Red Square

Arkady Renko #3

by Martin Cruz Smith

In the summer of 1991, Arkady Renko has returned from exile and is back on the homicide squad in a newly democratic Moscow. When Arkady’s informant, Rudy Rosen, and his underworld bank-on-wheels are consumed in a ball of fire, Arkady finds himself in an investigation that points to the heart of Russia’s decaying infrastructure.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Russia, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Espionage

473 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Martin 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]

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent read. Martin Cruz Smith is that rarest of authors, a writer who turns the thriller genre into art. I would rank him with my beloved Alan Furst in terms of quality; the delicacy of his language, his witty dialogue, the you-are-there rendition of a particular time in history, the lyrical and sometimes heartbreaking realism of his characters.

[Ioana · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I was in love with Arkady, but after this, I'm over it. His endearing aloofness and cynical yet amused detachment so typical of the Eastern-European psyche is almost demolished in Red Square, as Cruz Smith unnecessarily leads us into Arkady's tormented-lover's soul. Making things worse, the pov becomes so confused: most of the time, we're led to observe Arkady instead of being party to his feelings or thoughts... with one exception: when he's thinking about Irina, it's all gushy insecure rot.

Also, the plot was incredibly complex and convoluted (I had to sketch a character-plot diagram to keep track of everyone's relationship and involvements), to the slight detriment of the story. Complexity is good but not when it strays in the realm of such obtuseness that you're asking yourself "WTF is going on" for a majority of reading-time. Still, one thing Cruz Smith does well in Red Square (as in the others in the series) is that he is SUBTLE (I tend to be repulsed by American "pulp" that bashes you over the head with what each character is thinking, feeling, and that comments extensively on all happenings).

Overall though, Cruz Smith is a fabulous master of atmosphere, and it was as always, good to have the opportunity to immerse in the Europe of my youth. And to learn cool random things along the way, like about Russian painting and art smuggling post WW2, Radio Liberty, Chechnya, the Russian mafia, and the like.

[D'Ailleurs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Είναι πραγματικά κρίμα που ο MCS δεν συγκαταλέγεται ανάμεσα στους καλύτερους συγγραφείς αστυνομικών μυθηστορημάτων. Ενδεχομένως ίσως και να χάνεται μέσα στον οχετό αλλά είναι άξιο απορίας πως τα "λαγωνικά" του είδους δεν τον έχουν ξεχωρίσει. Ίσως να φταίει το γεγονός ότι στην χώρα μας τα βιβλία του κυκλοφόρησαν σε ευτελείς εκδόσεις τσέπης (από αυτές που χαρακτηρίζονται ως παραλογοτεχνία) και ίσως επειδή την σημερινή εποχή του το αστυνομικό μυθηστόρημα είναι αναγνωστικό trend, να μην κυκλοφορεί βιβλία με τον ακατάπαυστο ρυθμό που κάνουν οι ανταγωνιστές του.

Σε κάθε περίπτωση η αρχική τριλογία (Γκόρκι Πάρκ-Πολικός Αστέρας-Κόκκινη Πλατεία) αξίζει να την διαβάσετε, όχι τόσο λόγω της αστυνομικής μαεστρίας αλλά λόγω της εκλεκτισμένης λογοτεχνικής πρόζας, με πάμπολες αναφορές σε Στάινμπεκ, των γλαφυρών περιγραφών της ζωής στα Σόβιετ και κυρίως λόγω του παλιομοδίτικου αέρα Τσάντλερ/Χάμμετ/Μπερνέτ που αποπνέει. Ο ήρωας του, Αρκάντι Ρένκο, είναι ήρωας παλιάς κοπής, κυνικός, παραδομένος σε ένα διευθαρμένο σύστημα που προσπαθεί να πολεμίσει αλλά γνωρίζει ότι δεν πρόκειται να νικήσει ποτέ. Μέσα από την ιστορία του βλέπουμε την πτώση της Σοβιετικής Ένωσης και τις επιπτώσεις που είχε στους κατοίκους της.

Το βιβλίο είναι αρκετά μεγάλο σε όγκο, πυκνογραμμένο, αναμφιόβλα κάνει μια κοιλιά αλλά είναι άκρως απολαυστικλό. Ο σαρκασμός του Σμίθ έρχεται σε αντίθεση με τον ευαίσθητο Ρένκο κάντοντας την ανάγνωση άκρως απολαυστική σε αρκετά σημεία. Βρείτε το και διαβάστε το και μακάρι να επανκυκλοφορίσει το έργο του Σμίθ σε καλύτερες εκδόσεις.

