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Arkady Renko #9
The Siberian Dilemma
From the award-winning, bestselling author of Gorky Park and Tatiana comes a breathtaking new novel about investigator Arkady Renko—“one of the most compelling figures in modern fiction” ( USA TODAY )—who travels deep into Siberia to find missing journalist Tatiana Petrovna.
Journalist Tatiana Petrovna is on the move. Arkady Renko, iconic Moscow investigator and Tatiana’s part-time lover, hasn’t seen her since she left on assignment over a month ago. When she doesn’t arrive on her scheduled train, he’s positive something is wrong. No one else thinks Renko should be worried—Tatiana is known to disappear during deep assignments—but he knows her enemies all too well and the criminal lengths they’ll go to keep her quiet.
Renko embarks on a dangerous journey to find Tatiana and bring her back. From the banks of Lake Baikal to rundown Chita, Renko slowly learns that Tatiana has been profiling the rise of political dissident Mikhail Kuznetsov, a golden boy of modern oil wealth and the first to pose a true threat to Putin’s rule in over a decade. Though Kuznetsov seems like the perfect candidate to take on the corruption in Russian politics, his reputation becomes clouded when Boris Benz, his business partner and best friend, turns up dead. In a land of shamans and brutally cold nights, oligarchs wealthy on northern oil, and sea monsters that are said to prowl the deepest lake in the world, Renko needs all his wits about him to get Tatiana out alive.
The Washington Post has said “Martin Cruz Smith is that rare phenomenon: a popular and well-regarded crime novelist who is also a writer of real distinction.” In the latest continuation of his unforgettable series, he brings us to the inside world of shadowy political figures and big wig oil oligarchs providing us with an authentic view of contemporary Russia, infused with his trademark wit.
Journalist Tatiana Petrovna is on the move. Arkady Renko, iconic Moscow investigator and Tatiana’s part-time lover, hasn’t seen her since she left on assignment over a month ago. When she doesn’t arrive on her scheduled train, he’s positive something is wrong. No one else thinks Renko should be worried—Tatiana is known to disappear during deep assignments—but he knows her enemies all too well and the criminal lengths they’ll go to keep her quiet.
Renko embarks on a dangerous journey to find Tatiana and bring her back. From the banks of Lake Baikal to rundown Chita, Renko slowly learns that Tatiana has been profiling the rise of political dissident Mikhail Kuznetsov, a golden boy of modern oil wealth and the first to pose a true threat to Putin’s rule in over a decade. Though Kuznetsov seems like the perfect candidate to take on the corruption in Russian politics, his reputation becomes clouded when Boris Benz, his business partner and best friend, turns up dead. In a land of shamans and brutally cold nights, oligarchs wealthy on northern oil, and sea monsters that are said to prowl the deepest lake in the world, Renko needs all his wits about him to get Tatiana out alive.
The Washington Post has said “Martin Cruz Smith is that rare phenomenon: a popular and well-regarded crime novelist who is also a writer of real distinction.” In the latest continuation of his unforgettable series, he brings us to the inside world of shadowy political figures and big wig oil oligarchs providing us with an authentic view of contemporary Russia, infused with his trademark wit.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2019
1090 people are currently reading
2924 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 504 reviews
November 28, 2019
Jaded Moscow investigator Arkady Renko returns in The Siberian Dilemma, many years after he made his debut in the famed Gorky Park. Having read, and loved, other books in this series I was more than happy when this latest offering arrived on my doorstep.
In this book Arkady's lover Tatiana, an investigative journalist, has failed to return from an assignment in Siberia when she said she would. She's not answering her phone, and even her boss is unsure where she is, saying she often goes over time on her assignments and she'll turn up when she's ready. Arkady is worried though, she was investigating oligarch's who were having a power play on the oil fields, and when an opportunity to travel to Irkutsk to prosecute a criminal comes up he jumps at the chance to head east.
Finding Tatiana in the far flung reaches of Siberia will not be easy however, and Arkady soon finds himself with a rag-tag crew of helpers and it's not long before he's out in the taiga in the middle of winter facing down a bear...
If you're after cheap thrills and twisty stories this series is not for you, it's a slow burn, things creep up on you when you don't expect them. That doesn't mean they're not worth reading, they suck you in and you find yourself up until the small hours turning the pages. Arkady is a wonderful, flawed character, a true survivor, and while he may seem apathetic this is far from the case. I relished the chance to catch up with this old friend.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
My thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
In this book Arkady's lover Tatiana, an investigative journalist, has failed to return from an assignment in Siberia when she said she would. She's not answering her phone, and even her boss is unsure where she is, saying she often goes over time on her assignments and she'll turn up when she's ready. Arkady is worried though, she was investigating oligarch's who were having a power play on the oil fields, and when an opportunity to travel to Irkutsk to prosecute a criminal comes up he jumps at the chance to head east.
Finding Tatiana in the far flung reaches of Siberia will not be easy however, and Arkady soon finds himself with a rag-tag crew of helpers and it's not long before he's out in the taiga in the middle of winter facing down a bear...
If you're after cheap thrills and twisty stories this series is not for you, it's a slow burn, things creep up on you when you don't expect them. That doesn't mean they're not worth reading, they suck you in and you find yourself up until the small hours turning the pages. Arkady is a wonderful, flawed character, a true survivor, and while he may seem apathetic this is far from the case. I relished the chance to catch up with this old friend.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
My thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
October 24, 2019
What a joy to see the return of the iconic Arkady Renko in his 9th outing by Martin Cruz Smith set in the terror and tyranny of Putin's Russia, symbolised by the bear, a brutal corrupt kleptocracy of oligarchs, dirty politics, torture and murder, where any threats to the regime are dealt with a cold ruthlessness. Renko goes to meet his sometime lover, the Russia Now journalist, Tatiana Petrovna, at the railway station, but she does not turn up. She has been on a assignment in Siberia, and he is worried, she has received many vile death threats. His boss, prosecutor Zurin, not Renko's greatest fan, sends him to Siberia for a terrorist, Aba Makhmud, who tried to shoot Zurin dead. On the journey there, Renko connects with the entrepreneurial Rinchin Bolot, a resourceful and knowledgeable man who becomes an invaluable help and his factotum.
Despite Makhmud's confession, Renko decides to dig deeper into his crime helped by his intrepid partner, Victor, in Moscow, and when evidence emerges that Makhmud is innocent, Renko is not going to let this injustice stand. Around every corner, Renko keeps bumping into Boris Benz, a man with a chequered past, an oligarch with big oil and gas interests in Siberia. Tatiana is working closely with, and believes in Mikhail Kuznetsov, oligarch and political dissident, intent on challenging Putin's tight grip on power. Siberia is an unforgiving territory with its brutally freezing temperatures as Renko finds himself in Irkutsk, reconnecting with Tatiana and meeting Kuznetsov. He goes to the historical prison city of Chita, the impoverished murder capital of Russia, and Lake Baikal, invited on a bear hunt, only to find himself encountering murders, in desperate straits, stalked by danger in a Siberia of sea monsters, where the planes of existence overlap, an ancient land of shamanic practices.
Cruz Smith's latest Renko addition just drips with atmosphere, with rich descriptions of the desolate freezing dangers of a Siberia and Russia where intrigue and murder are commonplace, where justice requires merely the extraction of a confession, and legal representation is a joke. Siberia is a rich location for gas and oil exploitation, going hand in hand with environmental degradation, and lack of human rights. Renko finds himself caught up in the political machinations of Moscow and his boss, Zurin, that he is going to need all his wits to survive, whilst doing his utmost to protect Tatiana. This literary crime series is one of my favourites, with an indomitable central protagonist in Arkady Renko, an unforgettable creation that I am delighted to renew my acquaintance with. This is a fantastic storytelling with all its echoes of contemporary Russia unwilling to countenance protests and political challenges. One of the highlights is the introduction of Rinchin Bolot, a character I hope returns in the future. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for an ARC.
Despite Makhmud's confession, Renko decides to dig deeper into his crime helped by his intrepid partner, Victor, in Moscow, and when evidence emerges that Makhmud is innocent, Renko is not going to let this injustice stand. Around every corner, Renko keeps bumping into Boris Benz, a man with a chequered past, an oligarch with big oil and gas interests in Siberia. Tatiana is working closely with, and believes in Mikhail Kuznetsov, oligarch and political dissident, intent on challenging Putin's tight grip on power. Siberia is an unforgiving territory with its brutally freezing temperatures as Renko finds himself in Irkutsk, reconnecting with Tatiana and meeting Kuznetsov. He goes to the historical prison city of Chita, the impoverished murder capital of Russia, and Lake Baikal, invited on a bear hunt, only to find himself encountering murders, in desperate straits, stalked by danger in a Siberia of sea monsters, where the planes of existence overlap, an ancient land of shamanic practices.
Cruz Smith's latest Renko addition just drips with atmosphere, with rich descriptions of the desolate freezing dangers of a Siberia and Russia where intrigue and murder are commonplace, where justice requires merely the extraction of a confession, and legal representation is a joke. Siberia is a rich location for gas and oil exploitation, going hand in hand with environmental degradation, and lack of human rights. Renko finds himself caught up in the political machinations of Moscow and his boss, Zurin, that he is going to need all his wits to survive, whilst doing his utmost to protect Tatiana. This literary crime series is one of my favourites, with an indomitable central protagonist in Arkady Renko, an unforgettable creation that I am delighted to renew my acquaintance with. This is a fantastic storytelling with all its echoes of contemporary Russia unwilling to countenance protests and political challenges. One of the highlights is the introduction of Rinchin Bolot, a character I hope returns in the future. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for an ARC.
November 11, 2019
4 stars for another enjoyable read by Martin Cruz Smith. This is #9 in the Arkady Renko series and it can be read as a stand alone, but would probably work better if you have read the previous books in the series. Arkady is a police investigator for the Moscow Police. His supervisor is Prosecutor Zurin, who is a cunning, ruthless man willing to break the rules if it helps his career. Arkady, on the other hand, is a honest man who struggles to do the right thing in Putin's corrupt Russia.
