20 Great International Mysteries, February 2012

Although he once dreamt of being a novelist, Viktor doesn’t have much luck with his muses until the day he gets summoned to the Capital News for an assignment. “What we’re after is a gifted obituarist, master of the succinct. Snappy, pithy, way-out stuff” about deputies, gangsters and important cultural figures--while they’re still alive, explains the editor-in-chief. With these simple directives, Viktor applies himself with a vengeance. The only problem is while he leads a contentedly life with his pet penguin Misha, churning out little pieces and getting well paid, Kiev is tainted by a series of suspicious deaths that seem oddly connected with Viktor’s obits. Pensive and ponderous, Kurkov’s novel is exquisite and darkly funny.