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 2 out of 5]

RED SQUARE is the third Arkady Renko novel by Martin Cruz Smith. Book One was GORKY PARK published in 1981. It is now a decade later, the eve of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. That dissolution is foreshadowed in numerous scenes. The “New Moscow” is littered with heavy machinery and material mired in mud and construction that never seems to reach completion. The lines in the shops are long; the store shelves mostly empty. The new center of commerce is the black market. It's midnight. “Here were cartons of Marlboros, Winstons, Rothmans, even despised Cuban cigarettes stacked as high as walls. Videotapes of American action or Swedish porn sold by the gross for distribution. Polish glassware glittered in factory crates. Two men in running suits arranged not windshield wipers, but whole windshields, and not merely carved out of some poor sot's car, but new, straight from the assembly line. And food! Not blue chicken dead of malnutrition, but whole slabs of marbled beef hanging in a butcher's truck.” The map of Moscow is a patchwork of criminal fiefdoms: the Lyubertsky mafia, dispossessed workers peddling protection; the Long Pond mafia ruling the wharves; Chechins building a network of organized crime with a cadaverous tribal chieftain named Makhmoud at its top; the Baumanskaya mafia in the heart of Moscow; and Kazans running drugs and prostitution rings in the streets. Every day Rudy Rosen makes his rounds among these cliques, exchanging currency, laundering money, skimming and cutting illicit deals — “The circuit of a modern Moscow businessman, always trailed by Kim [his bodyguard] on the motorcycle like a cat's tail." (p.31)

Renko has been recalled from exile and reinstated in the Criminal Investigation Division. There have been changes in the CID as well. The new city prosecutor is a slick politico named Rodionov; Renko's team includes a cynical Estonian named Jaak and a political hack named Minin whom Arkady distrusts.

Renko and Jaak have outfitted Rudy with a wire. Minutes after Arkady exits Rudy's car to make a repair on the transmitter, two blasts decimate the car and incinerate Rudy. The first blast was unusually forceful and seems to have ignited spontaneously. There are no obvious suspects. Rudy performed valuable services for the crime world. The only leads are a mysterious blond woman seen in the car with Rudy shortly before the blast, and Kim, Rudy's motorcycle riding bodyguard. A witness claims he saw Kim throw something into the car before the second blast. The case will require a lot of footwork as Rudy and Jaak explore Kim's many shady haunts, search Rudy's apartment, and interrogate his regular business associates. Eventually, the trail will even lead to Munich and Berlin. Since this is Russia, the trail will lead to government corruption, double-dealing, high-stakes organized crime and a succession of murders.

A second thread is romantic. Arkady is still obsessed with Irina who successfully defected in GORKY PARK. She now works for Radio Liberty and most nights Arkady tunes into the station just to hear her voice.

I have enjoyed other books from this series immensely. In this book, however, I found the romantic thread a distraction from the investigation which is supposed to be propelling the plot. The plot, meanwhile, is unusually complicated and key questions keep shifting. The romance was not only unbelievable, but diluted the intensity of the investigation. By the time all the pieces are tied together, it was hard for me to care.

As in the other books, the scenes of Moscow and its environs were vivid. In contrast the ones from Munich and Berlin felt superficial.

One of the strengths of the series is the creation of interesting secondary characters. Here, a hyper efficient underemployed pathologist named Polina is added to that roster. Arkady finds her checking Rudy's apartment for prints and reminds her that is not part of her job. She counters that she has both the time and superior qualifications. The retort silences him. Later, she conducts a series of experiments to solve the mystery of the car explosion. A second interesting character is introduced in the Munich section. The grandson of a German banker coincidentally turns out to be a Munich police officer. While initially suspicious of Arkady, he quickly realizes that an attempt is being made to manipulate him and deport Arkady. His intelligence couples neatly with Arkady's mordant wit.

I give this book two stars because the author is capable of much much better writing.

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the beginning was a little slow and that maybe my enthusiasm for this series was misplaced. But it didn't take overly long for me to realize I just needed a little patience.

Arkady Renko is back in Moscow and seems to have been again accepted as a loyal and reliable investigator. Arkady has befriended Rudy Rosen, but for what reason is never clear. Rosen is a "banker" to the Soviet mafia. Although most Russian buyers of the radios, TVs and other assorted items from the west have only rubles, it is US dollars and Deutsche Marks that are needed to make purchases. Rudy becomes the monetary exchange. He works out of his car and provides his services at the late night market. His last night in business his car becomes a fiery conflagation - with him in it.

Arkady happened to be there when it happened. Of course he wants to investigate. His superiors think the murder of this criminal beneath the time and energy to do so. Can we be surprised that Arkady finds himself on the outs with his superiors?