Arkady is concerned about his lover Tatiana's disappearance to someplace in Siberia. He goes to her newspaper supervisor Obolensky and asks where she is. Obolensky doesn't know where she is. She told him that she was working on a story and did not tell him any more. She has done this before. Obolensky says that she disappears for a few weeks and comes back with a story--usually about corruption.
Then Prosecutor Zurin sends Arkady to Irkutsk, Siberia, to transport a prisoner to a transit prison, interrogate and prosecute him with a resulting good long sentence. Arkady finds Tatiana and 2 rich oil barons, Boris Benz and Mikhail Kuznetsov, both connected to the story that Tatiana is working on. Arkady is first shot at and later left for dead in the Siberian wilderness but survives both times. There are twists and turns in the story and a Siberian dilemma for Arkady.
One quote from Arkady's Siberian factotum, Bolot, speaking to Arkady: ""Isn't it time for dinner? Distances are longer when you haven't eaten," said Bolot as they got back to the car "You never eat, do you.? I've noticed that when you do, you just rearrange your food. You know, you need calories to stay warm."
Thank you Martin Cruz Smith and Simon and Schuster for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
Arkady is concerned about his lover Tatiana's disappearance to someplace in Siberia. He goes to her newspaper supervisor Obolensky and asks where she is. Obolensky doesn't know where she is. She told him that she was working on a story and did not tell him any more. She has done this before. Obolensky says that she disappears for a few weeks and comes back with a story--usually about corruption.
Then Prosecutor Zurin sends Arkady to Irkutsk, Siberia, to transport a prisoner to a transit prison, interrogate and prosecute him with a resulting good long sentence. Arkady finds Tatiana and 2 rich oil barons, Boris Benz and Mikhail Kuznetsov, both connected to the story that Tatiana is working on. Arkady is first shot at and later left for dead in the Siberian wilderness but survives both times. There are twists and turns in the story and a Siberian dilemma for Arkady.
One quote from Arkady's Siberian factotum, Bolot, speaking to Arkady: ""Isn't it time for dinner? Distances are longer when you haven't eaten," said Bolot as they got back to the car "You never eat, do you.? I've noticed that when you do, you just rearrange your food. You know, you need calories to stay warm."
Thank you Martin Cruz Smith and Simon and Schuster for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
December 31, 2021
In this 9th book in the 'Arkady Renko' series, the Moscow detective goes to Siberia to lock up a criminal, and to look for his journalist girlfriend. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Detective Arkady Renko is an Investigator of Special Cases in Moscow, and usually uses his skills, smarts, and intuition to solve homicides.
Renko still has his job despite the fact that his boss, Prosecutor Zurin, can't stand him.
Zurin is a pompous Soviet apparatchik who resents Renko's tendency to flout authority and go his own way. Now Zurin has found a way to get rid of Renko for a while. A Chechen terrorist named Aba Makhmud took a shot at Zurin and escaped to Siberia, where he was caught.
Now Zurin is sending Renko to Siberia to put the finishing touches on Makhmud's conviction and imprisonment.
Renko is happy to go north because his girlfriend, investigative journalist Tatiana Petrovna, went to Siberia for a story and didn't return.
Tatiana's piece is about Russian oligarchs, and she went to the Siberian city of Irkutsk to interview oil baron Mikhail Kuznetsov, who has oil wells in the area.
Kuznetsov was previously imprisoned for criticizing Putin, and is now running against Putin for President. This could potentially put a bullseye on both Kutnetsov and Tatiana's backs. Renko hopes to find Tatiana and convince her to come home.
On the plane to Siberia Arkady meets Rinchin Bolot, a Siberian native who becomes Arkady's 'factotum' (all around helper).
This turns out to be a lucky break because Bolot knows all about ice, bears, and Lake Baikal's version of 'The Bermuda Triangle', all of which endanger Arkady on this trip.
Renko gets to Irkutsk, takes care of the Aba Makhmud business, looks at a sabotaged oil well, and finds Tatiana - who's now following Kuznetov's political campaign.
Renko also hobnobs with oligarchs, gets invited along on a bear hunt.....
…..and finds a couple of murder victims. Arkady investigates, but the case is solved more with luck than detective work. In addition, when Arkady is faced with a 'Siberian dilemma' - one of two bad choices - things are resolved in a manner I didn't find believable and didn't like.
Overall I enjoyed the book, but it's not among the best in the 'Arkady Renko' series (in my opinion).
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
February 16, 2024
4 stars
short review for busy readers: Smith has been writing the Arkady Renko series for 30 years now…and it shows. Both he and his protag are tired and consumed with the growing knowledge of their own mortality. This one is a continuation of the less than stunning Tatiana: An Arkady Renko Novel, Book 8 but thank goodness back up to the standard of the series!
in detail:
Just when you think Renko couldn’t be more wounded what with an inoperable bullet in his head, he’s attacked by a wild bear and very nearly loses whole body parts.
And his doctors have told him not to stress himself. (Doesn’t listen, does he?)
The Siberian Dilemma is a pretty good Renko mystery focused on the machinations of billionaire nouveau riche Russian criminals, anti-Kremlin journalists, the exploitation of natural resources and…uh…bears. Big bears. Big angry hungry Siberian bears.
Doesn’t get more Russian than that.
The setting descriptions of depressed Siberian cities and the vast taiga are vivid and tangible, as are the portrayals of the multi-ethnic local population and their (largely depressed) situations. Who can you trust, or rather, who hasn't been paid off to mislead or kill you?
Reads like a cold, grubby version of Hell.
Since I didn’t finger the problem maker - not even close - I’d place this one at about a 9 on the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale.
I've been reading this series on and off since 1994 when I got the incredible Polar Star out of my college library for some entertainment during final exam week....and fell in love with Arkady Renko.
There is at least one more Renko novel, but this is the end of the line for me as the series has been wobbling for a while and I'd like to keep Arkady in my memory like he was at the beginning and middle of the series, not the walking wreck he is now.
Read for the Serial Challenge 2024.
short review for busy readers: Smith has been writing the Arkady Renko series for 30 years now…and it shows. Both he and his protag are tired and consumed with the growing knowledge of their own mortality. This one is a continuation of the less than stunning Tatiana: An Arkady Renko Novel, Book 8 but thank goodness back up to the standard of the series!
in detail:
Just when you think Renko couldn’t be more wounded what with an inoperable bullet in his head, he’s attacked by a wild bear and very nearly loses whole body parts.
And his doctors have told him not to stress himself. (Doesn’t listen, does he?)
The Siberian Dilemma is a pretty good Renko mystery focused on the machinations of billionaire nouveau riche Russian criminals, anti-Kremlin journalists, the exploitation of natural resources and…uh…bears. Big bears. Big angry hungry Siberian bears.
Doesn’t get more Russian than that.
The setting descriptions of depressed Siberian cities and the vast taiga are vivid and tangible, as are the portrayals of the multi-ethnic local population and their (largely depressed) situations. Who can you trust, or rather, who hasn't been paid off to mislead or kill you?
Reads like a cold, grubby version of Hell.
Since I didn’t finger the problem maker - not even close - I’d place this one at about a 9 on the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale.
I've been reading this series on and off since 1994 when I got the incredible Polar Star out of my college library for some entertainment during final exam week....and fell in love with Arkady Renko.
There is at least one more Renko novel, but this is the end of the line for me as the series has been wobbling for a while and I'd like to keep Arkady in my memory like he was at the beginning and middle of the series, not the walking wreck he is now.
Read for the Serial Challenge 2024.
November 1, 2019
This ninth novel in Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko series takes place mostly in Siberia where Arkady is sent to prosecute a Chechen charged with trying to assassinate Arkady's boss, Prosecutor Zurin. While he is there Arkady also tries to find his missing sometime lover, journalist Tatiana Petrovna. She had gone to Siberia several weeks before to interview oil rich oligarch Mikhail Kuznetsov, a presidential candidate hoping to oust Putin, making himself a target for the Kremlin to remove one way or another. Tatiana had left Arkady a message to indicate she'd be back three weeks ago but she wasn't on the train when he went to meet her and hadn't been in contact.
The first half of the novel mainly sets the scene for the action that culminates towards the end of the novel. There is political intrigue, allegations of sabotage, a sharpshooter firing at Arkady and a man wrongly framed for attempted murder. in his search for Tatiana Arkady meets Mikhail Kuznetsov, the presidential candidate who wants to make wide sweeping changes in Russia. Arkady also keeps coming across Boris Benz, another oil wealthy oligarch he met briefly in Moscow, and when Benz invites him on a bear hunt on the frozen Lake Baikal he accepts. The landscape around the lake is breath taking and bleakly beautiful but the isolation becomes dangerous when the bear hunt goes badly and Arkady and his companions must use all their survival skills to survive long enough to be found. The 'Siberian dilemma' is described as the decision you have to make after falling through the ice of a frozen lake to either try to climb out and freeze to death within a few seconds or not climb out and die of hypothermia within five minutes. In other words, is it better to sit back accept the inevitable or to try to do something about it, even if failure is almost certain. Arkady will have his own Siberian dilemma to face before the novel is finished.
Despite all the pressures on him and particularly Prosecutor Zurin's dislike of him, Cruz Smith has managed to keep Arkady Renko as an essentially just and honest man willing to fight for the underdog in a corrupt society. Set as it is in contemporary Russia, Cruz Smith also deals insightfully with many of the issues facing Russian society today including the way in which the environmental destruction caused by oil and gas exploration is ignored, and the way in which wealth from those natural resources leads to corruption and injustice as well as the control that the Kremlin has over political opponents and all facets of the everyday life of its people. Highly recommended for lovers of political thrillers. 4.5★
With thanks to Netgalley and Simon& Schuster Australia for a digital ARC to read.
