A Spring Betrayal: An Inspector Akyl Borubaev Thriller (2)

It really is a page turner. I will read the final two books to find out what happens to Akyl. I do recommend them but they’re certainly not happy ever after tales !!!

Every bit as brutal as A Killing Winter and featuring Inspector Akyl at the very edge of his boundless empathy for others’ suffering, A Spring Betrayal makes for a scintillating read. The bodies of seven infants have been unearthed in a shallow grave. Wristbands on the bodies suggest that they were from an orphanage. Being an orphan himself, Akyl will not rest until he finds the person or persons responsible for this atrocity. Working again with his on off partner and lover, Saltanat, a discarded phone leads them to a wealthy American who, under the guise of an adoption agency, is making abhorrent films and selling his output to those of a similar mindset. Although the subject matter here is grim, the action and dialogue carries you along at such a pace, you’ll barely have time to dwell on it. Akyl is at his downtrodden best here and even when he confesses to his boss that he doesn’t care what happens to him, he is always working to avenge those that cannot fight back themselves.Although A killing winter was a fantastic series opener, this sequel beats it for pace and for sheer savagery.

The second in a promised four book series, this builds on characters established in the first book, A Killing Winter. I recommend reading that volume first, not only to meet the protagonist, Inspector Akyl Borubaev of the Bishkek Murder Squad, but also for the evocative descriptions of a country, Kyrgyzstan, most readers will not know at all. Defiitely not a read for the squeamish, the book provides a rip roaring ride through an unfamiliar landscape, with gruesome descriptions along the way. I should not be surprised if, having started, most readers find it impossible to put this book down before they have got to the final page. The story starts with the unearthing of seven murdered orphans near a remote village in rural Kyrgyzstan. Borubaev's grim mission is to find out why they have been killed, and dumped in a mass grave. Read on!

Follow up to "A Killing Winter", which I recommend you read first since this book contains important spoilers.The story commences with the discovery of children's bodies buried in a remote location. The bodies are tagged as orphanage children, and since the protagonist, Inspector Akyl Borubaev, himself was several years in an orphanage he has even more reason than usual to take the case personally.Once again accompanied by Saltanat, glamorous female agent from Kyrgystan's westerly neighbour Uzbekistan, Borubaev this time discovers the sinister ways by which a rich elite can exploit the global poor.As with the first book in the series, it is very well written, with many chapters ending on a "what happens next" note, meaning that I read it compulsively non stop in just a few hours.

Not for the squeamish or faint-hearted but a vigourous, atmospheric thriller set in the fascinating, beautiful and endlessly corrupt landscape of Kyrgystan. Much of the pleasure comes from the evocation of the culture and landscape of this (to most of us) unknown world but both character and plot drive the narrative with such energy that the book is virtually unputdownable! I thoroughly enjoyed the first in this series, A Killing Winter, but I think this one is even better and much look forward to the next.

I love the character, Inspector Akyl Borubaev and just as with book one - A Killing Winter - I couldn't put it down. The plot moves swiftly and the chapters are in perfect bite-size pieces, always leaving you needing to find out what happens next. When you get to the end of the book there is no way you'll be able to resist diving straight into book three - A Summer Revenge!

Down to earth story with many twists and turns a gritty tale lots of violence and death and more.a bit of a page turner

Very good