In September, the AKS GKNB detained the head of the Kulundu frontier post in the course of operational-search measures when giving a bribe to an employee of the state committee…
Tom CallaghanSeptember 29, 2020
At four in the morning, no phone call is ever good news. A patrol car had stopped in front of an alley off Frunze so the driver could empty his…
Tom CallaghanSeptember 26, 2020
Tennessee Williams wrote ‘America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.’
Tom CallaghanSeptember 25, 2020
The State Committee for National Security detained a police colonel trying to sell drugs.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 24, 2020
In Jalal-Abad, two members of an organized criminal group were recently detained, suspected of committing robberies.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 23, 2020
The former Minister of Health, Kosmosbek Cholponbaev, is charged with negligence and abuse of office during the coronavirus pandemic.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 22, 2020
A David Mitchell novel is always a delight, if not always an unalloyed one. For me, ‘Ghostwritten’ is still his best work, even if ‘The Bone Clocks’ is perhaps his…
Tom CallaghanSeptember 21, 2020
I may not care much for this type of mystery or thriller novel, but the covers for this British Library Crime Classics series are a testament to the ability of…
Tom CallaghanSeptember 20, 2020
On September 11, a citizen applied to the State Committee for National Security with a request to take action against the judge of the Kara-Suu region "A.Zh.S.", who extorted money…
Tom CallaghanSeptember 19, 2020
Homicide Detective Hoke Moseley might be based in Miami, but he’s a long way from the glitter and sophistication of TV’s Crockett and Tubbs.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 17, 2020
Abror Sabirov, son of Shukhrat Sabirov, the director of the State Agency for Antimonopoly Regulations of Kyrgyzstan, was placed in jail-1 in Bishkek for two months.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 16, 2020
The smell hits you first, so you know what lies ahead, even before you enter the room.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 15, 2020
In the village of Khunchi, Chui oblast, a truck driver was detained, transporting almost 500,000 packs of cigarettes without excise stamps.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 14, 2020
The future of Kyrgyzstan depends, in part, on the rise of ecotourism; of people wanting to travel to discover the natural beauty and wildlife of this small, mountainous and remote…
Tom CallaghanSeptember 13, 2020
Kyrgyzstan is about to have elections in a couple of weeks time. The Central Election Commission checked 1,912 registered parliamentary candidates for criminal records.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 12, 2020
When William McIlvanney wrote his Laidlaw trilogy, Scottish crime fiction was in short supply.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 11, 2020
In Bishkek, a man illegally kept almost five kilograms of drugs at home. Maybe it helped him solve his puzzles…
Tom CallaghanSeptember 10, 2020
Despite the text being the same (apart from spelling), the UK and US book markets are clearly very different.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 9, 2020
The SCM GUVD of Bishkek received information that citizen E.E., born in 2000, carried the skin of a rare wild animal, and was making attempts to illegally sell it.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 8, 2020
I’ve written before about how a book cover can make or break the success of a book.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 6, 2020
The Internal Affairs investigator of the Tokmak police department was placed under house arrest after demanding a bribe.
Tom CallaghanSeptember 5, 2020
There are some extra categories not covered here: Forgot I already had a copy Given to me, but I forget by whom Bought as a present but decided to keep…
Tom CallaghanSeptember 4, 2020
Although the 18 titles in the Burke series by Andrew Vachss tail off in impact towards the later novels, the intensity of earlier books such as ‘Flood’, ‘Blue Belle’ and…
Tom CallaghanSeptember 3, 2020
https://youtu.be/BUjJ26rPiZ8 Last night's firework's display to celebrate 29 years of Kyrgyz independence
Tom CallaghanSeptember 1, 2020
Three officers of the Service for Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking were detained in Bishkek, after being found with 3 kilos...
Tom CallaghanAugust 30, 2020
I’ll be honest: I haven’t read ‘Gallows Court’ by Martin Edwards. And books set in pre-war London, the Golden Age of crime fiction, tend not to feature high on my…
Tom CallaghanAugust 29, 2020
In Kadamjay, four men robbed and beat residents, threatening them with a pistol
Tom CallaghanAugust 28, 2020
The main character (and the most terrifying) in Jack O’Connell’s books is not a person, it’s a place. Quinsigamond, a post-industrial New England city, where derelict warehouses, porn theatres and…
Tom CallaghanAugust 27, 2020
‘My babulya’s been murdered.’ Not words you ever want to hear, especially when you’ve put your jacket on, decided to walk home though the park, anything to avoid wearing your…
Tom CallaghanAugust 25, 2020
Bishkek police recently confiscated a cache of weapons and drugs, believed to belong to an organised crime gang.
Tom CallaghanAugust 24, 2020
No Corruption The Kyrgyz authorities devote a lot of time and energy to stamping out the problem of corruption
Tom CallaghanAugust 23, 2020
Bantiki - heralding the start of autumn I've been asked what exactly are the bantiki that were mentioned in Tuesday's short story, 'Amateurs'.
Tom CallaghanAugust 21, 2020
It’s said that one publisher, reading the manuscript of ‘I Was Dora Suarez’ was so appalled that he vomited. It’s not an unlikely response.
Tom CallaghanAugust 20, 2020
The cover of ‘The IPCRESS File’ by Len Deighton, that is. Afraid the white dustjacket would get marked and dirty, sitting around in bookshops.