The first half of the novel mainly sets the scene for the action that culminates towards the end of the novel. There is political intrigue, allegations of sabotage, a sharpshooter firing at Arkady and a man wrongly framed for attempted murder. in his search for Tatiana Arkady meets Mikhail Kuznetsov, the presidential candidate who wants to make wide sweeping changes in Russia. Arkady also keeps coming across Boris Benz, another oil wealthy oligarch he met briefly in Moscow, and when Benz invites him on a bear hunt on the frozen Lake Baikal he accepts. The landscape around the lake is breath taking and bleakly beautiful but the isolation becomes dangerous when the bear hunt goes badly and Arkady and his companions must use all their survival skills to survive long enough to be found. The 'Siberian dilemma' is described as the decision you have to make after falling through the ice of a frozen lake to either try to climb out and freeze to death within a few seconds or not climb out and die of hypothermia within five minutes. In other words, is it better to sit back accept the inevitable or to try to do something about it, even if failure is almost certain. Arkady will have his own Siberian dilemma to face before the novel is finished.
Despite all the pressures on him and particularly Prosecutor Zurin's dislike of him, Cruz Smith has managed to keep Arkady Renko as an essentially just and honest man willing to fight for the underdog in a corrupt society. Set as it is in contemporary Russia, Cruz Smith also deals insightfully with many of the issues facing Russian society today including the way in which the environmental destruction caused by oil and gas exploration is ignored, and the way in which wealth from those natural resources leads to corruption and injustice as well as the control that the Kremlin has over political opponents and all facets of the everyday life of its people. Highly recommended for lovers of political thrillers. 4.5★
With thanks to Netgalley and Simon& Schuster Australia for a digital ARC to read.
November 6, 2019
The Siberian Dilemma is the ninth book in the Arkady Renko series by Martin Cruz Smith and the book that introduced me to this author and these characters. Which makes me wonder if I would have enjoyed this book more had I been acquainted with these characters before.
Arkady is an investigator for the prosecutor's office in Moscow and one of the few honest officials who knows the extent of corruption in the Russian judicial system. He is sent to Siberia to indict a man, Aba Makhmud, for attempting to murder the prosecutor. But Arkady has a feeling that things don't add up. At the same time, Tatiana, a journalist and Arkady's lover who is also in Siberia, breaks all contact with him while trying to write an article on Russian oligarchs. After dealing with Aba, Arkady tracks her down and thus begins a story that involves bears, oil, shockingly trusting criminals and weird relationships.
This book didn't have much of a mystery nor was it much of a thriller if I'm being honest. Given that a character death is mentioned in the summary itself, you'd think that would be something that happens in the first fifty percent leaving the rest of the book to build up on the mystery surrounding the circumstances of the death, but it doesn't. It's one of the shocking elements that occurs much later and even though I knew it was coming, it was the only part of this book that I liked. That and the character of Rinchin Bolot, Arkady's factotum who you can't help but grow fond of.
I don't know if this book let me down only because I expected more from it but I genuinely did not enjoy it. I wouldn't recommend this one.
[I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Martin Cruz Smith for this ARC.]
Arkady is an investigator for the prosecutor's office in Moscow and one of the few honest officials who knows the extent of corruption in the Russian judicial system. He is sent to Siberia to indict a man, Aba Makhmud, for attempting to murder the prosecutor. But Arkady has a feeling that things don't add up. At the same time, Tatiana, a journalist and Arkady's lover who is also in Siberia, breaks all contact with him while trying to write an article on Russian oligarchs. After dealing with Aba, Arkady tracks her down and thus begins a story that involves bears, oil, shockingly trusting criminals and weird relationships.
This book didn't have much of a mystery nor was it much of a thriller if I'm being honest. Given that a character death is mentioned in the summary itself, you'd think that would be something that happens in the first fifty percent leaving the rest of the book to build up on the mystery surrounding the circumstances of the death, but it doesn't. It's one of the shocking elements that occurs much later and even though I knew it was coming, it was the only part of this book that I liked. That and the character of Rinchin Bolot, Arkady's factotum who you can't help but grow fond of.
I don't know if this book let me down only because I expected more from it but I genuinely did not enjoy it. I wouldn't recommend this one.
[I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Martin Cruz Smith for this ARC.]
February 1, 2020
The Russian investigator, Arkady Renko’s normal home base is Moscow, but in this offering we find him heading to Siberia to interrogate a Chechen accused of shooting at his boss. Coincidentally, it is also where his journalist girlfriend is working. She is writing a profile on the oligarch Mikhail Kuznetsov. Along the way, he meets Rinchin Bolot, a Buryat, that becomes his ‘factotum’. Bolot proves to be invaluable as Renko encounters a number of unforeseen dangers.
Arkady faces bears in Moscow, and more bears in Siberia. The ones in Siberia are a whole lot bigger and far more dangerous. On Lake Baikal in the brittle cold, Arkady learns what the Siberian dilemma is---what choice will a man make if he falls through the ice? Will he pull himself out and die within a minute, or stay in the water and die in five.
Recommend this Russian atmospheric thriller.
Arkady faces bears in Moscow, and more bears in Siberia. The ones in Siberia are a whole lot bigger and far more dangerous. On Lake Baikal in the brittle cold, Arkady learns what the Siberian dilemma is---what choice will a man make if he falls through the ice? Will he pull himself out and die within a minute, or stay in the water and die in five.
Recommend this Russian atmospheric thriller.
December 11, 2019
I am always eager to take up another episode in the tough life of Arkady Renko as an investigator for the Moscow prosecutor’s office, initially in Soviet times starting with “Gorky Park” in the 80’s and then later in the Russian government period under Putin. There hasn’t been a new Renko tale since 2013’s “Tatiana”. I’ve read 7 of the 8 published so far and place this as comparatively average on my pleasure meter. “Gorky Park” other early ones get higher ratings for me because he had to succeed despite being so downtrodden and isolated. As he matured he achieved a more stable position and made a family by assuming guardianship of a troubled boy, Zhenko, who is a chess prodigy, and a wife, Tatiana, who becomes an investigative journalist. This provisional family makes him more ordinary and a bit less of a compelling figure for me. I can see others welcoming him becoming more human by support from loved ones while thereby becoming vulnerable to threats to their wellbeing.
Here, Renko still struggles under constraints and mistreatment of his boss and nemesis, Chief Prosecutor Zurin, who promotes the usual policy that a confession obtained under duress or torture saves on efforts to obtain actual evidence and attacks Renko for undermining of other investigators by pursuit of the latter as uncollegial. Like other fictional detective heroes working in tyrannical and/or corrupt governments (think Kerr’s series in Nazi Berlin, Burdett’s series in Bangkok, Pattison’s series in Tibet, or Cotterill’s in Laos), Renko is able to pursue justice as he sees it by dodging the controls of his supervisor, garnering a patron or protector higher up in government, or leveraging incriminating or embarrassing information on his boss. Ironic cynicism is part of the charm as a survival tool in all the books in the series.
Zurin assigns Renko a shit job of traveling to a Siberian prison to pick up a Chechen who has already confessed to shooting at Zurin in Moscow and prosecute him at local government offices in Irkutsk. Renko aims to use the trip for a personal agenda of tracking down Tatiana, who has disappeared while on a story involving investigation of a timber oligarch in Siberia who is liberal in politics and plans to run against Putin (and thus judged by Zurin as “an enemy of the people” just as in Stalin’s time). blackmail
It was fun to get Renko’s perspectives on the state of life and human struggles in Siberia. He hires a colorful Mongolian character as guide, translator, and knowledge source on the people and powerbrokers in the region and befriends a policeman assistant obsessed with becoming a poet. His encounters with culprit of the assault on Zurin leads him to like him so much that he begins to doubt his confession. His efforts to locate the oligarch Tatiana may be with leads to encounters with an enemy oligarch allied with Putin. When Renko is shot at by a snipe while attending an outdoor winter festival, he faces the desperate task of figuring out which investigation of his has made him a threat to be eliminated. With a plot that takes up to Siberia, it is no surprise that survival in the face of the elements comes into play, as does the dangers of brown bears. Good stick on the landing with this one.
This book was provided by the publisher for review through the Netgalley program.
Here, Renko still struggles under constraints and mistreatment of his boss and nemesis, Chief Prosecutor Zurin, who promotes the usual policy that a confession obtained under duress or torture saves on efforts to obtain actual evidence and attacks Renko for undermining of other investigators by pursuit of the latter as uncollegial. Like other fictional detective heroes working in tyrannical and/or corrupt governments (think Kerr’s series in Nazi Berlin, Burdett’s series in Bangkok, Pattison’s series in Tibet, or Cotterill’s in Laos), Renko is able to pursue justice as he sees it by dodging the controls of his supervisor, garnering a patron or protector higher up in government, or leveraging incriminating or embarrassing information on his boss. Ironic cynicism is part of the charm as a survival tool in all the books in the series.
Zurin assigns Renko a shit job of traveling to a Siberian prison to pick up a Chechen who has already confessed to shooting at Zurin in Moscow and prosecute him at local government offices in Irkutsk. Renko aims to use the trip for a personal agenda of tracking down Tatiana, who has disappeared while on a story involving investigation of a timber oligarch in Siberia who is liberal in politics and plans to run against Putin (and thus judged by Zurin as “an enemy of the people” just as in Stalin’s time). blackmail
It was fun to get Renko’s perspectives on the state of life and human struggles in Siberia. He hires a colorful Mongolian character as guide, translator, and knowledge source on the people and powerbrokers in the region and befriends a policeman assistant obsessed with becoming a poet. His encounters with culprit of the assault on Zurin leads him to like him so much that he begins to doubt his confession. His efforts to locate the oligarch Tatiana may be with leads to encounters with an enemy oligarch allied with Putin. When Renko is shot at by a snipe while attending an outdoor winter festival, he faces the desperate task of figuring out which investigation of his has made him a threat to be eliminated. With a plot that takes up to Siberia, it is no surprise that survival in the face of the elements comes into play, as does the dangers of brown bears. Good stick on the landing with this one.
This book was provided by the publisher for review through the Netgalley program.
December 12, 2019
Martin Cruz Smith phoned in his latest installment of the adventures of Russian detective Arkady Renko. The writing is limp, the characters perfunctory, the plot without originality. Even the book’s strongest element — its descriptions of Irkutsk and the Siberian wilderness — barely rise above the level of a newspaper travel article. A poor fate for the hero of the wonderful Gorky Park.
