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Arkady Renko #6
Stalin's Ghost
Investigator Arkady Renko, the pariah of the Moscow prosecutor’s office, has been assigned the thankless job of investigating a new phenomenon: late-night subway riders report seeing the ghost of Joseph Stalin on the platform of the Chistye Prudy Metro station.
The illusion seems part political hocus-pocus and also part wishful thinking, for among many Russians Stalin is again popular; the bloody dictator can boast a two-to-one approval rating.
That's a rating decidedly better than that of Renko, whose lover, Eva, has left him for Detective Nikolai Isakov, a charismatic veteran of the civil war in Chechnya, a hero of the far right and, Renko suspects, a killer for hire. The cases entwine, and Renko’s quests become a personal inquiry fueled by jealousy.
The investigation leads to the fields of Tver outside of Moscow, where once a million soldiers fought. There, amidst the detritus, Renko must confront the ghost of his own father, a favorite general of Stalin’s. In these barren fields, patriots and shady entrepreneurs—the Red Diggers and Black Diggers—collect the bones, weapons and personal effects of slain World War II soldiers, and find that even among the dead there are surprises
"Stalin’s Ghost" is replete with Martin Cruz Smith’s trademark wit, dark humor and action. In this tale of Arkady Renko, Smith has again fashioned an unforgettable character as cynical as Philip Marlowe, but with the heart of a Chekhovian Everyman. The reader is treated to an unparalleled thriller woven with a depth of humanity found in the finest literature.
The illusion seems part political hocus-pocus and also part wishful thinking, for among many Russians Stalin is again popular; the bloody dictator can boast a two-to-one approval rating.
That's a rating decidedly better than that of Renko, whose lover, Eva, has left him for Detective Nikolai Isakov, a charismatic veteran of the civil war in Chechnya, a hero of the far right and, Renko suspects, a killer for hire. The cases entwine, and Renko’s quests become a personal inquiry fueled by jealousy.
The investigation leads to the fields of Tver outside of Moscow, where once a million soldiers fought. There, amidst the detritus, Renko must confront the ghost of his own father, a favorite general of Stalin’s. In these barren fields, patriots and shady entrepreneurs—the Red Diggers and Black Diggers—collect the bones, weapons and personal effects of slain World War II soldiers, and find that even among the dead there are surprises
"Stalin’s Ghost" is replete with Martin Cruz Smith’s trademark wit, dark humor and action. In this tale of Arkady Renko, Smith has again fashioned an unforgettable character as cynical as Philip Marlowe, but with the heart of a Chekhovian Everyman. The reader is treated to an unparalleled thriller woven with a depth of humanity found in the finest literature.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 19, 2007
334 people are currently reading
2069 people want to read
About the author
Martin Cruz Smith
53 books1,268 followersMartin Cruz Smith (AKA Simon Quinn, Nick Carter, Jake Logan, and Martin Quinn) was an American writer of mystery and suspense fiction, mostly in an international or historical setting. He was best known for his 11-book series featuring Russian investigator Arkady Renko, who was introduced in 1981 with Gorky Park and appeared in Independence Square (2023) and Hotel Ukraine (2025). [Wikipedia]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 481 reviews
May 31, 2018
This is an erudite and heartbreaking read, it captures the state of Russia in recent times. The horror, poverty and corruption experienced by the Russians has led many to feel nostalgia and longing for a past which they view with rose tinted glasses. To be more specific, there is idolisation of the terrible dictator Stalin, or more precisely a world people feel more familiar with and which they feel did not rip them off on a colossal scale. In the novel, Renko is pushed to investigate the sightings of Stalin's ghost on the underground. It turns out to be a political stunt to promote the political candidacy of Isakov. To underline how much has changed, there are two American election PR consultants, although if you look beneath that, ironically, very little changes.
Certain deaths are being written of as accidents, domestics, suicides and resulting from being drunk in Moscow. The investigating officers Isakov and Murton are more than unhappy that Renko is taking an interest in them. Renko finds himself with hardly any friends and no one that is willing to take his suspicions seriously. He also finds himself shot in the head and barely comes out alive. Finding himself without a role in Moscow, he goes to Tver to get Eva back and to continue his investigations. He finds himself at a mass burial site of soldiers from the second world war. Whilst there he comes under extreme danger as he threatens to uncover secrets from the Chechan war and endangers the political ambitions of a member of an elite Russian team.
Smith is an expert in creating a world that is both atmospheric and a realistic portrayal of life in Russia. It is a hard place to survive, and virtually a death sentence if you happen to be an honest investigator like Renko. This is literary crime writing of the highest order and I really did not want it to come to an end. Martin Cruz Smith is just a brilliant writer!
Certain deaths are being written of as accidents, domestics, suicides and resulting from being drunk in Moscow. The investigating officers Isakov and Murton are more than unhappy that Renko is taking an interest in them. Renko finds himself with hardly any friends and no one that is willing to take his suspicions seriously. He also finds himself shot in the head and barely comes out alive. Finding himself without a role in Moscow, he goes to Tver to get Eva back and to continue his investigations. He finds himself at a mass burial site of soldiers from the second world war. Whilst there he comes under extreme danger as he threatens to uncover secrets from the Chechan war and endangers the political ambitions of a member of an elite Russian team.
Smith is an expert in creating a world that is both atmospheric and a realistic portrayal of life in Russia. It is a hard place to survive, and virtually a death sentence if you happen to be an honest investigator like Renko. This is literary crime writing of the highest order and I really did not want it to come to an end. Martin Cruz Smith is just a brilliant writer!
June 1, 2012
Abe March said "good, but not great." I agree. It took a long time for the separate threads to make any sense at all, and when they did, there was never a real engaging drama. The characters were not developed enough to make me care about them.
The plot, however, was good enough to pull me along and the description of the chess match was superb.
The plot, however, was good enough to pull me along and the description of the chess match was superb.
February 6, 2023
Here are just a few moments at the beginning of the novel that made me laugh or smile in admiration at the skill of the author.
A woman is trying to contract the killing of her husband and offers a warning to the would-be assassins:
“He’s very strong,” she said.
“No, he’ll just be heavy,” Victor assured her.
A mass grave has been discovered beneath the courthouse in Moscow:
“Gleb asked, “What if the grave runs under the entire court?”
“That’s always the problem, isn’t it? Once you start digging, when to stop?”
Arkady is talking with a grumpy, old chess master:
“ Platonov scratched his chin. “You’re in the prosecutor’s office, aren’t you? Well, intelligence isn’t everything.”
“Thank God,” Arkady said.
