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The Case of the General's Thumb
 
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The Case of the General's Thumb (Paperback)

by Andrey Kurkov (Author), George Bird (Translator)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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7 new from £1.71 13 used from £0.39
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Paperback (New edition) £7.99 £5.99 21 used & new from £0.25
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Product details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: The Harvill Press (20 Mar 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1843430169
  • ISBN-13: 978-1843430162
  • Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 12.8 x 1.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 494,160 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Product Description
A Russian General is murdered. But why? And, more importantly, what has happened to his thumb? Viktor Slutsky, a young police lieutenant, is sent to investigate it. So, independently, is Nik Tsensky, a former military interpreter. We read in parallel their two stories as they travel across Europe, pawns in a much more complex game than they could possibly suspect. On the way they meet Sergey, a larger-than-life hit-man and hearse-driving sociopath, who has somehow acquired a deaf-and-dumb blonde girlfirend and a tortoise to whom he becomes devoted (a worthy anthropomorphic successor to Misha the Penguin, eponymous hero of his previous novel). As the two investigators gradually close in on the secret, they become involved in a battle between the Russian and the Ukranian secret services over the fabled KGB "Red Gold". Another brilliantly inventive black satire which will both enlighten and entertain.

From the Publisher
An international thriller, shot through with black satire and authentic detail, by the author of the highly acclaimed Death & the Penguin --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Product Description

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Case of the General's Thumb
61% buy the item featured on this page:
The Case of the General's Thumb 4.0 out of 5 stars (4)
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully written and engaging, 12 May 2004
By Barton Keyes "barton keyes" (England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This superb litle story will stay with you long after you have put the book down. The writing has a bitter-sweet flavour, which makes you smile when you know you should really be crying for the characters involved. Like the author's previous story, about Misha the Penguin, both the plot and the humour help to illuminate the deep flaws of contemporary Russian society as far as ordinary people are concerned. More can be learned from the texture of novels like this than from factual accounts -- however well they relate the details. In the end it is the emotions that count as much as the documents in relating the circumstance of a country.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Smart, 15 Sep 2008
By Ivanna Rosendal "rosendali" (Aarhus, Denmark) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Kurkov has done it again! The two stories of the book are beautifully combined in the end, but offer the reader some brain-gymnastics in the beginning. A trully exciting and enjoyable book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good, 13 May 2005
By David Brookes (Sheffield, UK) - See all my reviews
Unlike Kerkov's earlier work 'Death and the Penguin', a hit with myself and many other readers, 'The Case of the General's Thumb' doesn't quite reach the heights of genius I've come to expect from the author. The dark humour is barely noticable, although the farcical elements that do appear are great and certainly memorable. The plot is twisty, but the loose characterisations of the main protagonists Viktor and Nik mean that two plotlines we as readers are supposed to see as completely seperate (until the respectable finale) merge and can be confused. The whole novel, actually, is a little confusing, with all the information being there, only hidden behind largely anonymous dialogue and bewildering, if amusing, events.

An average read from an author that we know can do better! Still, worth a rent from the library, at least - I can't garauntee I'll read my own copy again anytime.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Deadpan Satire Doesn't Measure Up to Earlier Work
I read and enjoyed Kurkov's earlier book Death and the Penguin, but his latest Ukrainian caper doesn't measure up. Read more
Published on 11 May 2005 by A. Ross

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