What’s frustrating is that all the elements for a compelling story are here: corrupt oligarchs, missing lover, oil, money, and the immensity of Siberia’s white wilderness. But nothing coheres.
Despite its consistently pedestrian writing, the novel opens with promise: a pair of drunken escaped zoo bears, and the shrewd use of wedding photographs to aid a hapless Chechen accused of murder. But then Arkady begins his search for lost-love Tatiana, presumably in danger for writing an expose of oil oligarchs in Siberia. But Tatiana, when located without much effort, wants nothing to do with Arkady and seems to prefer hanging with allegedly “good” oligarch Michail Kunetsov, who is running as a dissident against Vladimir Putin.
The failure of the Arkady-Tatiana relationship to come alive dooms the novel. Every scene of Arkady and Tatiana screams, ‘she’s really not into you, go away.’ Another lapse: Tatiana never seems to engage in a single activity that could be called investigative journalism, or even once indicates that she gives a damn about her story, social justice, or much of anything else. Mostly, she decorates the party scenes.
Ironically, Arkady does find a possible romantic connection: the adorable Buryat desk clerk, Sarangerel, who loves mythical monsters and helps guide Arkady through the remote city of Chita. If the two of them had gone off traipsing through Siberia for justice and the environment, I would have stayed glued.
Without much in the way of character or motivation, the story sags, badly. Too often, characters mouth observations about Siberia, bears, oil, and politics that feel like direct observations from the guides who accompanied Smith on his Russian travels.
A bear attack and an assassination brings the plot to a head, but then Smith squanders everything when Arkady’s boss shows up and tries to blackmail Arkady into a political killing. The handling of this development is so clumsy that I barely managed to finish the book, no longer caring about anyone’s fate, except for the cute lovable Sarangerel.
What’s frustrating is that all the elements for a compelling story are here: corrupt oligarchs, missing lover, oil, money, and the immensity of Siberia’s white wilderness. But nothing coheres.
Despite its consistently pedestrian writing, the novel opens with promise: a pair of drunken escaped zoo bears, and the shrewd use of wedding photographs to aid a hapless Chechen accused of murder. But then Arkady begins his search for lost-love Tatiana, presumably in danger for writing an expose of oil oligarchs in Siberia. But Tatiana, when located without much effort, wants nothing to do with Arkady and seems to prefer hanging with allegedly “good” oligarch Michail Kunetsov, who is running as a dissident against Vladimir Putin.
The failure of the Arkady-Tatiana relationship to come alive dooms the novel. Every scene of Arkady and Tatiana screams, ‘she’s really not into you, go away.’ Another lapse: Tatiana never seems to engage in a single activity that could be called investigative journalism, or even once indicates that she gives a damn about her story, social justice, or much of anything else. Mostly, she decorates the party scenes.
Ironically, Arkady does find a possible romantic connection: the adorable Buryat desk clerk, Sarangerel, who loves mythical monsters and helps guide Arkady through the remote city of Chita. If the two of them had gone off traipsing through Siberia for justice and the environment, I would have stayed glued.
Without much in the way of character or motivation, the story sags, badly. Too often, characters mouth observations about Siberia, bears, oil, and politics that feel like direct observations from the guides who accompanied Smith on his Russian travels.
A bear attack and an assassination brings the plot to a head, but then Smith squanders everything when Arkady’s boss shows up and tries to blackmail Arkady into a political killing. The handling of this development is so clumsy that I barely managed to finish the book, no longer caring about anyone’s fate, except for the cute lovable Sarangerel.
August 21, 2020
Oh dear, I’m afraid the long decline of this once great series continues. Arkady Renko remains a splendid hero with his deep principles, classic Russian romanticism and fatalistic sense of humour, but these books no longer do him justice.
I’m not sure what it is that Smith is doing nowadays. This book, like all his more recent efforts, reads more like a promising first draft that the author then failed to develop. Has he wedded himself to minimalism as an artistic choice or can he simply not be bothered to complete the jigsaw anymore? It’s impossible to say, but the wonderful detail and immersive world building of the early novels simply isn’t there and it feels incomplete. It’s almost as if finishing the canvas is being stubbornly avoided as a point of principle.
As for Renko, his character remains likeable and sympathetic, but he must be in his seventies by now yet Smith, despite occasionally hinting at his age (he was a cop back in Brezhnev’s time for heaven’s sake) still continues to paint him as a vigorous, romantic figure attracting much younger women and still not forcibly retired by the Moscow police department. I know authors are entitled to some poetic licence, and he’s hardly the first literary figure to stop ageing, but it’s all getting a bit hard to swallow.
I remain loyal to Arkady and will always love the initial trilogy, but this is a depressing fall from grace which shows no signs of ending.
I’m not sure what it is that Smith is doing nowadays. This book, like all his more recent efforts, reads more like a promising first draft that the author then failed to develop. Has he wedded himself to minimalism as an artistic choice or can he simply not be bothered to complete the jigsaw anymore? It’s impossible to say, but the wonderful detail and immersive world building of the early novels simply isn’t there and it feels incomplete. It’s almost as if finishing the canvas is being stubbornly avoided as a point of principle.
As for Renko, his character remains likeable and sympathetic, but he must be in his seventies by now yet Smith, despite occasionally hinting at his age (he was a cop back in Brezhnev’s time for heaven’s sake) still continues to paint him as a vigorous, romantic figure attracting much younger women and still not forcibly retired by the Moscow police department. I know authors are entitled to some poetic licence, and he’s hardly the first literary figure to stop ageing, but it’s all getting a bit hard to swallow.
I remain loyal to Arkady and will always love the initial trilogy, but this is a depressing fall from grace which shows no signs of ending.
March 30, 2023
Although I can recall greatly enjoying Gorky Park back in the 1980s, for some bizarre reason, since then, I’ve not kept up with the work of Martin Cruz Smith or his main protagonist, Arkady Renko.
This is actually the 9th novel featuring Arkady and, of course, much has happened in Russia since his first outing. Yet, in other ways, it seems to have come full circle, with the regime in the Kremlin being its most oppressive since the days of Stalin.
In this novel, Arkady is sent by his boss, Prosecutor Zurin, to Irkutsk in Siberia to interrogate an alleged murderer, a Chechen called Aba Makhmud. As Zurin is a close ally of Putin, Arkady suspects the whole case is a stitch-up, but happily takes the case to search for his girlfriend, journalist Tatiana Petrovna. Tatiana went to Irkutsk to interview Mikhail Kuznetsov, an oligarch planning to run for president. Since her departure, she has seemingly disappeared and, of course, many journalists who have dared to criticise Putin have a habit of disappearing.
As well as the brutally cold winter weather, Siberia is very much an Asian land whose ways often seem alien to Muskovite Arkady. Its myths and folklore permeate the story as much as the frost.
It was certainly a pleasure getting reacquainted with Arkady. Hopefully, I can soon catch up on some of his earlier adventures.
This is actually the 9th novel featuring Arkady and, of course, much has happened in Russia since his first outing. Yet, in other ways, it seems to have come full circle, with the regime in the Kremlin being its most oppressive since the days of Stalin.
In this novel, Arkady is sent by his boss, Prosecutor Zurin, to Irkutsk in Siberia to interrogate an alleged murderer, a Chechen called Aba Makhmud. As Zurin is a close ally of Putin, Arkady suspects the whole case is a stitch-up, but happily takes the case to search for his girlfriend, journalist Tatiana Petrovna. Tatiana went to Irkutsk to interview Mikhail Kuznetsov, an oligarch planning to run for president. Since her departure, she has seemingly disappeared and, of course, many journalists who have dared to criticise Putin have a habit of disappearing.
As well as the brutally cold winter weather, Siberia is very much an Asian land whose ways often seem alien to Muskovite Arkady. Its myths and folklore permeate the story as much as the frost.
It was certainly a pleasure getting reacquainted with Arkady. Hopefully, I can soon catch up on some of his earlier adventures.
May 9, 2023
"Better to do something than nothing" - that is the Siberian dilemma that every Siberian must live with and decide upon. This time round it was also Arkady's dilemma......................
Renko, the one with the sarcastic soul, continues to captivate me and as always I'm ready for more. He teeters on the brink as usual and I have to accept that, but hey what to expect from this laconic Russian with his sardonic wit and heart on his sleeve.
Renko, the one with the sarcastic soul, continues to captivate me and as always I'm ready for more. He teeters on the brink as usual and I have to accept that, but hey what to expect from this laconic Russian with his sardonic wit and heart on his sleeve.
March 8, 2020
Bolot was too much a force of nature to be a mere factotum or even an entrepreneur. Bolot was an iceberg, all bright surfaces and hidden depths, and like an iceberg he rotated now and then to show a new face…
The European brown bear plays a pivotal role in The Siberian Dilemma, which opens with police investigator Arkady Renko at the Moscow zoo. Two well-fed and cared for brown bears – the Russian patronymic emblem - have been released from their “habitat”, possibly by animal activists. The zoo director, Nina is the sister of Arkady’s colleague and friend, Viktor.
(Nina said), “ I looked you up, Arkady. You’ve had a checkered career." - “I’m flattered. I was unaware of having any career at all.”
With the bears safely back in their enclosure the pair are invited to attend a function at the zoo where they meet self-made oil billionaire, Boris Benz, and Viktor goes off on one of his vodka-fueled rants. Then there’s Arkady’s “adopted” son, Zhenya, a chess wizard, with new girlfriend Sosi.
It was a given that chess was the most Russian, most intellectual of all mental contests. It rarely looked like fun, Arkady thought. He had seen pictures of Lenin, Trotsky, Gorky and Chekhov playing chess. They never looked like they were having a good time. No wonder Russians flocked to it.
Arkady has weightier matters on his mind: his on-off lover Tatiana Petrovna, an investigative journalist for the magazine “Russia Now” – has failed to return from Irkutsk, at the southern end of Lake Baikal - the world’s biggest and deepest source of freshwater - where she was researching a piece on another oil billionaire, Mikhail Kuznetsov, who has political ambitions.