Considering his boss in the prosecutor's office:
“ He didn’t believe Zurin would stab him in the back, although the prosecutor might show someone else where the knife drawer was.
“Arkady held up his ID for all to see and announced, “Filming in the Metro is prohibited. Also this gathering is delaying the scheduled cleaning and maintenance of the Metro, putting the public safety at risk. It’s now over. Go home.”
Zelensky said, “I don’t see any cleaning women or maintenance men.”
“A schedule is a schedule.” (Arkady is as Soviet as the best of them at times)
Martin Cruz Smith’s description of a speed chess tournament (called a blitz) is absolutely the finest writing about the game that I have ever come across. Movies try to make chess exciting by having players hurl pieces around the board and slam the clock after moves, but this chapter in the book is positively thrilling. It is truly a masterpiece of writing and well worth the price of the book.
His little chess podigy-hoodlum should step out of this novel to inhabit his own book, at least one.
A woman is trying to contract the killing of her husband and offers a warning to the would-be assassins:
“He’s very strong,” she said.
“No, he’ll just be heavy,” Victor assured her.
A mass grave has been discovered beneath the courthouse in Moscow:
“Gleb asked, “What if the grave runs under the entire court?”
“That’s always the problem, isn’t it? Once you start digging, when to stop?”
Arkady is talking with a grumpy, old chess master:
“ Platonov scratched his chin. “You’re in the prosecutor’s office, aren’t you? Well, intelligence isn’t everything.”
“Thank God,” Arkady said.
Considering his boss in the prosecutor's office:
“ He didn’t believe Zurin would stab him in the back, although the prosecutor might show someone else where the knife drawer was.
“Arkady held up his ID for all to see and announced, “Filming in the Metro is prohibited. Also this gathering is delaying the scheduled cleaning and maintenance of the Metro, putting the public safety at risk. It’s now over. Go home.”
Zelensky said, “I don’t see any cleaning women or maintenance men.”
“A schedule is a schedule.” (Arkady is as Soviet as the best of them at times)
Martin Cruz Smith’s description of a speed chess tournament (called a blitz) is absolutely the finest writing about the game that I have ever come across. Movies try to make chess exciting by having players hurl pieces around the board and slam the clock after moves, but this chapter in the book is positively thrilling. It is truly a masterpiece of writing and well worth the price of the book.
His little chess podigy-hoodlum should step out of this novel to inhabit his own book, at least one.
February 26, 2021
Fantastic Arkady Renko, the seemingly only non-corrupt cop in Moscow, is back for his 6th adventure. This one involves him in the "New Russia" where politics and commercial interests intermingle, but also confronts him with the fall-out from the Chechen wars, the abiding strength of Soviet propaganda and the abusive legacy of his own father, a Soviet general in WW2.
Themes: politics, the jungle that is New Russia, police and army corruption, heroes, propaganda past and present, "my country, right or wrong", the Chechen wars, doctors, homeless and abused children, chess and a healthy portion of LITERALLY digging up the past.
When I was in college, I got "Polar Star" (Arkady Renko #2) out of the library during final exam week one year for some light entertainment between bouts of cramming. BIG MISTAKE. I was so gripped by the story, I forgot to study for a few days. I'm amazed I didn't fail something.
From that point on, I've been a Martin Cruz Smith /Arcady Renko fan.
It's been a while since we've caught up with each other however, and I didn't recall how atmospherically Cruz writes. The snow and ice in Stalin's Ghost is tangible, just as the ice in the hearts of the protagonists. Cruz paints a detailed, subtle, bleak and yet caring, picture of how Russia is today vs its (imagined?) glorious past: a huge, multi-ethnic former empire attempting to claw its way out of 3rd world depression with methods learned and honed in far more outwardly barbaric times, all the while dressing itself in what it thinks is the sparkling image of a 1st world big player.
If you have a weak stomach, this Renko might not be for you. There's a lot of digging up of mass graves. There's also a lot of painful human cruelty in the form of how (some) Russian fathers abuse and exploit their very young sons for personal gain. Renko himself is a victim. Those passages are hard to read at times as Cruz doesn't shy away from reality, but none of it is gratuitous. It all fits into the wider scope of the novel's themes.
A thriller with literary leanings, with an intelligent plot and a fantastic weaving together of Russian/Soviet culture and history. This one gets 5 stars.
Themes: politics, the jungle that is New Russia, police and army corruption, heroes, propaganda past and present, "my country, right or wrong", the Chechen wars, doctors, homeless and abused children, chess and a healthy portion of LITERALLY digging up the past.
When I was in college, I got "Polar Star" (Arkady Renko #2) out of the library during final exam week one year for some light entertainment between bouts of cramming. BIG MISTAKE. I was so gripped by the story, I forgot to study for a few days. I'm amazed I didn't fail something.
From that point on, I've been a Martin Cruz Smith /Arcady Renko fan.
It's been a while since we've caught up with each other however, and I didn't recall how atmospherically Cruz writes. The snow and ice in Stalin's Ghost is tangible, just as the ice in the hearts of the protagonists. Cruz paints a detailed, subtle, bleak and yet caring, picture of how Russia is today vs its (imagined?) glorious past: a huge, multi-ethnic former empire attempting to claw its way out of 3rd world depression with methods learned and honed in far more outwardly barbaric times, all the while dressing itself in what it thinks is the sparkling image of a 1st world big player.
If you have a weak stomach, this Renko might not be for you. There's a lot of digging up of mass graves. There's also a lot of painful human cruelty in the form of how (some) Russian fathers abuse and exploit their very young sons for personal gain. Renko himself is a victim. Those passages are hard to read at times as Cruz doesn't shy away from reality, but none of it is gratuitous. It all fits into the wider scope of the novel's themes.
A thriller with literary leanings, with an intelligent plot and a fantastic weaving together of Russian/Soviet culture and history. This one gets 5 stars.
November 17, 2018
‘They took the dragon.’
The slurred words of a drunken woman, handcuffed to the bed, her dead husband in the cluttered kitchen, the wife the apparent perpetrator…
The violent incident occurs only blocks from Moscow’s Chistye Prudy Metro station, where witnesses claim to have seen the ghost of Stalin on the platform from the late night train. Inspector Arkady Renko is called to the station by Prosecutor Zurin who hands him the witness statements, which range from drunken soldiers who saw nothing, to two pensioners, a female student and film maker all who testify to the image of Stalin. The statements were signed off by Detectives Isakov and Urman, recent recruits to the militia from OMON, the much-feared Black Berets. Arkady follows the detectives to the domestic violence incident, and immediately has concerns at their take on events.