It isn't that Arkady is always one step ahead of this reader in figuring out which leads to follow. He is always about 5 steps ahead of me. I am fascinated about where his instincts take him. This series is far from literature, of course and I try to reserve that 5th star for my very best, mostly non-mystery reads. This ride was definitely worth 4-stars and I can hardly wait to see what happens in the next one, titled Havana Bay.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Inspector Arkady Renko
SETTING: Moscow; Germany
SERIES: #4
RATING: 3.5
WHY: It’s 1991, and Russia has undergone a leadership change and appears to be opening up. Disgraced investigator Arkady Renko is invited to return to his old job, a decision that will cause much regret to those in power. At the moment, he is working with a mafia banker Rudy Rosen who is his informant. When Rosen is blown up while transacting business at a black market location, Renko goes into a full scaled investigation. At question is a cryptic fax which says “Where is Red Square?” Finding the answer to that question brings Renko to Munich, where he tries to reconnect with the love of his life, Irina Asanova, who is now a famed radio performer for Radio Liberty. The quest then leads him to Berlin. The contrast between life in Russia and the comparatively rich, luxurious German lifestyle is dramatic. There is a plethora of characters who represent all steps of the goodness/badness scale, most notably journalist Max Ablov who is by turns helpful and dangerous. I didn’t really understand why the Rosen case was so important to Renko, other than to avenge the death of his partner, and the lengths he went to to find justice. The scope of the book was vast, and the portrayal of life at the time illuminating. The book concludes with a vivid scene of the people of Moscow reacting to the latest coup in a rare display of unity.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a little torn on what to rate this. I think this book's predecessor, Polar Star, was just so good this one might suffer a bit in comparison. Nevertheless, I still remain a fan of Smith's gift with prose, his cast of compelling characters and his ability to make the reader really live in the Russian and German mindsets in the era between the Wall's collapse and the dissolution of the USSR.

The book has multiple story lines that converge. One is Renko's investigation of the murder of an informant. Another is his reaction to hearing his great love Irina (the woman he helped defect in the first book, Gorky Park) on Radio Liberty in Munich. The third is the state of Moscow in the twilight of the USSR. The story takes place during August, 1991 in the days leading up to the famous August Coup. The mystery is a typical Cruz Smith labyrinth. My advice is the fewer sittings you can read this in, the better. Of course, once you get past a certain point you won't want to stop.

My main complaint is in the previous book, Renko was living essentially in exile on a factory fishing ship in the Bering sea. Although its ending suggests that he has been forgiven by Moscow, this book opens with him back in his old job as an investigator for the City Prosecutor with no mention of how he got from there to here other than a few asides about how he is considered rehabilitated by the Party. It does lead to one very funny misunderstanding between Renko and his new Boss at a murder scene.

Despite any quibbles, I can't give this book less than four stars. Other than the aforementioned qualities I love about Smith, this book had a great ending.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really impressed with M. Cruz Smith. I think he's underrated and I am not sure why. He has more in common with Graham Greene that your average thriller writer. British crime writer Val McDermid says he is "one of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe". I'm not a writer but I can see what she means (it's from a great article on MCSmith in the Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/...). He's in the same class as LeCarre, except it's better procedural, as one would expect from a writer whose professed major influence is Sjowall and Wahloo.

This book covers so much and in so many different settings, and really brings you right into a very turbulent time in history. It certainly ends in a completely unexpected place (I had no idea that modern art would be important later, not with the opening bombing of a money lender's car/office).

Investigating the corruption of official systems is Renko's brief; his mix of idealism and fatalism seems to reflect the greats of Russian literature. At the same time, he skillfully explores the existential side of love and relationships. In both cases he soldiers on against great odds and with no hope of obtaining his ideal, where the ideal itself may not be real (a just Russian authority/meeting his beautiful ex again) -- an example of what KGB psychiatrists refer to as "Pathoheterodoxy Syndrome", invented by MCSmith :

"You have unreal expectations… You overestimate your personal powers. You feel isolated from society. You swing from excitement to sadness. You mistrust the people who most want to help you. You resent authority even when you represent it. You think you are the exception to every rule. You underestimate the collective intelligence. What is right is wrong and what is wrong is right."

And yet, though byzantine plots, Renko does achieve the ideal, if only briefly.

That's not to say there are some clunkers in this. A shooting murder takes place unwitnessed next to a tank brigade, a major and convenient character is introduced inorganically and unbelievably, the last plot event smacks of deus ex machina, or maybe chechen ex machina gunna.

Yet that can be forgiven. MCSmith surprises; E.g., when dishevelled and penniless Renko is wandering around wealthy Munchen was more convincing than Hamsun.

