Following the first book in this series, "The Silver Bone," this story is somewhat disappointing.
I gave it the following SCORE:
Setting: Ukraine, 1920s
Characters: Police officer Samson Kolechko, his live-in partner Nadezhda, members of the Polish and Chekist secret police, and a variety of interesting characters in 1920’s Kyiv
Overview: While young Officer Kolechko has been assigned the menial task of catching meat sellers, he must track down the kidnappers of his beloved Nadezhda and is sidetracked by a thief stealing from police headquarters, a deadly tram accident, and the possible return of the antagonist from the first book in the series.
Recommendation: I rate this book 2 stars
Extras: There are many parallel plot threads going on and, coupled with the foreign names and locations, make this story, at times, difficult to track. Several odd episodes, such as a wedding in the woods, are a distraction from the flow of the story. Reading the first (and better) book in the series so far is almost a requirement.
Thanx to NetGalley and HarperVia for the opportunity to provide this candid review.

I really love these books, which offer a brilliant portrait of a troubled period in Soviet history, during. the wars that followed the Russian Revolution. It was a harsh time, especially in the Russian republics, where the war was fought most intensely: a period of fear and upheaval, with old and new sitting awkwardly side by side, all of which Kurkov captures extremely well. The books have a fabular, magical realist quality that offers an clever tonal contrast to the social history. My only criticism is that they are a bit plotless, but there is a charm in this, too. Highly recommended.