Tom CallaghanAugust 19, 2020
Amateurs - An Akyl Borubaev story The squad room was empty, the only sound the whisper of dust gently settling on filing cabinets stuffed with unsolved cases.
Tom CallaghanAugust 18, 2020
'This is a bookshop. We sell books' In Saturday's Guardian, a publisher, Sharmaine Lovegrove wrote that about publishers should work in bookshops to discover the unexpected pairings between readers and…
Tom CallaghanAugust 17, 2020
An interview with Corinna Zifko at Quercus when AN AUTUMN HUNTING was published in August 2018.
Tom CallaghanAugust 15, 2020
Unless a bookcase collapses and buries you under a landslide of paperbacks, collecting books will rarely kill you (although they will damage your wealth, eyesight and marital harmony).
Tom CallaghanAugust 14, 2020
Robert Campbell (1920-2000) was a prolific novelist and screenwriter, even earning an Academy Award nomination.
Tom CallaghanAugust 13, 2020
Looking at the cover, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Stephen King’s forthcoming book, ‘Later’ came out in the late 50s. The vintage pulp style of illustration reeks of bad…
Tom CallaghanAugust 12, 2020
After midnight in the Kulturny Bar, where I was upsetting the regulars and planning to get myself a gun. Of course, I already had one.
Tom CallaghanAugust 11, 2020
With this blog now underway like a rusty tramp steamer nerving its way into new waters, you might like to note a couple of future weekly events.
Tom CallaghanAugust 10, 2020
It seemed an innocuous habit at first, one my parents even encouraged. Harmless to begin with. The odd Puffin paperback here and there, and then later, Penguin Classics, before moving…
Tom CallaghanAugust 9, 2020
Except here, it seems. The virus appears not to like sunlight, fresh air and open spaces that people can enjoy while still keeping their distance. Children seem to be the…
Tom CallaghanAugust 8, 2020
It's two years ago today since I went to the Ata-Beyit memorial complex outside Bishkek, where the great Kyrgyz writer, Chingiz Aitmatov is buried. It's a beautiful place, with a…
Tom CallaghanAugust 7, 2020
The world of crime/ noir/ thriller books is, understandably, dominated by a few best-selling authors. You know, the ones whose covers stare out at you in every airport, promising distraction…
Tom CallaghanAugust 6, 2020
In reality, I normally spend my days on my private terrace overlooking Montego Bay, sipping a cold Red Stripe and enjoying exotic sushi. But I want you to believe that…
Tom CallaghanAugust 5, 2020
The message came in early one morning, the sun barely beginning to clamber over the mountains to the north-east of the city. The lockdown had taken all the taxis and…
Tom CallaghanAugust 4, 2020
As you might expect from a novelist, I'm keenly interested in book cover design. Not least because the success or failure of a book cover has a direct impact on…
Tom CallaghanAugust 3, 2020
Trust the Kyrgyz to create a vodka for this situation. If only it worked.
Tom CallaghanAugust 1, 2020
Rather than another post about Bishkek’s bar scene, I thought a mini-story about Akyl Borubaev might pass a couple of moments. After all, that’s hopefully why people read this blog…
Tom CallaghanJuly 31, 2020
I'm spending today working on an Akyl Borubaev short story. But with a view like this, are you surprised I get distracted?
Tom CallaghanJuly 30, 2020
Yesterday’s post showed me standing in the dark and the snow outside Derevyashka, a local bar facing Gorky Park (no, not that one). *Derevyashka means ‘wood’, and as I described it…
Tom CallaghanJuly 29, 2020
To anyone who’s wondered about my silence: I’m still writing, even if I haven’t published anything for a while, and I hope my revitalised blog will keep people up to…
Tom CallaghanJuly 28, 2020
AKW is at 3:25 https://soundcloud.com/crime-files-podcast/crime-files-podcast-02-feb-15#t=3:25
Tom CallaghanFebruary 20, 2015
Pre-order the audio book of 'A Killing Winter'
Tom CallaghanJanuary 23, 2015
“A Killing Winter is a brilliant debut, and an early contender for one of my top reads of the year…”
https://ravencrimereads.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/tom-callaghan-a-killing-winter/
Tom CallaghanJanuary 19, 2015
Sebastian Fitzek says about this book: "I have not read anything as intrusive since Child 44.. This thriller is merciless, strongly atmospheric and unbelievably gripping." Sebastian Fitzek's new novel PASSENGER…
Tom CallaghanDecember 20, 2014
I've been invited to appear at the 2015 Edinburgh International Book Festival in August.
Tom CallaghanDecember 11, 2014
Saul Reichlin reads 'A Killing Winter' I'm delighted that Saul is reading the audio book of 'A Killing Winter'. A well-known actor and director, Saul has won several awards for…
Tom CallaghanNovember 28, 2014
Campaign Interview, by Iain Ackerman "I've very much enjoyed my career, but I'm glad to be doing something else now," says Tom Callaghan with distinctive, dry, comic delivery. "All copywriters…
Tom CallaghanOctober 29, 2014
The cover entitled WHERE NO ONE'S SAFE AND EVERYBODY LIES... was used for the advance copies for the Harrogate Festival.
Tom CallaghanOctober 27, 2014