It turned into the first real snowfall of the year, full of pillowy flakes that settled gently on statues and pedestrians alike. Men slouched. Women walked as straight as ramrods in fur hats.
Winter approaches, and, as luck would have it, the odious Prosecutor Zurin sends Arkady to Irkutsk, to sign off on a prisoner, a young Chechen with a blameless record, who has confessed to an attempt on Zurin’s life. With Arkady suspicious of “forced” confessions, he wants to see the evidence first. On the flight to Irkutsk he is seated next to an ethnic Buryat, Bolot, who offers his services as a ”factotum”.
In Irkutsk Arkady finds Tatiana at a beauty pageant, but she brushes him off to appease Kuznetsov’s minders. The action moves east to Chita, the city forged by the Decemberist rebels against the Tsar, and where Arkady spent part of his childhood when his father, General Renko, was stationed there. Again Boris Benz turns up, inviting Arkady, Bolot and Tatiana, to a bear hunt, as hungry bears in the wild are causing havoc at several oil-drilling operations.
This one had me riveted from the start. The ironic wit and observations of life in the icy Siberian wastes had me breathless at times, just as their breath crystalises in the cold air. It’s the minor details that draw the reader in – unscrupulous bureaucrats, the overcrowded prison, ice sculptures in the park, how every Russian city boasts an Irish pub serving Guinness, the formidable providnitsa on the trains: checking tickets, pouring tea from a Samovar and sorting out the drunks. Then of course, there’s the bears, the “Siberian Dilemma” explained, rival oligarchs and a mystical element, that remains long after finishing reading.
For readers unfamiliar with the Arkady Renko character, I suggest starting with the earliest book, the iconic Gorky Park.
The European brown bear plays a pivotal role in The Siberian Dilemma, which opens with police investigator Arkady Renko at the Moscow zoo. Two well-fed and cared for brown bears – the Russian patronymic emblem - have been released from their “habitat”, possibly by animal activists. The zoo director, Nina is the sister of Arkady’s colleague and friend, Viktor.
(Nina said), “ I looked you up, Arkady. You’ve had a checkered career." - “I’m flattered. I was unaware of having any career at all.”
With the bears safely back in their enclosure the pair are invited to attend a function at the zoo where they meet self-made oil billionaire, Boris Benz, and Viktor goes off on one of his vodka-fueled rants. Then there’s Arkady’s “adopted” son, Zhenya, a chess wizard, with new girlfriend Sosi.
It was a given that chess was the most Russian, most intellectual of all mental contests. It rarely looked like fun, Arkady thought. He had seen pictures of Lenin, Trotsky, Gorky and Chekhov playing chess. They never looked like they were having a good time. No wonder Russians flocked to it.
Arkady has weightier matters on his mind: his on-off lover Tatiana Petrovna, an investigative journalist for the magazine “Russia Now” – has failed to return from Irkutsk, at the southern end of Lake Baikal - the world’s biggest and deepest source of freshwater - where she was researching a piece on another oil billionaire, Mikhail Kuznetsov, who has political ambitions.
It turned into the first real snowfall of the year, full of pillowy flakes that settled gently on statues and pedestrians alike. Men slouched. Women walked as straight as ramrods in fur hats.
Winter approaches, and, as luck would have it, the odious Prosecutor Zurin sends Arkady to Irkutsk, to sign off on a prisoner, a young Chechen with a blameless record, who has confessed to an attempt on Zurin’s life. With Arkady suspicious of “forced” confessions, he wants to see the evidence first. On the flight to Irkutsk he is seated next to an ethnic Buryat, Bolot, who offers his services as a ”factotum”.
In Irkutsk Arkady finds Tatiana at a beauty pageant, but she brushes him off to appease Kuznetsov’s minders. The action moves east to Chita, the city forged by the Decemberist rebels against the Tsar, and where Arkady spent part of his childhood when his father, General Renko, was stationed there. Again Boris Benz turns up, inviting Arkady, Bolot and Tatiana, to a bear hunt, as hungry bears in the wild are causing havoc at several oil-drilling operations.
This one had me riveted from the start. The ironic wit and observations of life in the icy Siberian wastes had me breathless at times, just as their breath crystalises in the cold air. It’s the minor details that draw the reader in – unscrupulous bureaucrats, the overcrowded prison, ice sculptures in the park, how every Russian city boasts an Irish pub serving Guinness, the formidable providnitsa on the trains: checking tickets, pouring tea from a Samovar and sorting out the drunks. Then of course, there’s the bears, the “Siberian Dilemma” explained, rival oligarchs and a mystical element, that remains long after finishing reading.
For readers unfamiliar with the Arkady Renko character, I suggest starting with the earliest book, the iconic Gorky Park.
January 20, 2020
3.7⭐
About in the middle of the pack of the Arkady Renko books, I'd say. Not as good as the first three: Gorky Park; Polar Star; Red Square which represent Smith at his very best, but not as middling as Wolves Eat Dogs, in my entirely subjective view. I give this book about the same ranking as the more recent Three Stations or Stalin's Ghost. I suppose I rate them like that because of the novelty of the first three, before Smith's formula became firmly established. Also the original timeframe, leading up to the dissolution of the Soviet Union was a more vibrant backdrop than Putin's Russia of oil and oligarchs, where Siberian Dilemma takes place.
Renko, as usual the only honest investigator in Moscow, goes to Siberia when his journalist girlfriend is overdue and is soon entangled with some of the aforementioned oligarchs, including one who intends to challenge for the presidency of Russia. There's a murder, of course, and Renko also spends a lot of time in this book fighting bears, perhaps a-not-so-subtle metaphor for his struggles with the Russian state and with the memory of his brutal father, Stalin's favourite General?
There's always been an underlay of magical realism in Smith's novels and he brings it closer to the surface here. Who is the mysterious Rinchin Bolot , the Mongolian shaman and Renko's self appointed factotum, who acts as the detective's guardian angel throughout the book? There's a shamanic ritual where Bolot "retrives the soul" of the critically injured Renko.
The book ends in Smith's trademark ambiguous fashion and the reader is left to puzzle out what exactly was the Siberian Dilemma of the title and how was it resolved. Renko remains one of the more complicated and conflicted characters in detective fiction and still one of the most satisfying, in my entirely subjective view.
About in the middle of the pack of the Arkady Renko books, I'd say. Not as good as the first three: Gorky Park; Polar Star; Red Square which represent Smith at his very best, but not as middling as Wolves Eat Dogs, in my entirely subjective view. I give this book about the same ranking as the more recent Three Stations or Stalin's Ghost. I suppose I rate them like that because of the novelty of the first three, before Smith's formula became firmly established. Also the original timeframe, leading up to the dissolution of the Soviet Union was a more vibrant backdrop than Putin's Russia of oil and oligarchs, where Siberian Dilemma takes place.
Renko, as usual the only honest investigator in Moscow, goes to Siberia when his journalist girlfriend is overdue and is soon entangled with some of the aforementioned oligarchs, including one who intends to challenge for the presidency of Russia. There's a murder, of course, and Renko also spends a lot of time in this book fighting bears, perhaps a-not-so-subtle metaphor for his struggles with the Russian state and with the memory of his brutal father, Stalin's favourite General?
There's always been an underlay of magical realism in Smith's novels and he brings it closer to the surface here. Who is the mysterious Rinchin Bolot , the Mongolian shaman and Renko's self appointed factotum, who acts as the detective's guardian angel throughout the book? There's a shamanic ritual where Bolot "retrives the soul" of the critically injured Renko.
The book ends in Smith's trademark ambiguous fashion and the reader is left to puzzle out what exactly was the Siberian Dilemma of the title and how was it resolved. Renko remains one of the more complicated and conflicted characters in detective fiction and still one of the most satisfying, in my entirely subjective view.
February 12, 2020
The Siberian Dilemma is the 9th book in the Arkady Renko series by Martin Cruz Smith. This series is as old as I am, yet this is the first book I have read! I found it worked well as a stand alone but I would still like to read the older books. Arkady is an investigator working for the Prosecutor's office in Moscow. He travels to Siberia to track down his lover Tatiana, an investigative journalist, who has gone missing while on assignment. This was a fast, action-packed read, set in a brutally cold environment. Thanks to Simon and Schuster for my ARC.
May 19, 2020
3.5 Stars for The Siberian Dilemma (audiobook) by Martin Cruz Smith read by Jeremy Bobb. The story was ok. I just didn’t seem to connect with any of the characters. I think I’ll hold off on any more books from this series.
November 25, 2019
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/11/21/...
Normally I wouldn’t just jump into the middle of a series, but I’m trying to vary my reading and felt I was due for a mystery thriller. Enter The Siberian Dilemma by Martin Cruz Smith, the ninth book in a spy series called Arkady Renko which has only been peripherally on my radar. Formerly an investigator for the Soviet Militsiya in Moscow, our eponymous protagonist has taken on various roles since, solving crimes and mysteries all over the world.
In The Siberian Dilemma, Arkady heads into the wilds of the northern Russian province to search for his girlfriend Tatiana Petrovna, an investigative journalist who has gone missing. Although Tatiana has been known to go off-grid for weeks at a time while she is on an assignment, Renko grows concerned after her failure to return home on the train. The constant target of death threats, Tatiana may be in danger, especially given the sensitive nature of the story she is doing on Mikhail Kuznetsov, a wealthy and influential oligarch running for president against Vladimir Putin in the upcoming election.
So when Renko is dispatched to Siberia by his superiors to interrogate a prisoner, he decides to use this opportunity to also check on Tatiana and make sure she is safe. On his way there, he meets Rinchin Bolot, a traveler who is fascinated by Renko and wishes to accompany him as his factotum—a sort of sidekick who actually winds up being quite helpful to our protagonist out in a lot of ways, especially when the mission inevitably turns deadly. After Kuznetsov’s business partner and best friend is murdered, Renko fears that others who have gotten close to the presidential candidate may be targeted next—including himself and Tatiana.