These are just two of the themes in the sixth Arkady Renko novel, to keep a reader on their toes. A woman who owns a matrimonial agency approaches the police to ‘take out” her violent husband. Arkady is in an on-again-off-again relationship with Eva Kazka, a doctor he met at Chernobyl. But Eva knew Isakov from Chechnya, and Isakov has political ambitions. Then there’s Zhenye, the twelve year old runaway chess wizard whom Arkady has taken under his wing, and who has gone missing again.
Arkady had mixed feeling about Stalin, the strongman who killed so many Russian citizens, knowing that his own father, a General, knew Stalin well. In trying to find Zhenye he visits aging chess master Platonov, who is fighting to keep his chess school open from developers wanting to raze the building for a new shopping centre. And through Platonov he gains access to the old guard.
Arkady hadn’t seen such a concentration of Homo Sovieticus for years. Supposedly extinct, here they were unchanged with their bad suits, dull eyes, self-important frowns. These were the bellies that had never missed a meal. He saw none of the elderly that picketed Red Square in the bitter cold for their miserable pensions…
When the bodies of the husband and wife from the domestic incident both turn up in the morgue Arkady suspects homicide, and tries to establish what happened in Chechnya where Isakov and Urman were stationed with the Black Berets. He enlists the help of journalist Ginsberg.
Ginsberg stepped back to take in Arkady whole. ‘A seeker of truth? I was afraid of that. You’ll want a unicorn next. There is no truth. No two people agree on anything: there are only versions. I am a prime example. I can’t even agree with myself…’
With his doggedness, it is only time before Arkady himself becomes a target, first from an attempted garrotte, and then a bullet to his head. In convalescing, he takes a posting to the city of Tver, two hundred kilometres to the north-west of Moscow towards St. Petersburg, Isakov’s birthplace and the scene of a wartime atrocity.
‘Stay away from the Metro, don’t drive, don’t drink, don’t swim, don’t run, don’t play football, don’t get strangled, don’t get hit on the head. Perhaps you should consider a different line of work. For someone in your condition I can hardly think of a worse one…’
‘I will recuperate if no one else shoots me.’
Hats off to Martin Cruz Smith for keeping so many balls in the air. The reader has much to absorb from visual clues to snatches of dialogue, with the usual dark wit. I found myself flipping back through the pages to check. The violent past of his father’s generation to the recent violence of the present, all grimly delivered up as Arkady sheds light on a cover-up. Recommended for readers of noir crime.
The slurred words of a drunken woman, handcuffed to the bed, her dead husband in the cluttered kitchen, the wife the apparent perpetrator…
The violent incident occurs only blocks from Moscow’s Chistye Prudy Metro station, where witnesses claim to have seen the ghost of Stalin on the platform from the late night train. Inspector Arkady Renko is called to the station by Prosecutor Zurin who hands him the witness statements, which range from drunken soldiers who saw nothing, to two pensioners, a female student and film maker all who testify to the image of Stalin. The statements were signed off by Detectives Isakov and Urman, recent recruits to the militia from OMON, the much-feared Black Berets. Arkady follows the detectives to the domestic violence incident, and immediately has concerns at their take on events.
These are just two of the themes in the sixth Arkady Renko novel, to keep a reader on their toes. A woman who owns a matrimonial agency approaches the police to ‘take out” her violent husband. Arkady is in an on-again-off-again relationship with Eva Kazka, a doctor he met at Chernobyl. But Eva knew Isakov from Chechnya, and Isakov has political ambitions. Then there’s Zhenye, the twelve year old runaway chess wizard whom Arkady has taken under his wing, and who has gone missing again.
Arkady had mixed feeling about Stalin, the strongman who killed so many Russian citizens, knowing that his own father, a General, knew Stalin well. In trying to find Zhenye he visits aging chess master Platonov, who is fighting to keep his chess school open from developers wanting to raze the building for a new shopping centre. And through Platonov he gains access to the old guard.
Arkady hadn’t seen such a concentration of Homo Sovieticus for years. Supposedly extinct, here they were unchanged with their bad suits, dull eyes, self-important frowns. These were the bellies that had never missed a meal. He saw none of the elderly that picketed Red Square in the bitter cold for their miserable pensions…
When the bodies of the husband and wife from the domestic incident both turn up in the morgue Arkady suspects homicide, and tries to establish what happened in Chechnya where Isakov and Urman were stationed with the Black Berets. He enlists the help of journalist Ginsberg.
Ginsberg stepped back to take in Arkady whole. ‘A seeker of truth? I was afraid of that. You’ll want a unicorn next. There is no truth. No two people agree on anything: there are only versions. I am a prime example. I can’t even agree with myself…’
With his doggedness, it is only time before Arkady himself becomes a target, first from an attempted garrotte, and then a bullet to his head. In convalescing, he takes a posting to the city of Tver, two hundred kilometres to the north-west of Moscow towards St. Petersburg, Isakov’s birthplace and the scene of a wartime atrocity.
‘Stay away from the Metro, don’t drive, don’t drink, don’t swim, don’t run, don’t play football, don’t get strangled, don’t get hit on the head. Perhaps you should consider a different line of work. For someone in your condition I can hardly think of a worse one…’
‘I will recuperate if no one else shoots me.’
Hats off to Martin Cruz Smith for keeping so many balls in the air. The reader has much to absorb from visual clues to snatches of dialogue, with the usual dark wit. I found myself flipping back through the pages to check. The violent past of his father’s generation to the recent violence of the present, all grimly delivered up as Arkady sheds light on a cover-up. Recommended for readers of noir crime.
April 23, 2020
3 Stars. It's a Renko kind of case. He's an investigator with the Moscow prosecutor's office, but nothing seems to go well for him. He exasperates his boss, indeed the ways Arkady Renko successfully concludes his various cases can drive Prosecutor Zurin to apoplexy! His next one? Joseph Stalin has been sighted in the subway, some sixty-odd years after the dictator's death. With reluctance, Arkady is off to Chistye Prudy station on the after-midnight train where he finds that there's something unexplained happening. Is the hero worship of Stalin, based on his successful defence of mother Russia in WW2, coming back? At the same time Renko's most recent girl friend, Eva, has left him for Nikolai Isakov, also a detective, but a hero from the civil war in Chechnya too. Isakov is running for office as a right-wing nationalist by wrapping himself in this new found fervour for Stalin and the armed forces. We know the type. Renko suspects Isakov is a fake. And a murderer. We follow the two to the fields outside Tver where the bodies are buried. Enjoyable, but next time I'm in Russia, I should visit Gorky Park first. (March 2020)
July 17, 2023
One of the best of this series. So much action, so much duplicity, so many layers to the settings and history. Honestly, though, it's miraculous Arkady Renko survived in this book.
