A Spring Betrayal

Author Tom Callaghan
Narrator Saul Reichlin
Publisher Quercus
Run Time 9 hours and 46 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Crime and mystery fiction, Espionage and spy thriller, Modern and contemporary fiction, Political / legal thriller, Thriller / suspense fiction.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

We uncovered the last of the bodies in the red hour before dusk, as the sun stained the snowcaps of the Tian Shan mountains the colour of dried blood and the spring air turned sharp and cold . . .

Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek Murder Squad has been exiled to the far corner of Kyrgystan, 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 for his 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 . . .
(P)2016 WF Howes Ltd

Critics Review

Even better than Child 44. Akyl Borubaev is a terrific creation

Anthony Horowitz

Just keeps getting better . . . buy the whole series right away

Peter Robinson, author of the bestselling DCI Banks series

Storytelling of the highest quality . . . Introduces a detective it is impossible not to believe in. Callaghan is a new voice to be welcomed

Daily Mail

Not since Child 44 have I read something that’s left such a memorable impression

Sebastian Fitzek on A Killing Winter

This is a thrilling, intense debut from a powerfully descriptive writer

The Daily Express

[Tom Callaghan’s] gloomy atmospheric portrait convinces and he writes with style and panache . . . A lively story and a riveting glimpse of an unknown society

The Times

A Killing Winter is a brilliant debut, and an early contender for one of my top reads of the year

Raven Crime Reads

Unforgettable

The Sunday Times

His [Tom Callaghan’s] descriptions are wonderful – sickeningly so in fact

The Bookbag

It’s brutal but not cynical; you feel it. It’s a hugely impressive debut; atmospheric and stirring

Killing Time Crime

Callaghan is a hell of a writer, with a tremendous sense of pace and an arch ear for juicy dialogue, and the pages fly by.

Crime Thriller Fella

This is a wonderful book . . . the narrative is savage yet at the same time beautifully crafted . . . A Killing Winter satisfies on so many levels

Milo Rambles

Ticks all the boxes of plot, setting and character.

The Crime Warp

The story and writing sustained me right through to the killer twist ending

Book Bonding

Fast-paced and enthralling

Written by Sime

The denouement is suitably surprising and satisfactory. I got there breathless and tense

Thriller books journal

Tom Callaghan is a name to watch

Promoting Crime Fiction

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