The Lost Soldiers

by Andrey Kurkov

Fresh from case of the stolen heart, one that shattered his belief in the regime he works for, Samson Kolechko is confronted with a mystery that borders on the impossible. How could a squad of Red Army soldiers have disappeared from the Galician bathhouse, leaving only their boots and their uniforms as evidence they ever existed?

Faced with such a fantastical conundrum, Samson resorts to a fantastical investigation stitching his operative's severed ear into a bathhouse worker's jacket, he is able to eavesdrop on his every move. But he discovers far more than he bargained for, uncovering human remains in the stoves and the presence of a sinister religious cult in the city.

With his quick-witted new wife Nadezhda at his side, Samson must not only solve the case but navigate the political turmoil that still grips Kyiv as civil war looms and trust between neighbours and comrades is eroded day by day.

In this third volume, Andrey Kurkov, Ukraine's greatest living novelist, and a true master of absurd storytelling, vividly depicts a city filled with political turbulence and eccentric characters - and draws playful parallels with the present day.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Ukraine

352 pages, Hardcover

Published May 26, 2026

About the author

Andrey Kurkov is a Russian and Ukrainian writer who writes in Russian (fiction) and Ukrainian (non-fiction).

Kurkov was born in the small town of Budogoszcz, Russia, on April 23, 1961. When he was young, his family moved to Kyiv, Ukraine. In 1983 Kurkov graduated from the Kyiv Pedagogical Academy of Foreign Languages and later also completed a training in Japanese translation.

Among Kurkov's most famous Russian novels are 'Smert postoronnego' (1996, translated into English in 2001 under the title 'Death and the Penguin') and 'Zakon ulitki' (2002, translated into English in 2005 as 'Penguin lost)'. Kurkov's only Ukrainian non-fiction book is 'Ruh "Emanus": istoriya solidarnosti' (2017).

Reviews

[Matthew Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cosy crime always seemed like a horrible oxymoron to me, but I'm starting to get a sense of it thanks to Kurkov. There's something about returning once again to Samson's Kyiv in 1919 that feels comforting (?)... No, familiar, at least. The tone is almost unchanged since the first instalment: gentle, a little wry, somewhat plotless. Samson's Ukraine is quite tumultuous, and there is plenty of murder, and yet, I almost get a warm feeling when I think about these books. I've been wondering about that. I'm no big Harry Potter fan, but so many fans see Hogwarts as a 'safe' place they can return to, when in actuality, the books involve a shocking amount of murder and violence. So, the same paradox is going on here, too. But I digress. This time solders go missing from a bathhouse and Samson has to solve the case. As ever, Samson spends a lot of time calling on old friends, checking on his wife (rarely, in this case) and even checking on his enemies. He still has his greatest trick: the ability to hear out of his severed ear. It has not rotted away in the slightest. As a detective, being able to leave your ear in drawers and in coat pockets of criminals is quite handy, as long as you can ensure you get it back again.

[⋆ ☾ mia ❀ ⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kurkov’s writing is as sharp and atmospheric as ever, with a quietly witty tone and an incredibly vivid portrait of Kyiv in 1919. Even though this detective‑style mystery isn’t usually my genre, I still appreciated the tone, the historical detail, and Kurkov’s unique blend of melancholy and wit. His worldbuilding feels vivid and lived‑in, and the story carries that familiar, understated charm his work is known for. The audiobook narration was engaging and well‑paced, matching the mood of the story and the setting nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance listening copy.

[Betsy Scheintaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just really love this series. I don’t know how to describe it but it’s absurd and highly detailed. Absurdist realism?

[Venky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most celebrated Ukrainian author in contemporary history, and a veritable master of absurdism, is back with an absolute bang! Lost Soldiers bears the Kurkov imprimatur with such exquisiteness so as to leave the reader revelling in the essence of the book long after the covers have come down upon it.

At the nub of the plot is the inexplicable and fantastical disappearance of an entire squad of Red Army soldiers (the novel itself is squarely placed in the tumultuous ‘Kyvian’ times of the Bolsheviks and White Army confrontations) from a bathhouse situated in the bustling Halytska Square. The responsibilities for solving the case falls upon Samson Kolechko, a young and optimistic investigator who calls the Lybid police station, home.