Highly, highly recommended
Highly, highly recommended
October 27, 2010
When I was looking at the books Smith has written, I was surprised to see that I've actually read all of the Renko novels. I've liked all of the books, but have not been wild about them (well, except for Gorky Park, which I would rate 5 stars). For some reason, I just don't like the way Smith closes his novels, it always seems rushed, and Stalin's Ghost is no different. And yet, I think Renko is one of the remarkable characters I've run across in all of fiction. What a dilemma! 5 stars for the character, 3 stars for the story. Whatever, I live for his lines -- they drip Russian irony like a specially bitter wine. But with that irony, there are the deeper shadows of sadness, a sadness that encompasses Renko's own story (his father was one Stalin's chief killers, his mother a suicide), as well as that of his country. This particular chapter has Renko back in Moscow, going after some bad cops (and former Black Berets). One of them, a rival for his love interest, is running for political office. While this is going on, there are reports of Stalin appearing in the subway. There's also a sea serpent, a harpist with an attitude, a child chess prodigy and street urchin, global warming's impact on the "traditional" Russian weather (might be the most unsettling thing about this novel), and bodies (lots of them) buried in the woods. Ultimately, this is a book about history and memory. Renko, as in all the other novels, is a truth seeker. In the New Russia, that's suicidal, which is why you keep worrying for this wonderful, but haunted character. 3 1/2 stars, rounded Up.
June 23, 2016
Ενώ απο την μια έχουμε μια ρεαλιστική και επίκαιρη ματιά στην σύγχρονη Ρωσία(αλκοολισμός,εγληματικοτητα.πολιτικη διαφθορά,νεοπλουτισμος,φτώχεια,νεοναζί και χούλιγκαν)απο την άλλη η πλοκή παρουσιάζει πολλα προβλήματα συνοχής σε σημείο ασυναρτησίας, που κανει το βιβλιο κουραστικό και αδιαφορο. Οσο για τον ρεβιζιονιστή αντεπαναστατη συγγραφέα ,ενα εχω να πω:
Ζήτω ο Λένιν, ζήτω ο Στάλιν
Ζήτω ο κόκκινος στρατός
Ζήτω το σφυρί δρεπάνι
Ζήτω κι ο κομμουνισμός
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ζήτω ο Λένιν, ζήτω ο Στάλιν
Ζήτω ο κόκκινος στρατός
Ζήτω το σφυρί δρεπάνι
Ζήτω κι ο κομμουνισμός
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 26, 2024
Holy Bouncing Betties Batman, the resolution pops up. One would think that with all the close calls Arkady encounters that he would carry his pistol but like some capeless crusader he soldiers on with reminiscing about his abusive upbringing. In addition there are weak storyline devices (fillers in absence of plot development) of dreams while he is unconscious that are not revealed to be dreams until after the sequence.
The first two thirds of the book rated two stars as it plodded along, with little more than figuring how there could be so many witnesses to seeing Stalin's Ghost, which was explained nicely later on.
Then once the setting moved to Tver (a community outside of Moscow) the plot sprang to life for a four star rating for the last third of the book and three stars overall.
The map of Moscow subway/Metro stations in the cyrillic alphabet at the beginning of the book was gratutitous as I painfully utilized my university Russian to translate only to find it was no use.
The first two thirds of the book rated two stars as it plodded along, with little more than figuring how there could be so many witnesses to seeing Stalin's Ghost, which was explained nicely later on.
Then once the setting moved to Tver (a community outside of Moscow) the plot sprang to life for a four star rating for the last third of the book and three stars overall.
The map of Moscow subway/Metro stations in the cyrillic alphabet at the beginning of the book was gratutitous as I painfully utilized my university Russian to translate only to find it was no use.
June 27, 2025
The Arkady Renko series from Martin Cruz Smith has to be the most chronologically dispersed series I have ever seen. It began with Gorky Park in 1981 and has continued up to 2010 with Three Stations, and in those 30 intervening years there have been only seven novels total. But true to the old adage, “good things come to those that wait,” fans of Martin Cruz Smith and Arkady Renko have been well rewarded over the years. These things are good. To be more precise, the one installment I’ve read is good, but that bodes well for the rest of them, especially considering I came in on the tail end of the series.
The novel is Stalin’s Ghost, and it’s the sixth Arkady Renko book. Renko is an investigator with the Moscow prosecutor’s office, an honest and principled man in what is arguably one of the most corrupt police forces in the civilized world. He’s soft spoken and reserved, hardly ever even carrying his service revolver—strange for a man who happens to be the son of one of Stalin’s top generals in World War II. And because Renko isn’t completely bent like the rest of his colleagues, he’s repeatedly finding himself on the prosecutor’s shit list. That’s why, when there are murder investigations, organized crime trials, and enormous drug busts to be taken care of, Renko is assigned to investigate the recent sightings of Stalin’s Ghost on the Moscow Metro. Everyone at the prosecutor’s office is certain that it’s a hoax, but in an election year even hoaxes can have an effect on the political opinion. The prosecutor wants the perpetrators found and dealt with, lest it appear that he cannot control even the Metro stations in his district. As it turns out, the ghost on the metro has even more to do with politics than they could have dreamed.
Renko witnesses one of the “sightings” himself, which pretty much amounts to someone on the train (it’s the last train through at 2 a.m.) standing up and shouting “I see Stalin!” and a bunch of old, blind pensioners falling all over themselves to agree. Renko smells a rat, and that smell elevates to an overpowering stench when he gets off the train to see an “impromptu” shrine has been erected to Stalin with a pair of flaxen haired children reciting a speech and thanking the “benevolent leader” while a video camera rolls and a pair American political advisors look on. He stops the proceedings, confiscates the video tape, and in the process manages to piss off some very powerful people. As the investigation continues, it is revealed that the Stalin hoaxes are being used to foster a spirit of nostalgia for Russian patriotism (and what better patriot than Stalin, the man who killed millions of his own people?) in order to drum up support for a new political party. The lead candidate for this party? An ex-Black Beret and war hero from the most recent conflict in Chechnya. Oh yeah, and did I mention that the same Black Beret stole Renko’s girlfriend, a Ukrainian nurse who did charity work in Chechnya? Yeah, there’s that too. So when the detective begins to investigate said war hero (now working for the prosecutor’s office as well) for a spate of “accidental” deaths of members in his old unit, even Renko has to admit that it’s more the jilted lover in him than pious crusader that motivates him to action. As he digs deeper, a story begins to emerge about what really happened in Chechnya, a story of corruption and greed and murder.
There are some other facets to the story, such as a street urchin chess savant, an old chess master, and a lot of reveries about Stalin and the struggle against the Germans in World War II, but those are the basics. Using all of these elements, Martin Cruz Smith crafts a suspenseful, engrossing story like only writers at the top of their game can do. The characters for the most part are realistic, deep personas; the plot is appropriately paced and riveting. The book is also peppered with aspects of Russian history and culture that I found especially enjoyable, lending an aura of Russian grit and authenticity to the book I don’t think it would have had otherwise. But one of the more astounding aspects of the book (to me, at least) is the language Smith employs in his writing. For lack of a better word, it sounds extremely foreign. By that I mean it sounds as if it was written in another language (in this instance Russian) and then translated back into English. Many times a work will lose much of its linguistic nuances upon being translated into another language and as a result sounds a bit more stilted in comparison. In the case of Stalin’s Ghost, the language isn’t stilted, but it is somehow rigid in how it comes together, devoid of slang terms or colloquialisms and extremely precise in its diction. It simply doesn’t sound as if an American wrote it. I read this book as an audiobook, so perhaps some credit is due the narrator in this regard, though certainly not all. I know that’s a really obscure point, but I’m an English nerd, and that’s the kind of thing that makes me salivate.
Another thing that makes me howl for joy about this book is the point of view (POV). Yeah, I know I’ve been grinding my axe about POV recently, but I don’t care. This deserves to be said. For all you aspiring writers out there (and even some already published writers), listen up.
This right here? Stalin’s Ghost? This is how you do a third person limited POV.
Third person limited means of course that the narrator is telling the story from “outside” of the characters but is privy only to the thoughts and feelings of the main character (and sometimes not even that). There are no internal monologues from extraneous characters, no delving into the psyche of anyone else, no breaking up the narrative in order to see what someone else is doing. The narrative style Martin Cruz Smith uses is precise, measured, and artful. It allows the reader to become much more intimate with the main character, to identify with and understand him more fully rather than shooting off on other narrative tangents that are removed from the main thrust of the book. I particularly liked the way Smith handled the narration during Renko’s time in the hospital (he gets shot in the head and is in a coma for a while), which alternates between dream-like flashbacks and snippets of dialogue from the people standing in his hospital room. Since the main character’s eyes are closed and he can only hear what is being said (let alone understand the meaning or identify the people speaking), those sections are populated with only dialogue. No “he said” or “she said,” nothing. Just the dialogue. And as I thought about it, I was even more impressed because the style and syntax there managed to get across critical elements of the story and the emotion of the characters while still staying true to the POV. Maybe I get unduly excited about that kind of stuff, but I can’t help it. I’m an English nerd, remember?
As for negatives about the book, I’m going to have to scrape the bottom of the barrel on this one because there simply aren’t many. One thing that was a little irksome was the fact that Renko kept stumbling upon important plot elements accidentally—a murdered body here, an accident there. It wasn’t overly annoying, and some of that is to be expected from a mystery/thriller, so it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the book. Other than that, I really don’t have anything to complain about, which as you probably know is rare for me.
The graphic says four stars, but I'm thinking more like four and a half. Stalin’s Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith is an intriguing mystery, a stylistically superb book, and a gripping read. It may not happen in the next month or even the next year, but damn it, I am going read the other books in this series. I can’t help it--I’m hooked.
The novel is Stalin’s Ghost, and it’s the sixth Arkady Renko book. Renko is an investigator with the Moscow prosecutor’s office, an honest and principled man in what is arguably one of the most corrupt police forces in the civilized world. He’s soft spoken and reserved, hardly ever even carrying his service revolver—strange for a man who happens to be the son of one of Stalin’s top generals in World War II. And because Renko isn’t completely bent like the rest of his colleagues, he’s repeatedly finding himself on the prosecutor’s shit list. That’s why, when there are murder investigations, organized crime trials, and enormous drug busts to be taken care of, Renko is assigned to investigate the recent sightings of Stalin’s Ghost on the Moscow Metro. Everyone at the prosecutor’s office is certain that it’s a hoax, but in an election year even hoaxes can have an effect on the political opinion. The prosecutor wants the perpetrators found and dealt with, lest it appear that he cannot control even the Metro stations in his district. As it turns out, the ghost on the metro has even more to do with politics than they could have dreamed.
Renko witnesses one of the “sightings” himself, which pretty much amounts to someone on the train (it’s the last train through at 2 a.m.) standing up and shouting “I see Stalin!” and a bunch of old, blind pensioners falling all over themselves to agree. Renko smells a rat, and that smell elevates to an overpowering stench when he gets off the train to see an “impromptu” shrine has been erected to Stalin with a pair of flaxen haired children reciting a speech and thanking the “benevolent leader” while a video camera rolls and a pair American political advisors look on. He stops the proceedings, confiscates the video tape, and in the process manages to piss off some very powerful people. As the investigation continues, it is revealed that the Stalin hoaxes are being used to foster a spirit of nostalgia for Russian patriotism (and what better patriot than Stalin, the man who killed millions of his own people?) in order to drum up support for a new political party. The lead candidate for this party? An ex-Black Beret and war hero from the most recent conflict in Chechnya. Oh yeah, and did I mention that the same Black Beret stole Renko’s girlfriend, a Ukrainian nurse who did charity work in Chechnya? Yeah, there’s that too. So when the detective begins to investigate said war hero (now working for the prosecutor’s office as well) for a spate of “accidental” deaths of members in his old unit, even Renko has to admit that it’s more the jilted lover in him than pious crusader that motivates him to action. As he digs deeper, a story begins to emerge about what really happened in Chechnya, a story of corruption and greed and murder.
There are some other facets to the story, such as a street urchin chess savant, an old chess master, and a lot of reveries about Stalin and the struggle against the Germans in World War II, but those are the basics. Using all of these elements, Martin Cruz Smith crafts a suspenseful, engrossing story like only writers at the top of their game can do. The characters for the most part are realistic, deep personas; the plot is appropriately paced and riveting. The book is also peppered with aspects of Russian history and culture that I found especially enjoyable, lending an aura of Russian grit and authenticity to the book I don’t think it would have had otherwise. But one of the more astounding aspects of the book (to me, at least) is the language Smith employs in his writing. For lack of a better word, it sounds extremely foreign. By that I mean it sounds as if it was written in another language (in this instance Russian) and then translated back into English. Many times a work will lose much of its linguistic nuances upon being translated into another language and as a result sounds a bit more stilted in comparison. In the case of Stalin’s Ghost, the language isn’t stilted, but it is somehow rigid in how it comes together, devoid of slang terms or colloquialisms and extremely precise in its diction. It simply doesn’t sound as if an American wrote it. I read this book as an audiobook, so perhaps some credit is due the narrator in this regard, though certainly not all. I know that’s a really obscure point, but I’m an English nerd, and that’s the kind of thing that makes me salivate.
Another thing that makes me howl for joy about this book is the point of view (POV). Yeah, I know I’ve been grinding my axe about POV recently, but I don’t care. This deserves to be said. For all you aspiring writers out there (and even some already published writers), listen up.
This right here? Stalin’s Ghost? This is how you do a third person limited POV.
Third person limited means of course that the narrator is telling the story from “outside” of the characters but is privy only to the thoughts and feelings of the main character (and sometimes not even that). There are no internal monologues from extraneous characters, no delving into the psyche of anyone else, no breaking up the narrative in order to see what someone else is doing. The narrative style Martin Cruz Smith uses is precise, measured, and artful. It allows the reader to become much more intimate with the main character, to identify with and understand him more fully rather than shooting off on other narrative tangents that are removed from the main thrust of the book. I particularly liked the way Smith handled the narration during Renko’s time in the hospital (he gets shot in the head and is in a coma for a while), which alternates between dream-like flashbacks and snippets of dialogue from the people standing in his hospital room. Since the main character’s eyes are closed and he can only hear what is being said (let alone understand the meaning or identify the people speaking), those sections are populated with only dialogue. No “he said” or “she said,” nothing. Just the dialogue. And as I thought about it, I was even more impressed because the style and syntax there managed to get across critical elements of the story and the emotion of the characters while still staying true to the POV. Maybe I get unduly excited about that kind of stuff, but I can’t help it. I’m an English nerd, remember?
As for negatives about the book, I’m going to have to scrape the bottom of the barrel on this one because there simply aren’t many. One thing that was a little irksome was the fact that Renko kept stumbling upon important plot elements accidentally—a murdered body here, an accident there. It wasn’t overly annoying, and some of that is to be expected from a mystery/thriller, so it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the book. Other than that, I really don’t have anything to complain about, which as you probably know is rare for me.
The graphic says four stars, but I'm thinking more like four and a half. Stalin’s Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith is an intriguing mystery, a stylistically superb book, and a gripping read. It may not happen in the next month or even the next year, but damn it, I am going read the other books in this series. I can’t help it--I’m hooked.
April 29, 2025
Victor, Arkady's frequent cohort, answered the telephone on the desk of an absent detective. Zoya Filotova was willing to contract for the killing of her husband. Joseph Stalin has been seen on the platform at Chistye Prudy Metro station. That's just the first chapter. Pages later, Arkady Renko begins to see a connection between these two very different events. I did not, but I have learned to trust Arkady's instincts. Arkady, however, would be much safer if he did not persue those instincts.
This is a rough and tumble series. Only because there are more books to be read do we know that, in the end, Arkady will be alright. In the meantime, and right up until the end, this is touch and go for him and for us.
Without revealing spoilers, I can tell you there are a few scenes where Arkady recalls his childhood. This is not the first time he was reminded of one incident in particular. I flagged that page because I thought about how authors of series must keep a notebook. Some of the memories are more fully told in this than in previous installments, but an author must be consistent. He must know his characters thoroughly while at the same time putting them in different situations. I admire authors who are able to take me to places I couldn't ever have imagined going.
This is a series that should be read in order. It is true that all of the installments are stand alone novels and none of them ends with a cliff hanger. But the time of the novels is chronological and some of the side events in Renko's life follow from one novel to the other. The first novel started before the breakup of the Soviet Union and this installment takes place in about 2000. The setting of Polar Star is the result of what happened in Gorky Park and the setting of Havana Bay is the result of Red Square. This installment includes people close to Arkady in Wolves Eat Dogs and the relationships and some of the action in this are best understood for having read the former.
This is another 4-star read for me. It's not about writing style, though. It's all plot, plot, and more plot - plus the characterization of contemporary Russia and especially that of Arkady Renko.
This is a rough and tumble series. Only because there are more books to be read do we know that, in the end, Arkady will be alright. In the meantime, and right up until the end, this is touch and go for him and for us.
Without revealing spoilers, I can tell you there are a few scenes where Arkady recalls his childhood. This is not the first time he was reminded of one incident in particular. I flagged that page because I thought about how authors of series must keep a notebook. Some of the memories are more fully told in this than in previous installments, but an author must be consistent. He must know his characters thoroughly while at the same time putting them in different situations. I admire authors who are able to take me to places I couldn't ever have imagined going.
This is a series that should be read in order. It is true that all of the installments are stand alone novels and none of them ends with a cliff hanger. But the time of the novels is chronological and some of the side events in Renko's life follow from one novel to the other. The first novel started before the breakup of the Soviet Union and this installment takes place in about 2000. The setting of Polar Star is the result of what happened in Gorky Park and the setting of Havana Bay is the result of Red Square. This installment includes people close to Arkady in Wolves Eat Dogs and the relationships and some of the action in this are best understood for having read the former.
This is another 4-star read for me. It's not about writing style, though. It's all plot, plot, and more plot - plus the characterization of contemporary Russia and especially that of Arkady Renko.
December 8, 2009
"Renko can't do anything," Urman reassured Pacheco. "He's hiding from the prosecutor here and disowned by the prosecutor in Moscow. Besides, he's a dead man." (p. 267)
This pretty much sums up the entirety of what *I* would call the sixth and best book of the Renko series (Gorky Park) to date, and in my estimation, that's saying something. The theme of Stalin's Ghost is the unwelcome surprise our exhumation of the past can entail, a theme borne out casually throughout a book in which the game of chess can experience a revival, the remains of Kremlin victims can be exposed by a routine extension beneath the Kremlin Supreme Court, optimistic Diggers can excavate human remains at a mass, mined war grave, and the apparition of Stalin hangs over even the veterans of the Chechen campaigns.
This book is as droll as it is deep, fully engaging, and a completely fair mystery to boot ('fairness' meaning that all the information is presented for the resolution and delectation of the reader). Still, the what-happened-and-why are wholly secondary to the main message about the consequences of history. Stalin's Ghost can be read in the context of the rest of the series, but can as equally stand alone. The characters are rich, well-developed, and multi-layered and exist in the picaresque, yet so appropriate, obligatory snap-thaw setting.