As a first timer to this series, the only reason why I braved starting with book nine was because apparently it could be enjoyed as a standalone. For the most part, I think this is true. Martin Cruz Smith does a good job catching readers up, even if you haven’t read any of novels that came before. That said, I’m sure there were a lot of nuances and connections I must have missed, simply from being unfamiliar with the series’ history. For example, there are several side characters who show up, and from their easy rapport with the protagonist it is clear they had major roles to play in the previous books. One of these is Zhenya, Renko’s adopted teenaged son, and of course Tatiana, whose relationship with the main character was only explored lightly because the narrative assumes the reader is aware of how they met and got together.
That said, there was enough thrust behind the mystery which helped new readers like me get hooked and interested in the story. Granted, things got off to a slow start, which I believe was due to a couple of reasons. The first is once again my unfamiliarity with the series, making it difficult to maintain a strong interest in the early chapters which mostly served to catch us up with Renko’s work and the people around him. The second reason has a lot to do with the nature of spy fiction itself. In the tradition of crime and espionage novels, The Siberian Dilemma places a lot of emphasis on the intrigue and suspense behind the games that major political powers play. While there is also plenty of action, most of these edge-of-your-seat moments—the shootouts, ruthless betrayals, and even a harrowing bear attack—don’t come until the second half of the book.
There’s also a muted quality to the author’s style that took a while to get used to. This removed a lot of the tension from the story, and as a result I never felt truly afraid for Renko, even when he experienced all these close calls. However, I was also pleasantly surprised to find a fair bit of humor in the book. Rinchin Bolot was especially a hoot, injecting some much-needed levity in what was otherwise a pretty dark book. The novel’s biggest weakness was perhaps its pacing, which was unstable with a slow and measured beginning while the ending felt rushed. This was very jarring for a newbie like me and sometimes made it harder to stay focused.
Still, overall I was pretty impressed, speaking as a reader coming to this author and series for the first time. It was also a quick read and easy to get into, despite a few minor obstacles and challenges. In addition, I highly enjoyed the Moscow politics and Russian investigator angle, which I don’t often get to see a lot in the mysteries and thrillers I typically read. All told, I definitely wouldn’t mind picking up more of Martin Cruz Smith’s work or reading more Arkady Renko novels.
Normally I wouldn’t just jump into the middle of a series, but I’m trying to vary my reading and felt I was due for a mystery thriller. Enter The Siberian Dilemma by Martin Cruz Smith, the ninth book in a spy series called Arkady Renko which has only been peripherally on my radar. Formerly an investigator for the Soviet Militsiya in Moscow, our eponymous protagonist has taken on various roles since, solving crimes and mysteries all over the world.
In The Siberian Dilemma, Arkady heads into the wilds of the northern Russian province to search for his girlfriend Tatiana Petrovna, an investigative journalist who has gone missing. Although Tatiana has been known to go off-grid for weeks at a time while she is on an assignment, Renko grows concerned after her failure to return home on the train. The constant target of death threats, Tatiana may be in danger, especially given the sensitive nature of the story she is doing on Mikhail Kuznetsov, a wealthy and influential oligarch running for president against Vladimir Putin in the upcoming election.
So when Renko is dispatched to Siberia by his superiors to interrogate a prisoner, he decides to use this opportunity to also check on Tatiana and make sure she is safe. On his way there, he meets Rinchin Bolot, a traveler who is fascinated by Renko and wishes to accompany him as his factotum—a sort of sidekick who actually winds up being quite helpful to our protagonist out in a lot of ways, especially when the mission inevitably turns deadly. After Kuznetsov’s business partner and best friend is murdered, Renko fears that others who have gotten close to the presidential candidate may be targeted next—including himself and Tatiana.
As a first timer to this series, the only reason why I braved starting with book nine was because apparently it could be enjoyed as a standalone. For the most part, I think this is true. Martin Cruz Smith does a good job catching readers up, even if you haven’t read any of novels that came before. That said, I’m sure there were a lot of nuances and connections I must have missed, simply from being unfamiliar with the series’ history. For example, there are several side characters who show up, and from their easy rapport with the protagonist it is clear they had major roles to play in the previous books. One of these is Zhenya, Renko’s adopted teenaged son, and of course Tatiana, whose relationship with the main character was only explored lightly because the narrative assumes the reader is aware of how they met and got together.
That said, there was enough thrust behind the mystery which helped new readers like me get hooked and interested in the story. Granted, things got off to a slow start, which I believe was due to a couple of reasons. The first is once again my unfamiliarity with the series, making it difficult to maintain a strong interest in the early chapters which mostly served to catch us up with Renko’s work and the people around him. The second reason has a lot to do with the nature of spy fiction itself. In the tradition of crime and espionage novels, The Siberian Dilemma places a lot of emphasis on the intrigue and suspense behind the games that major political powers play. While there is also plenty of action, most of these edge-of-your-seat moments—the shootouts, ruthless betrayals, and even a harrowing bear attack—don’t come until the second half of the book.
There’s also a muted quality to the author’s style that took a while to get used to. This removed a lot of the tension from the story, and as a result I never felt truly afraid for Renko, even when he experienced all these close calls. However, I was also pleasantly surprised to find a fair bit of humor in the book. Rinchin Bolot was especially a hoot, injecting some much-needed levity in what was otherwise a pretty dark book. The novel’s biggest weakness was perhaps its pacing, which was unstable with a slow and measured beginning while the ending felt rushed. This was very jarring for a newbie like me and sometimes made it harder to stay focused.
Still, overall I was pretty impressed, speaking as a reader coming to this author and series for the first time. It was also a quick read and easy to get into, despite a few minor obstacles and challenges. In addition, I highly enjoyed the Moscow politics and Russian investigator angle, which I don’t often get to see a lot in the mysteries and thrillers I typically read. All told, I definitely wouldn’t mind picking up more of Martin Cruz Smith’s work or reading more Arkady Renko novels.
April 7, 2022
I don’t go in for series and mostly avoid them at all costs. I make an exception for the Arkady Renko books, although I really think that Martin Cruz Smith should simply invent another protagonist. This novel contributes little to the character which means that there is nothing to be gained by using someone from past novels. I really hate the Harry Bosch series for this same reason: we learn nothing new about Harry. He likes jazz and he doesn’t play by the rules. Got it.
Still, this was enjoyable enough with bear attacks and helicopter crashes. The story wasn’t anything that I’ll remember a week from now, but it was fun while it lasted.
Still, this was enjoyable enough with bear attacks and helicopter crashes. The story wasn’t anything that I’ll remember a week from now, but it was fun while it lasted.
October 16, 2021
The theme of the ninth book in Smith’s Arkady Renko Russian thriller series is Bears and Oligarchs. Bears cause they have always represented Mother Russia, because they are big and ferocious, and when you are in their world, you know there’s not much that can stop them. Indeed, the book opens with a pair of giant bears on a jailbreak from the Moscow Zoo.
Moscow investigator Renko heads to Siberia in chase of a confession he doesn’t quite trust and in chase of girlfriend and investigative reporter Tatiana. In the vast depths of Siberia, particularly along the banks of Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake in the world, away from Moscow, we see a barren empty world where only bears and oligarchs can feel at home.
The pace of much of the book is about setting the stage for the conflicts that come later. You kind of zip along waiting to find out what’s going to happen and, when it does, it’s quick and understated and shocking. In the end, it’s about survival and what it takes to survive among the bears and the oligarchs.
Moscow investigator Renko heads to Siberia in chase of a confession he doesn’t quite trust and in chase of girlfriend and investigative reporter Tatiana. In the vast depths of Siberia, particularly along the banks of Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake in the world, away from Moscow, we see a barren empty world where only bears and oligarchs can feel at home.
The pace of much of the book is about setting the stage for the conflicts that come later. You kind of zip along waiting to find out what’s going to happen and, when it does, it’s quick and understated and shocking. In the end, it’s about survival and what it takes to survive among the bears and the oligarchs.
November 24, 2019
Martin Cruz Smith's novels featuring Russian Investigator Arkady Renko have long been some of my favourite crime stories. This is the first Renko novel since Tatiana was published in 2013 & only the ninth Renko novel since he first appeared in Gorky Park in 1981. I wish Martin Cruz Smith would wrote them more often!
Much of the story is set in Siberia & Smith uses this vast landscape extremely well. His characters are as eccentric & yet as believable as ever. Despite the author's bleak depiction of modern Russia he injects plenty of humour into the story & the balance is perfectly handled.
After reading about all these wonderful characters in this brilliantly atmospheric book what shall I do now ? I suppose I could always watch the film Gorky Park again!
Much of the story is set in Siberia & Smith uses this vast landscape extremely well. His characters are as eccentric & yet as believable as ever. Despite the author's bleak depiction of modern Russia he injects plenty of humour into the story & the balance is perfectly handled.
After reading about all these wonderful characters in this brilliantly atmospheric book what shall I do now ? I suppose I could always watch the film Gorky Park again!
November 26, 2021
Good Thriller but Padded with Blank Pages
Review of the Simon & Schuster paperback edition (October 2020) of the Simon & Schuster hardcover original (November 2019)
To get the lede gripe out of the way first, this book has about 80 blank or non-text pages (adding up full blanks, 1/2 to 9/10th page blanks, pictures, maps, preamble) padding its length from about 200 pages of reading to its full page count of 288. If your veteran author (Cruz Smith, now in his late 70s) doesn't want to expand on the length, or the editor cuts it down, why artificially bump it up?
I followed several of the early books of the Investigator Arkady Renko series after reading the first one, Gorky Park, when it appeared in 1981. Although the settings often varied wide afield from the Moscow beginnings, it did begin to stretch credibility that such an obstinate detective would survive under first the authoritarian Soviet Union, the chaos of its breakup and finally the kleptocracy of Putin. After recently re-reading the 40th Anniversary edition of Gorky Park, I was curious enough to want to read how Renko was managing in the present climate.
Cruz Smith is still excellent in his location research. This latest (2019) investigation sends Renko to the Irkutsk region near Lake Baikal in Siberia. The initiating plot is an apparent assassination attempt on his boss from the Moscow Prosecutor's Office, with the Chechen suspect having fled to Siberia. Renko is also concerned that his lover Tatiana, an journalist, has not returned on an agreed date from her investigation of Russian oil oligarchs in the East. Cruz Smith adds an entertaining supporting cast into the mix, especially with a local Irkutsk "factotum" named Rinchin Bolot, of indigenous Buryat background, who attaches himself to Renko.