Kolechko himself has been the subject of an unfortunate and violent investigation, during the course of which one of his ears stands dismembered. The severed ear is carefully placed by its former owner in a snuff box. Kolechko finds a fantastical use for the ear by stitching it in the jacket of the attendant in charge of the bath house. A drunken revelry at the bath house enables Kolechko to eavesdrop on some controversial conversations while sitting at the police station (yes, I am not making this up).

What follows is extreme chaos, cacophony, and confusion. A phalanx of mean and murky characters makes steady and bizarre appearances like perpetual motion machines. Kolechko is sucked right into the crazy ‘carousel’ and keeps spinning as one thin lead to another obscure one and on and on, in a seemingly unending path of unpredictability. A benevolent doctor whose services are repeatedly sought by Kolechko as his right arm unfortunately keeps coming into contact with objects of harm, a slimy Belgian scamster with a femur bone constructed out of silver, a chiropodist, who is anything but one, a former priest turned into a police man all contrive to concoct a plot that leaves the reader positively breathless.

I personally relate Kolechko’ s magical ear to the ubiquitous surveillance that is characteristic of the world and times we inhabit. The menacing presence of Red and White soldiers is now substituted by invisible roving eyes of Artificial Intelligence that hover without rest tracking every trivial and significant movements of civilians and politicians alike. Even though there is more than a shard of moral intent underpinning the innovative methods adopted by Kolechko with his ear, the same cannot be said of the modern technological mechanisms and measures.
Resorting to a judicious blend of wicked wit and studied wisdom, Kurkov places into perspective, the cataclysmic times where ordinary citizens are caught in a deadly crossfire between warring and bloodthirsty factions competing for power. Exploiting the situation is a brazen lot of mercenaries, eager to eke out mileage from every ounce of misery. This is the aspect of Kurkov that distinguishes him from a multitude of his peers and contemporaries. There is a cathartic element that bursts through the veneer of humour and absurdist narratives.

Special mention to the award winning translator, Boris Dralyuk for the seraphic effort with the translation!

Lost Soldiers – an author in vintage form!

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new Andrey Kurkov is always an event to be celebrated. He carries a mix of humor and cynicism that I find deeply engaging. Set in post-WWI/pre-WWII Ukraine, there's plenty to laugh at and plenty to bemoan. The Czar is dead, Ukraine is now under Russian control, and Ukrainians are walking a very narrow tightrope. It takes very little to wind up against a wall about to be shot. But until that happens, life takes all kinds of outrageous, ridiculous ploys just to keep going.

In a way The Lost Soldiers is a novel of resistance, but it's not at all heavy-handed in the way that description might suggest. Our central character, Samson Kolechko, is intellectually nimble—a crucial skill at the time. He never intended to become part of the Ukrainian police force, but here he is, trying to facilitate a kind of justice that will let him sleep at night.

The secondary characters are downright charming, for the most part. His wife Nadezhda works with a bureau determined to tally every X or Y or Z (boat, house, business) in Ukraine to determine which are in appropriately proletariat hands and which are not. Kolechko's partner at work is a former priest who has (mostly) lost his faith and, like Kolechko, has also fallen into policing without meaning to. Kolechko's superior is a former member of the Czar's troops, which means he faces a good bit of bureaucratic suspicison.

If you aren't familiar with this mystery series, get going with it! I would suggest starting with the first volume, The Silver Bone, in which we learn about a somewhat unusual "superpower" (for want of a better word) that helps Kolchko in his policing.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

[Jamie Polivka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whodunit with all the strange (positive) vibes of translated fiction. An unfamiliar (probably to the English reader) setting in Kyiv during the Russian revolution heightens the attention of the reader. If you’re familiar with the history of the revolution, it only adds to the depth and behind the scenes emotions of the characters. If it is unfamiliar, no worries, Kurkov gives adequate descriptions and sparing background details.

Our main character, Samson, is a new investigator and “earns his stripes” by the end of the book through his unwavering curiosity and a touch of magical realism.