Here's how I think author Cruz Smith intends to synopsize his book (at p. 262):
This pretty much sums up the entirety of what *I* would call the sixth and best book of the Renko series (Gorky Park) to date, and in my estimation, that's saying something. The theme of Stalin's Ghost is the unwelcome surprise our exhumation of the past can entail, a theme borne out casually throughout a book in which the game of chess can experience a revival, the remains of Kremlin victims can be exposed by a routine extension beneath the Kremlin Supreme Court, optimistic Diggers can excavate human remains at a mass, mined war grave, and the apparition of Stalin hangs over even the veterans of the Chechen campaigns.
This book is as droll as it is deep, fully engaging, and a completely fair mystery to boot ('fairness' meaning that all the information is presented for the resolution and delectation of the reader). Still, the what-happened-and-why are wholly secondary to the main message about the consequences of history. Stalin's Ghost can be read in the context of the rest of the series, but can as equally stand alone. The characters are rich, well-developed, and multi-layered and exist in the picaresque, yet so appropriate, obligatory snap-thaw setting.
Here's how I think author Cruz Smith intends to synopsize his book (at p. 262):
'There is a theory that in really deep lakes a body will sink only to a certain zone, at which point water pressure, temperature, weight and buoyancy balance out and the body hangs in the water.'
'There could be dozens of them down there just hanging around. The police could go in there with a submarine and solve all sorts of crimes. That is so amazing. What do you call that zone?'
'I don't know. It's just a theory,' Arkady said, although he did have a name for it: Memory.
October 21, 2009
Having read the Arkady Renko series, I have to say, that Stalin's Ghost was not my favorite. It wasn't bad, but for me not the best. Arkady is again back in Moscow, delving into a case that isn't his own, against the advice of his partner, love interest and boss. What happens is a trail that continually leads back to two detectives Isakov and Urman. Is Arkady interested because he wants justice or because his girlfriend is cheating on him with Isakov? This story cleverly interweaves WWII Russian history, which I thought was the best part of the story. The scenes in which Arkady remembers his father and his mother were particular highlights in a rather grim story. Unlike other story lines there wasn't any tension or suspense or great mental stretches to figure out the mystery. In fact the whole climax of the case is rather disappointing when we find the real reason for the cover up of a "military skirmish." The love affair that Arkady continues with Eva, is particularly annoying. It drags and never gives the reader a reason to root for the two of them to be together. At some points you just feel like shouting "Just dump her already" In fact I think his partner Victor says as much. In much the same manner his relationship with the street urchin Zhenya lacks a reason for the reader to be interested. This was the most depressing version of Renko, he comes back from the dead basically twice in an over the top way, not typical of Cruz Smith's writing. I would have much perferred the sleek, taut, edgy writing of past novels rather than the bloated type larger than life, unbelievable Renko experiences.
May 5, 2012
Moscow Inspector Arkady Renko, who made his first appearance more than twenty years ago in Gorky Park, has lived through all the political since the fall of communism. Sadly, Renko's current Russia is every bit as bleak as his old one. Understandably, Renko is not a happy man. In Stalin's Ghost, the sixth Renko novel, riders on Moscow's Metro are convinced that the ghost of Stalin, still a hero and savior in the eyes of many, has been making appearances in the station he once visited while alive. When Renko attempts to discover what's really happening, he steps, quite literally, into a minefield.
Stalin's Ghost is well worth reading, but, be warned, not if you're already feeling melancholy or hopeless. There's a doggedness about Renko that's admirable, even heroic, as against his better judgment, he can't stop pushing for justice, even when it nearly kills him. There's also a sense of hopefulness as the book draws toward its conclusion, and it may be that his life may be about to undergo a long overdue change for the better.
Stalin's Ghost is well worth reading, but, be warned, not if you're already feeling melancholy or hopeless. There's a doggedness about Renko that's admirable, even heroic, as against his better judgment, he can't stop pushing for justice, even when it nearly kills him. There's also a sense of hopefulness as the book draws toward its conclusion, and it may be that his life may be about to undergo a long overdue change for the better.
December 9, 2019
Once again, Smith drops us in the middle of a very imperfect modern day Russia to follow the exploits of a very imperfect investigator, Arkady Renko. Whether it’s about stories concocted to help a political campaign, detailed descriptions of expert chess matches, or the gory details of historical mass killings, this is a page turner that keeps the reader engaged and constantly trying to figure out how all of the moving parts come together.
November 1, 2018
another great installment about the Russian detective. Loved it!
Reread it and enjoyed it again I wasn’t sure if I’d read it but it wasn’t very long when I knew I’d read it but didn’t remember the details so I kept on reading
Reread it and enjoyed it again I wasn’t sure if I’d read it but it wasn’t very long when I knew I’d read it but didn’t remember the details so I kept on reading
July 26, 2013
Having never read any of the Renko books before and familiar with the character only from the movie Gorky Park, I have to say I’m impressed. Stalin’s Ghost is a terrific read (some plot contrivances aside), full of wry, dark humor as it offers a grim portrait of Russia.
December 19, 2019
Impressed, as always, by how Martin Cruz Smith draws you into the world of Arkady Renko. The mystery in this novel worked well for me. The book also gives the reader an understanding of forces driving Russian politics, taking Arkady outside of Moscow.
abandoned
October 18, 2025I am giving up at the end of Chapter 8. I can't endure another page.
October 20, 2020
I continue to love these brutal looks at Russia, though I'm beginning to wonder how Renko manages to attract quite so many women given the state of him.
July 24, 2025
Författaren är en amerikansk journalist med stora kunskaper om Sovjetsamhället.
Han slog igenom med "Gorkijparken" som oxå filmades. Hjälten, den hårdhudade och lakoniska kommisarie Arkady Renko, försöker navigera sig fram i Sovjetstaten och skipa någon sorts rättvisa.
Perfekt läsning en varm sommar.
Martin Cruz Smith hann med åtminstone 8 böcker med Arkady Renko.
Jag googlade på honom och såg att han dött nyligen i juli i år. 83 år gammal.
Han slog igenom med "Gorkijparken" som oxå filmades. Hjälten, den hårdhudade och lakoniska kommisarie Arkady Renko, försöker navigera sig fram i Sovjetstaten och skipa någon sorts rättvisa.
Perfekt läsning en varm sommar.
Martin Cruz Smith hann med åtminstone 8 böcker med Arkady Renko.
Jag googlade på honom och såg att han dött nyligen i juli i år. 83 år gammal.
October 5, 2015
Policemen carrying out paid hits, a chess grandmaster receiving threatening phone calls and a report of sightings of Stalin's ghost in the Moscow underground: within 50 pages Cruz Smith, writing his sixth outing for the Moscow detective, establishes a classic triangle of mysteries for Renko to solve, which you just know will put him in danger from all sides.