The twists and betrayals are typical Cruz Smith, but the setting of the Siberian landscape, Lake Baikal, the threats of the freezing cold and wild bears and, of course, the greed of the kleptocracy are all well handled. Like Chekhov's gun, the hinted dilemma of the title is paid off. The obvious inspiration of the real life story of Mikhail Khodorkovsky in the character of fictional oligarch Mikhail Kuznetsov is obvious of course, even to the extent of both having written a book such as My Fellow Prisoners. The resulting fates are, of course, completely different.
So overall I quite enjoyed it and appreciated its attention to real-life details and inspirations. It was just the artificial page padding of the publisher that was an annoying distraction.
Other Reviews
Review in Asian Review of Books by Peter Gordon, December 13, 2019.
Trivia and Links
[Mild Spoiler]
Review of the Simon & Schuster paperback edition (October 2020) of the Simon & Schuster hardcover original (November 2019)
"Siberian dilemma?" Tatiana asked.
Bolot gestured in Arkady's direction.
"A fisherman is on a frozen lake. He moves around, listening all the time for the ice cracking beneath his feet, ready to jump back to thicker ice if necessary, but sometimes he's not quick enough. The ice breaks. He falls in."
"So, what's the dilemma?"
"I heard it from my wife, Irina. If he pulls himself out of the water onto the ice, he'll freeze to death in seconds, a minute at most. If he stays in the water, he'll die of hypothermia in five." - excerpt from The Siberian Dilemma
To get the lede gripe out of the way first, this book has about 80 blank or non-text pages (adding up full blanks, 1/2 to 9/10th page blanks, pictures, maps, preamble) padding its length from about 200 pages of reading to its full page count of 288. If your veteran author (Cruz Smith, now in his late 70s) doesn't want to expand on the length, or the editor cuts it down, why artificially bump it up?
I followed several of the early books of the Investigator Arkady Renko series after reading the first one, Gorky Park, when it appeared in 1981. Although the settings often varied wide afield from the Moscow beginnings, it did begin to stretch credibility that such an obstinate detective would survive under first the authoritarian Soviet Union, the chaos of its breakup and finally the kleptocracy of Putin. After recently re-reading the 40th Anniversary edition of Gorky Park, I was curious enough to want to read how Renko was managing in the present climate.
Cruz Smith is still excellent in his location research. This latest (2019) investigation sends Renko to the Irkutsk region near Lake Baikal in Siberia. The initiating plot is an apparent assassination attempt on his boss from the Moscow Prosecutor's Office, with the Chechen suspect having fled to Siberia. Renko is also concerned that his lover Tatiana, an journalist, has not returned on an agreed date from her investigation of Russian oil oligarchs in the East. Cruz Smith adds an entertaining supporting cast into the mix, especially with a local Irkutsk "factotum" named Rinchin Bolot, of indigenous Buryat background, who attaches himself to Renko.
The twists and betrayals are typical Cruz Smith, but the setting of the Siberian landscape, Lake Baikal, the threats of the freezing cold and wild bears and, of course, the greed of the kleptocracy are all well handled. Like Chekhov's gun, the hinted dilemma of the title is paid off. The obvious inspiration of the real life story of Mikhail Khodorkovsky in the character of fictional oligarch Mikhail Kuznetsov is obvious of course, even to the extent of both having written a book such as My Fellow Prisoners. The resulting fates are, of course, completely different.
So overall I quite enjoyed it and appreciated its attention to real-life details and inspirations. It was just the artificial page padding of the publisher that was an annoying distraction.
Other Reviews
Review in Asian Review of Books by Peter Gordon, December 13, 2019.
Trivia and Links
[Mild Spoiler]
August 20, 2020
4 Stars
By far the best of recent Arkady novels.
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
I very much enjoyed the vision of life in the freezer in Siberia and around Lake Baikal. This, combined with the tension between ruthless Russian oligarchs, made for a terrific mystery and action adventure. As in the previous book, Tatiana is delicious, and almost out of reach of mere mortals. Her surprising tenacity, and that of Arkady's surprising and loyal "factotum", Rinchin Bolot.
There's also more solid humour in this book than the last, and Arkady's heartache for Tatiana is painfully restrained, resisting anger, utterly Russian in nature.
Sarangerel is charming. A lovely touch by Smith.
The oligarchs are quite surprising as well, with both real charm, and deadly intent.
All in all, a terrific return to form for Martin Cruz Smith, who was 72-74 or so when he wrote this fine instalment of the Great Arkady Renko.
-
William Hurt as Arkady Renko
Full size image here
Notes and quotes:
Arkady’s face got hot. Just when he thought he had eluded the snake, the snake swallowed him a little bit more. Swallowed and smiled, because if State Security had its teeth in Zhenya, it meant it had its teeth in Arkady.
-
“Anyone I play, it’s their choice,” Zhenya said. “I can’t help it if I’m better than they are.
“They never know what hit them,” Sosi said; her eyes grew as round as moons. She looked like the perfect fanatic to encourage a leap into a volcano. She rolled a rook back and forth on the Formica as if she were gathering an electric charge.
“Zhenya can turn any game into a slaughter.”
It was like visiting the Macbeths, Arkady thought.
-
The man took out a business card that he formally presented to Arkady. “Rinchin Bolot, factotum.” He vigorously shook Arkady’s hand.
“Thank you, but what does that mean?” Arkady asked. “What does a factotum do?”
“Well, he does everything. That’s the point. Anything and everything: driver, translator, hunting guide. A factotum can even arrange romantic liaisons. At your command.” Bolot beamed.
-
It was a given that chess was the most Russian, most intellectual of all mental contests. It rarely looked like fun, Arkady thought. He had seen pictures of Lenin, Trotsky, Gorky, and Chekhov playing chess. They never looked like they were having a good time. No wonder Russians flocked to it.
-
“Tell me, why are you always the troublemaker? What do you gain from that?”
Arkady broke into a smile.
“As Dostoevsky said, ‘Right or wrong, it’s very pleasant to break something from time to time.’ ”
-
NO way this bear was 30 feet long! Perhaps they meant "9 feet" ?
Benz was obviously elated that he had fired the winning shot, maybe a record shot. He took a tape measure from his backpack and, giving Georgy one end at the bear’s short tail, paced the distance from head to toe.
“This bear is nine meters long. That’s a hell of a big bear,” Benz said. “Too big to carry back.”
.
By far the best of recent Arkady novels.
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
I very much enjoyed the vision of life in the freezer in Siberia and around Lake Baikal. This, combined with the tension between ruthless Russian oligarchs, made for a terrific mystery and action adventure. As in the previous book, Tatiana is delicious, and almost out of reach of mere mortals. Her surprising tenacity, and that of Arkady's surprising and loyal "factotum", Rinchin Bolot.
There's also more solid humour in this book than the last, and Arkady's heartache for Tatiana is painfully restrained, resisting anger, utterly Russian in nature.
Sarangerel is charming. A lovely touch by Smith.
The oligarchs are quite surprising as well, with both real charm, and deadly intent.
All in all, a terrific return to form for Martin Cruz Smith, who was 72-74 or so when he wrote this fine instalment of the Great Arkady Renko.
-
William Hurt as Arkady Renko
Full size image here
Notes and quotes:
Arkady’s face got hot. Just when he thought he had eluded the snake, the snake swallowed him a little bit more. Swallowed and smiled, because if State Security had its teeth in Zhenya, it meant it had its teeth in Arkady.
-
“Anyone I play, it’s their choice,” Zhenya said. “I can’t help it if I’m better than they are.
“They never know what hit them,” Sosi said; her eyes grew as round as moons. She looked like the perfect fanatic to encourage a leap into a volcano. She rolled a rook back and forth on the Formica as if she were gathering an electric charge.
“Zhenya can turn any game into a slaughter.”
It was like visiting the Macbeths, Arkady thought.
-
The man took out a business card that he formally presented to Arkady. “Rinchin Bolot, factotum.” He vigorously shook Arkady’s hand.
“Thank you, but what does that mean?” Arkady asked. “What does a factotum do?”
“Well, he does everything. That’s the point. Anything and everything: driver, translator, hunting guide. A factotum can even arrange romantic liaisons. At your command.” Bolot beamed.
-
It was a given that chess was the most Russian, most intellectual of all mental contests. It rarely looked like fun, Arkady thought. He had seen pictures of Lenin, Trotsky, Gorky, and Chekhov playing chess. They never looked like they were having a good time. No wonder Russians flocked to it.
-
“Tell me, why are you always the troublemaker? What do you gain from that?”
Arkady broke into a smile.
“As Dostoevsky said, ‘Right or wrong, it’s very pleasant to break something from time to time.’ ”
-
NO way this bear was 30 feet long! Perhaps they meant "9 feet" ?
Benz was obviously elated that he had fired the winning shot, maybe a record shot. He took a tape measure from his backpack and, giving Georgy one end at the bear’s short tail, paced the distance from head to toe.
“This bear is nine meters long. That’s a hell of a big bear,” Benz said. “Too big to carry back.”
.
November 20, 2019
Great book as Martin Cruz Smith always is, but not my favorite. I felt the ending was unsatisfying and seemed to be rushed, like he's gotten tired of writing. Still, Arkady is one of my favorite characters in fiction and I hope there are a few more coming in the future.
October 16, 2019
In the latest of the Arkady Renko series, Arkady is scouring the railway station for his occasional girlfriend, the investigative journalist Tatiana Petrovna. According to her timetable, she was due back from an assignment in Siberia today, but Arkady can find no sign of her at the station. Tatiana is working for the radical magazine "Russia Now" and the editor tells him she is doing a story on Mikhail Kuznetsov, the so-called “hermit billionaire.” Kuznetsov has plans to run against Vladimir Putin in the next Presidential election.