On one hand, a “cozy mystery” with low stakes and on the other a creeping feeling that danger is getting ever nearer. An interesting investigation into human nature and what motivates others to do right or wrong.

The audio production was good, giving a different voice to the main characters in order to distinguish them. Felt the pronunciation of names were also accurate.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the ARC.

[Mario Mirabelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by Ukraine's preeminent mystery writer and evidently the third and latest of a series, this is a slow burn of what appears to be an unsolvable crime. Set in 1919 Kyiv when the Ukraine was between dueling internal factions and international want, twenty eight Red Army soldiers disappear from a public bathhouse with only their clothes left behind. Enter Detective Samson Kolecheko and his new partner, a former priest, to solve this bizarre incident. With little evidence and few witnesses as well as a possible tie to the theft of barrels of priceless black caviar, what does Samson do? Can a horse that may be involved in both crimes help solve this mess?
Well written and set in a place and time unimaginable to most, well worth the your time to back in time to solve.

[Zella Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've really loved these delightfully weird, atmospheric mysteries set in Kyiv during the Russian Civil War. They're historically accurate and drolly funny, with likable characters, an absurdist undercurrent, and a charming romantic subplot. In this one, Samson dutifully investigates a baffling case of 28 missing soldiers, which brings him into conflict with his commander and the feared Cheka secret police. I think the series improves with each entry, and I hope Kurkov writes more of them, though I have seen no indication he plans to do so. They remind me a bit of the Ruso novels, though those have a very different setting.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pros
An excellent view of Ukrainian post WWI history written by a Ukrainian. So the historical aspect of this novel was extremely interesting for me a history buff.
Cons
The first half of the work was slow going for me. The writing is far more descriptive than most of
the mystery noves I have read, which admittedly are not numerous. The unfamiliar names took a bit of becoming accustomed to. The plot had many, many moving parts and it took quite a while for the dispart parts to come together.
Conclusion
I am glad I read this book but do not think I would read another by this author.

[Simon Gosden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyiv in 1919 is a very troubled place, but investigator Samson has troubles of his own. Twenty eight Red Army men have vanished from a Bathhouse in the middle of the city. Only their uniforms left behind.
Samson has to investigate the case without falling foul of the various authorities who have a vested interest in Kyiv.
It’s a thoroughly immersive experience and one of great joy to read.

[LJ Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the books in the series so far, this is probably my favourite. Really feel I now know the characters and the links to the previous two books give you a sense of following a longer, interesting story. Historically it is interesting and captures a period in history I knew very little about. Always learning as well as being entertained.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall disappointing. The book has a dull plot with an uninspired ending. And the protagonist's bizarre super power--a dismembered ear from which he can still hear--ends up as a surprisingly irrelevant detail, proving more often than not to be an inconvenience rather than an asset.

It's difficult to really critique the prose since I read an English translation of the novel. Perhaps the writing really sparkles in the original Ukrainian, but in this iteration it was disjointed and awkward. In particular, the translator's attempts at more poetic sequences came off as staid and trite, rather than beautiful or imaginative.

Lastly, I'll acknowledge both that I jumped into this series on the third book (after reading a positive review about this particular book), and that I'm not well-versed in early Soviet Ukrainian history. So it may be I was missing some necessary context that would have improved my experience. But I have my doubts that was really the problem; the book was easy enough to follow and the relevant historical situation was easy enough to grasp based on the story. The problem for me was that it was simply not a very interesting or engaging narrative.

[Jason Maltby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting mystery set in Ukraine during the Russian Civil War. As Ukrainians try to adapt to rule under the Red Army, a platoon of Red Army soldiers disappears from a bathhouse and a dogged detective tries to solve the mystery while navigating political turmoil. All with the help of his own severed, but still working, ear. Yep, you read that right.

Very interesting indeed.

[Jolanta (knygupė)]

3,5*

[Stephen Devonport · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great read kept me wondering to the end

[Paul Lindstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book – I loved it. And it seems Mr Kurkov has decided to extend the trilogy with at least one more book in the series.

[Charles Bookman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whodunit set in 1919 revolutionary Kiev and an allegory of survival in wartime.
Read more at https://bookmanreader.blogspot.com/20...