Overall, I am astonished not only by his straight thriller craft but his incredible research skills and his ability to use them as engines for his character development and plotting.

Here's a great article:

Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko series: A trail of clues to the Russian soul http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/art...

[Antonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

i am not quite sure what to think - nor what it actually was about. one might argue that that was exactly what the author intended what with the upheaval in the soviet union at the time and the people caught up in it but personally i don't really like it when i don't know by the end what the crime was all about (and why??? besides greed... and who did business with whom? not sure). maybe it would have helped to know more about the history of the late 80s and early 90s. also: if you put in some german sentences and place names do please check with a german that it is all correct. in berlin it is not "grünewald" but "grunewald" - yes, we love our umlauts but not that much that we put them on every word. and that was only one of the mistakes. sloppy.
however, as the books before in the series (Gorky Park, Polar Star) it was excellently written and the inspector is a great character.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

In every respect, a magnificent detective novel. Usually by Book #3 in a mystery series, you expect the author to start resting on his or her laurels a bit, but, with RED SQUARE, Martin Cruz Smith delivers us his bleakest, most cerebral Arkady Renko adventure yet. The series' main characters continue to develop in natural-but-exciting ways, and Renko himself is rapidly becoming my favorite literary character outside of James Bond. Smith's prose never falters, embodying an incredible literary sophistication without ever coming across at-all pretentious. It's a book that demands some effort on the part of its readers, but it all pays off handsomely in the end. It's a subtle, understated read, yet packs a substantial emotional wallop.
If it sounds like I'm gushing, it's because I am. From the writing, to the plot, to the character development, to the romance, to the political insights, to the action and suspense, to the memorable sex scene, I'm in total awe of RED SQUARE.

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up with my parents getting a succession of Cold War spy thrillers from the library every two weeks, where the evil agents of the Soviet Union enacted arcane and incomprehensible plots against The West that often resulted in a climactic and suspenseful climax involving the threat of global thermonuclear war. It tends to shape your perceptions a little, and I got into the habit of reading the last page of these books to see if the world survived, perhaps hoping to read auguries of our likely future, and mostly the spies and the soldiers of the West saved the day. Though not always.

Anyway, Gorky Park comes along, a police thriller set in Russia with Russian characters and a Russian hero and apparently nothing to do with global thermonuclear war and it felt like an anomaly. I never read it, just in case the world sneakily blew up halfway through, but I saw the film. Russian life from a Russian POV as portrayed by a western author. Weird.

So I recently rewatched the film on Netflix and that spurred me to order up Red Square from the library, since at some point in the intervening years I did read Polar Star. And... wow.

Though written near enough to contemporaneous with events, this has the feel of a historical thriller that engages in carefully and meticulous world-building to recreate a lost period - the sights, sounds, smells and lives of Russia after the fall of the Wall, with the people wretched and starving, queuing endlessly for food and vodka, gangs on rise and gangster hypercapitalism revving up to its various excesses.

Arkady Renko, back from exile in Siberia, now with his own team. When an informant is murdered horribly one night at a black market he finds himself pushing against all the usual sorts of official and unofficial resistance, even rediscovering the voice of his lost love. Renko follows the tangled bloody trail with dogged determination, all the way to a climax on the steps of the Moscow White House during the coup.

This is so astonishingly well-written, it's almost mesmerising. I'm definitely getting the rest of the books in the series, and might even loop back to the first two. Its possible the world will blow up before I get to the end, or perhaps that's just another silly childhood fear.

[Aniruddha-isb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading this book. Red Square, the sequel to Gorky Park and Polar Star, demonstrates the author's ability to skillfully create a rich set of characters, give a vivid description of the locale, through the use of strong visual imagery, and juggle multiple plot twists that keeps the reader, such as myself, on edge of his seat and building excitement at each plot twist. The plot is driven forward by the multi faceted protagonist of the novel, Arkady Renko, who is crafted by the author as intelligent, compassionate and serious. The novel is set in the early 1990's, during the time when the social and economic structure of the Soviet Union begins to break down. In the novel, Renko works as an investigator, for the Soviet police force, trying to get rid of unlawful traders, when his informant dies in a freak accident. When Renko is at his informant's flat, he finds a message in a fax machine, asking the question, "Where is the Red Square". Renko's encounter with the fax machine marks the first major plot twist, as he now quests to find the Red Square, which in actuality, is a painting, rather than a  location,  which surfaced in the black market.  The plot twists on numerous other occasions, another major one being the transposition of the plot to the August Coup, which takes place in and around the Red Square. Thus the "Red Square" has a dual significance in the novel, one where the Red Square is a painting, and the other where the Red Square is a physical landmark. Overall, this is an excellent and extraordinary novel, and I must commend the author on his ability to write such a gripping novel.

