What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lost Soldiers
Fresh from a case that has shattered his belief in the regime he works for, Samson Kolechko is confronted with a mystery that borders on the impossible. A troop of Red Army soldiers has disappeared without a trace while visiting the Halytska bathhouse, their abandoned boots and uniforms the only proof that they ever existed.
Faced with such a fantastical conundrum, Samson must resort to a fantastical investigation method: stitching his operative 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, and matters are further complicated by the human remains found 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 the third of his Kyiv Mysteries, Andrey Kurkov, Ukraine’s greatest living novelist, vividly depicts a city filled with political turbulence and eccentric characters – and draws ominous parallels with the present day.
Faced with such a fantastical conundrum, Samson must resort to a fantastical investigation method: stitching his operative 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, and matters are further complicated by the human remains found 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 the third of his Kyiv Mysteries, Andrey Kurkov, Ukraine’s greatest living novelist, vividly depicts a city filled with political turbulence and eccentric characters – and draws ominous parallels with the present day.
- GenresMystery
319 pages, Hardcover
Published April 9, 2026
About the author
Andrey Kurkov
71 books850 followersAndrey 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).
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).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 13, 2026
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy
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.
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.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews