trail

When Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek Murder Squad arrives at the brutal murder scene of a young woman, all evidence hints at a sadistic serial killer on the hunt for more prey.

But when the young woman’s father turns out to be 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 his wife’s recent death, Borubaev descends into Bishkek’s brutal underworld, a place where no-one and nothing is as it seems, where everyone is playing for the highest stakes, and where violence is the only solution.

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Travel Guide

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan was formally part of the Soviet Union, until the country declared independence in 1991. This should have signalled freedom but reality did not quite match the dream if this book is to believed. There’s enough political corruption, cheap drugs and poverty around to give you the full picture in Inspector Akyl Borubaev’s version at least.

The novel itself and the subject matter is similar to those set in Russia at this time ( Child 44 comes to mind) but the unique situation of Kyrgyzstan, politicaly and in every other way makes this series unique. Characters live on the edge of society.

This is more than a snapshot of a different city, country, culture where hardship is the norm and life is cheap.Nothing is straight forward in these former Soviet Satellite states as the shadow of Russian rule brings fear into the hearts of everyone, least of all nationalists.

And if the landscape and murders aren’t bleak enough – it snows a lot too. This landlocked and mountainous country deep in the heart of Central Asia holds you like a prisoner in its grasp.