Then, his boss Zurin, the Moscow Prosecutor, orders him to travel sto Siberia to oversee the prosecution of Aba Makhmud, a Chechen terrorist. Makhmud is accused of attempting to murder Zurin, but after he interrogates the alleged killer, Arkady believes he has been set up to take the fall for the crime.
While in Siberia, he grabs the opportunity to meet up with Tatiana who seems cold and distant, leaving the detective to think that she has fallen out of love with him. But maybe it's because she's committed to her story about Russia's oil oligarchs and her belief that Kuznetsov could be a force for good in Russia. Whatever her reasons, Arkady knows that Tatiana's journalism has made her many powerful enemies and that some will do anything to keep her quiet
His attempt to bring her safely back to Moscow takes a turn for the worse when a Russian oligarch - who's taken a shine to Arkady - is murdered.
Martin Cruz Smith is a master storyteller and the action flows along easily with wonderful descriptions of the Siberian landscape alongside meticulous details of the life of the brown bear and the machinations of obscenely wealthy men in Putin's Russia. Along the way we meet some intriguing new characters as well as old friends from previous books.
Arkady is the ultimate maverick, standing up for justice as best he can. When difficult choices have to be made, his attitude is "“Better to fight than to surrender, even if you know you’re going to die." In the desolate wilds of Siberia that attitude could get him killed.
A must read for fans of literary crime novels. Highly recommended
My thanks to the publisher Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
Then, his boss Zurin, the Moscow Prosecutor, orders him to travel sto Siberia to oversee the prosecution of Aba Makhmud, a Chechen terrorist. Makhmud is accused of attempting to murder Zurin, but after he interrogates the alleged killer, Arkady believes he has been set up to take the fall for the crime.
While in Siberia, he grabs the opportunity to meet up with Tatiana who seems cold and distant, leaving the detective to think that she has fallen out of love with him. But maybe it's because she's committed to her story about Russia's oil oligarchs and her belief that Kuznetsov could be a force for good in Russia. Whatever her reasons, Arkady knows that Tatiana's journalism has made her many powerful enemies and that some will do anything to keep her quiet
His attempt to bring her safely back to Moscow takes a turn for the worse when a Russian oligarch - who's taken a shine to Arkady - is murdered.
Martin Cruz Smith is a master storyteller and the action flows along easily with wonderful descriptions of the Siberian landscape alongside meticulous details of the life of the brown bear and the machinations of obscenely wealthy men in Putin's Russia. Along the way we meet some intriguing new characters as well as old friends from previous books.
Arkady is the ultimate maverick, standing up for justice as best he can. When difficult choices have to be made, his attitude is "“Better to fight than to surrender, even if you know you’re going to die." In the desolate wilds of Siberia that attitude could get him killed.
A must read for fans of literary crime novels. Highly recommended
My thanks to the publisher Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
January 15, 2020
The classic Siberian dilemma is the choice between dying of hypothermia within a minute in the freezing water following a break in the ice or dying of hypothermia within five minutes having climbed out of the water onto the ice. The choices are both literal and figurative. Arkady Renko has been sent to transport a prisoner who may have been framed (of course he was) from Irkutsk to Moscow as a form of punishment. He's also searching for his true love, Tatiana, who is researching a dangerous story about oligarchs by hanging out with the most attractive (physically, politically) of them.
Then there's the matter of bears, who attack without much hesitation. When you hunt them, they very likely hunt you. Just like oligarchs, especially when you hunt bears with an oligarch.
Arkady Renko books are like money in the bank. This one is no exception (though I like "Red Square" and "Tatiana" the best.) It is exciting and humane, like the other books in the series.
Then there's the matter of bears, who attack without much hesitation. When you hunt them, they very likely hunt you. Just like oligarchs, especially when you hunt bears with an oligarch.
Arkady Renko books are like money in the bank. This one is no exception (though I like "Red Square" and "Tatiana" the best.) It is exciting and humane, like the other books in the series.
January 24, 2020
So...if you want to know all about Russian black bears-how much they weigh, how they eat, how they attack humans, how to kill them, how to cut them up and eat them, etc.-this is definitely the book for you. If you are interested in an engrossing crime novel, forget it-this is not the book for you.
Cruz Smith struck out on this one....the dialogue is all over the place and in many places, it makes no sense.
Cruz Smith struck out on this one....the dialogue is all over the place and in many places, it makes no sense.
June 24, 2021
Ein Thriller ohne Thrill
Manchmal sind sich die Sucht nach frischem Lesefutter und die Leidenschaft für Bücher selbst im Weg und stolpern über ihre eigenen Füße *rolleyes*…
So geschehen bei dem (für mich) bisher schlechtesten Buch 2021; namentlich „Die Spur des Bären“ (der übersetzte Originaltitel „The Siberian Dilemma“ wäre wahrscheinlich hilfreicher gewesen bei der Entscheidungsfindung, das Buch zu lesen oder nicht) von Martin Cruz Smith. Selbiger hat mit „Gorki Park“ einen angeblichen Klassiker geschrieben. Das kann und werde ich nicht beurteilen, denn so viel steht fest: einen weiteren Fall um Arkadi Renko (dies hier ist der 9. Fall) werde ich nicht lesen.
Da wird auf dem Frontcover mit einem markigen Aufkleber dafür geworben, dass Martin Cruz Smith „Der Meister der mörderisch spannenden Dramaturgie“ sei. Nun, äh – dem kann ich so ganz und gar nicht zustimmen. Es herrschte eher sibirisch-karge Langeweile vor. Wobei das der sibirischen Landschaft mit dem größten Süßwassersee der Welt, dem Baikal-See, höchstwahrscheinlich nicht gerecht wird. Egal. Ich habe mich die ganze Zeit gefragt, wann denn endlich der Thrill in diesem Thriller kommt.
Nun, er kam recht spät im Buch – und ließ mich nur einmal kurz mit den Augen zucken („Wie, da wurden jetzt zwei Menschen erschossen?“) bevor ich schlafend weitergelesen habe.
Mögen ja gute Ansätze vorhanden gewesen sein (die offensichtliche Kritik an der Putin´schen Vormachtstellung oder die Ausbeutung der natürlichen Ressourcen, „Krieg der Oligarchen“ etc.) – insgesamt hätte das aber in meinen Augen in eine maximal 10-seitige Kurzgeschichte gepasst.
Auch die holzschnittartigen Charaktere mit teilweise „Superkräften“ (Arkadi Renko kann tatsächlich Unterschall-Schüsse hören! – was für ein Held!!! *Ironie aus*) haben mich in keinster Weise berührt. Und Gevatter Zufall hatte auch ständig ziemlich unglaubwürdige Auftritte.
Nein, Herr Cruz Smith – es war schön, Sie kennenzulernen, aber genauso schnell werde ich Sie auch wieder vergessen.
1*
©kingofmusic
Manchmal sind sich die Sucht nach frischem Lesefutter und die Leidenschaft für Bücher selbst im Weg und stolpern über ihre eigenen Füße *rolleyes*…
So geschehen bei dem (für mich) bisher schlechtesten Buch 2021; namentlich „Die Spur des Bären“ (der übersetzte Originaltitel „The Siberian Dilemma“ wäre wahrscheinlich hilfreicher gewesen bei der Entscheidungsfindung, das Buch zu lesen oder nicht) von Martin Cruz Smith. Selbiger hat mit „Gorki Park“ einen angeblichen Klassiker geschrieben. Das kann und werde ich nicht beurteilen, denn so viel steht fest: einen weiteren Fall um Arkadi Renko (dies hier ist der 9. Fall) werde ich nicht lesen.
Da wird auf dem Frontcover mit einem markigen Aufkleber dafür geworben, dass Martin Cruz Smith „Der Meister der mörderisch spannenden Dramaturgie“ sei. Nun, äh – dem kann ich so ganz und gar nicht zustimmen. Es herrschte eher sibirisch-karge Langeweile vor. Wobei das der sibirischen Landschaft mit dem größten Süßwassersee der Welt, dem Baikal-See, höchstwahrscheinlich nicht gerecht wird. Egal. Ich habe mich die ganze Zeit gefragt, wann denn endlich der Thrill in diesem Thriller kommt.
Nun, er kam recht spät im Buch – und ließ mich nur einmal kurz mit den Augen zucken („Wie, da wurden jetzt zwei Menschen erschossen?“) bevor ich schlafend weitergelesen habe.
Mögen ja gute Ansätze vorhanden gewesen sein (die offensichtliche Kritik an der Putin´schen Vormachtstellung oder die Ausbeutung der natürlichen Ressourcen, „Krieg der Oligarchen“ etc.) – insgesamt hätte das aber in meinen Augen in eine maximal 10-seitige Kurzgeschichte gepasst.
Auch die holzschnittartigen Charaktere mit teilweise „Superkräften“ (Arkadi Renko kann tatsächlich Unterschall-Schüsse hören! – was für ein Held!!! *Ironie aus*) haben mich in keinster Weise berührt. Und Gevatter Zufall hatte auch ständig ziemlich unglaubwürdige Auftritte.
Nein, Herr Cruz Smith – es war schön, Sie kennenzulernen, aber genauso schnell werde ich Sie auch wieder vergessen.
1*
©kingofmusic
April 26, 2024
I laughed through parts; I enjoyed the Siberian setting and learning about Lake Baikul (containing more freshwater than the Great Lakes combined). This sequel was published six years after "Tatiana" but some indications were it only took place one year later: Arkady mentions only knowing her for less than a year and Zhenya was still 17 (page 22) but always had a new girlfriend (page 21) when he had only just met up with his first one the book before. There was mention of attending Castro's funeral in Cuba (which was in 2016) so three years later than the previous book but three lears before the publication date.
In a fiction the author has liberties but these incongruties side tracked me from appreciating the novel. As does Arkady's continual escapes from death becoming comparably preposterous to James Lee Burke characters in the Robicheaux series.
In a fiction the author has liberties but these incongruties side tracked me from appreciating the novel. As does Arkady's continual escapes from death becoming comparably preposterous to James Lee Burke characters in the Robicheaux series.
January 3, 2020
Enjoyable read, Arkady never disappoints, love the humour. Packed with intrigue, little romance and a bear hunt. Set in Siberia. Love it!!
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