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2000s: The second installment in the Inspector Akyl Borubaev series
2000s: The second installment in the Inspector Akyl Borubaev series
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 . . .
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.
Bishkek, the capital, borders Central Asia’s Tian Shan range ( often referenced in the novel) It’s a gateway to the Kyrgyz Ala-Too mountains and Ala Archa National Park. It’s also a city on the edge if this novel is to be believed.
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.
Destination : Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek Author/Guide: Tom Callaghan Departure Time: 2000s
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