You also know that the plot will some how manage to involve his current lover (Eva) and that all the events will turn out to be connected too, in a way that illuminates some unsavory aspect of modern Russia. In this instance, the Chechnyan crisis.
Renko is back in Moscow, but Eva has come with him from Chernobyl and the previous outing, Wolves Eat Dogs. Her ex-boyfriend, a former member of the KBG who fought against the Chechnyans, is running for political office on a populist ticket, with assistance from a couple of PR savvy americans. He is considered a war hero, but something about his story doesn't add up.
The plot also involves room for more of Renko's past, room for his adopted chess prodigy son, Zhenya, to become involved and have his back story resolved, as well as plenty of examples of the conflicts inherent as the old regime comes to grips with a capitalist future.
The aging police inspector takes a little bit more of a beating in this one than seemed entirely fair, whilst the denouement was a little weak, but Renko is such a good character - always getting more involved than he should, always cynical and sardonic in appraising the new Russia he finds himself in - that if this would have been one of the first episodes I had read I would have most likely given it an extra star, but diminishing returns and all that.
I will certainly read the next one too.
You also know that the plot will some how manage to involve his current lover (Eva) and that all the events will turn out to be connected too, in a way that illuminates some unsavory aspect of modern Russia. In this instance, the Chechnyan crisis.
Renko is back in Moscow, but Eva has come with him from Chernobyl and the previous outing, Wolves Eat Dogs. Her ex-boyfriend, a former member of the KBG who fought against the Chechnyans, is running for political office on a populist ticket, with assistance from a couple of PR savvy americans. He is considered a war hero, but something about his story doesn't add up.
The plot also involves room for more of Renko's past, room for his adopted chess prodigy son, Zhenya, to become involved and have his back story resolved, as well as plenty of examples of the conflicts inherent as the old regime comes to grips with a capitalist future.
The aging police inspector takes a little bit more of a beating in this one than seemed entirely fair, whilst the denouement was a little weak, but Renko is such a good character - always getting more involved than he should, always cynical and sardonic in appraising the new Russia he finds himself in - that if this would have been one of the first episodes I had read I would have most likely given it an extra star, but diminishing returns and all that.
I will certainly read the next one too.
March 9, 2015
In Arkady Renko, Martin Cruz Smith has created a character with genuine depth and an adorable sense of deadpan humour. Thereafter, the author's researches enable him to place Renko in a very plausibly realistic environment, peopled by other vividly drawn characters - the chess prodigy Zhenya, the alcoholic detective Victor Orlov and, in this book, a wonderfully bumbling chess grand master.
Stalin's Ghost portrays a Russia hankering for the return of some features of the bad old days. There is political manoeuvring as well as physical mayhem. Renko's survival may be acceptable within the conventions of the genre but Cruz Smith's normally meticulous research does seem to have let him down in respect to the amount of content on 78 rpm gramophone records. That and the overlong flashbacks to the wartime history of Renko's father deny the book a fifth star but this is still very enjoyable.
Stalin's Ghost portrays a Russia hankering for the return of some features of the bad old days. There is political manoeuvring as well as physical mayhem. Renko's survival may be acceptable within the conventions of the genre but Cruz Smith's normally meticulous research does seem to have let him down in respect to the amount of content on 78 rpm gramophone records. That and the overlong flashbacks to the wartime history of Renko's father deny the book a fifth star but this is still very enjoyable.
September 22, 2016
Stalin's Ghost picks up where 'Wolves Eat Dogs' left off: Renko is back in Moscow, he's brought his girlfriend from Chernobyl, and he's still chasing Zhenya, the chess-prodigy street kid he met in the last book.
The title stems from sightings of Stalin in the Moscow Subway. Obviously somebody's fantasy and in no way criminal, Renko is assigned to investigate. He always gets the shittiest job. (Chernobyl, in the previous book.)
Renko finds something else going on, dirty Russian politics (ha! is there any other kind?) and possible Chechen war crimes. As usual, the people in power have something to lose, so they opt to lose Renko instead.
Here's where Smith's superb writing gets downgraded from five to four stars: Renko, who never carries a gun, manages to out-luck four or five attempts on his life by determined thugs. Finally, the story seemed almost a farce. Dirk Pitt should do as well.
The title stems from sightings of Stalin in the Moscow Subway. Obviously somebody's fantasy and in no way criminal, Renko is assigned to investigate. He always gets the shittiest job. (Chernobyl, in the previous book.)
Renko finds something else going on, dirty Russian politics (ha! is there any other kind?) and possible Chechen war crimes. As usual, the people in power have something to lose, so they opt to lose Renko instead.
Here's where Smith's superb writing gets downgraded from five to four stars: Renko, who never carries a gun, manages to out-luck four or five attempts on his life by determined thugs. Finally, the story seemed almost a farce. Dirk Pitt should do as well.
April 1, 2019
I did not know where this book was going, from Stalin’s ghost in a subway to a heroic battle in Chechnya to murderous cops for hire to a speed chess competition to mass graves of WWW II, but I enjoyed being guided through it by Mr. Smith and he does wrap up all the loose ends for a satisfying end. Not a fast paced action packed read (although Mr. Smith does make a chess tournament exciting - very well done), but steady and satisfying. His portrait of a corrupt Russia is apt for our Trump era.
Excellent narration by Henry Strozier
Excellent narration by Henry Strozier
February 4, 2020
Detective Arkady Renko really does get himself into some awful scrapes, but somehow always comes out the other side, and even if you know this will be the inevitable outcome the journey is always worthwhile. And 'Stalin's Ghost' is no exception as the story has pace and an utterly convincing background, with Chernobyl and Chechnya settings adding veracity to an interesting contemporary plot.
November 2, 2020
I like the Arkady Renko character. The story was all over the place. The thing I liked least was that I really like Renko and think of him as a good guy, but he lives and operates in a completely corrupt system. Since he doesn’t fit, he’s hated by those around him, which makes life more complicated.
August 18, 2025
Ahh Arkady my dear old friend. The Russian Detective that I have come to love so much. There are so few books left in the series that I have yet to read that it pains me to pick up another. I only wish that there were twenty more to read, instead of just four more to go; two of which I have read already.
All I really have to say is that this was yet another excellent book in the series!
All I really have to say is that this was yet another excellent book in the series!
March 31, 2019
Very fond of this series. Primarily because of the protagonist the melancholic and tenacious Arkady Renko. Henry Strozier does a very fine job with the audio.
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