[Ron]

Seldom have I been so disappointed in a book as I was in Red Square. I read Gorky Park many years ago and loved it. Didn't know there was a Arkady Renko series until about a year ago. When I did, I got ahold of Polar Star and read it. OK, not as good as Gorky Park , but, still, a good book to read. Now, I've read the 3rd in the series in Red Square and I believe that I am done with this series. Thought the plot, and action, dragged on and on. Difficult to read because of the seemingly disjointed pov and points of interest. Characters weren't believable in a lot of cases. In others, I just didn't care. The love interest Arkady has for Irina was carried out ad nauseum. By the end of the book, I just didn't care anymore whether they ever saw each other again. If they do, I just won't be around to see it.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much as I really like Martin Cruz Smith and this series, I confess I was a little disappointed in this. (It didn't stop me from racing through it--but on reflection, it seems lesser) Even one of my all-time favorite narrators, the late Frank Muller, disappoints. Arkady is in Munich staying at a pension--but Muller pronounces it like the money you save for retirement. Over and over. It's a decent spy story and it does highlight Renko's reckless disregard for all the rules, but he's obsessed by the actress whom he allowed to escape in Gorky Park--and he finds her again here. (Now, of course, having seen the movie of Gorky Park isn't enough; I need to go back and reread the book.) I did enjoy traveling back to Munich and Berlin with him--real sense of place. And there's a strong sense of the times; this is set just after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Interesting times and decent book; I just expect more from Smith.

[Diana Pope · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I was excited to read this, I was really disappointed in the plot of this book. The historical context behind the book is intriguing, but the author seems to solely focus on the historical events at points and ignore laying out the proper details that will capture the reader's interest. The beginning of the book is incredibly confusing because a whirlwind of murders occur in the first chapter. After that, Detective Renko can't quite decide whether he wants to chase after Irina or solve the murders. Frankly, the book was frustrating at times, and moved at a slow pace after the first chapter.

[Jim Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the previous two novels in the series, this novel is very well written with a complex plot and interesting characters. It is meticulously researched and interesting as much as historical fiction as it is a murder mystery/thriller. That being said, I'm starting to see a pattern to these books.

1. Main character starts to investigate a murder, and he uncovers some potentially embarrassing evidence which points to some sort of corruption within the Soviet elite.
2. He is reassigned/exiled/threated/attacked to stop his investigation.
3. He continues to investigate despite the threats and official castigation. He plods his way along,
not giving away any clues but quietly remembering things.
4. There are 3 location changes and 2-3 plot twists.
5. He solves the murder and the bad guy generally dies a horrible death mostly his own fault.

But if you read Agatha Christie or Sue Grafton, they too have a formula that works. So, don't toss the formula if you like it.

I'm probably not going to start on #4 (Havana Bay) for a while. I need a break.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

At one point in Red Square, by Martin Cruz Smith, one of Arkady Renko’s temporary partners turns to the battered detective and asks, “Renko, do you ever feel like the plague?” (248*). At this point, Renko has been attacked a couple of times. His partner in Moscow has been killed. A couple of witnesses had been killed after talking to him. And, oh yeah, the Soviet Union is going to collapse any day. Renko spends most of this book in Munich and Berlin, so there’s a real chance that his country won’t be there when he returns...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

I abandoned this book about 20% into it, mainly because I just couldn't get interested. I have read several other books by Martin Cruz Smith long ago and really liked them (in particular, Gorky Park). The main character, Arkady Renko, is an interesting person, and well worth reading about. However, I found the interminable descriptive passages describing the setting and the mood to be poetic, but boring. I kept waiting for the plot to develop, or something to happen, but it never happened. I know that Smith can be a very good writer, but this book didn't seem to be worth finishing!

[Robert Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Cruz Smith's prose is crisp and easily devoured. It's not as poetically polished as more recent contributors to the international espionage mystery, like Alan Furst. His characters don't jump off the page with the liveliness of a le Carre novel, but they come close.

Renko is a classic noir stereotype with a wounded Russian exterior. Gorky Park sparked my Russophilism way back when I was teenager, so I owe Mr. Cruz Smith and Arkady Renko a lot. This was a fitting end to the latter's story of disillusioned love and exile.

[Steven jb · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book, I did not think it was quite as good as Polar Star or Gorky Park. The relationship between Irina and Renko was touching and I enjoyed the growing friendship between Renko and Peter. The strength of this series is the slow steady development of the mystery, the skills of Renko, the insightful descriptions of Russia, and particularly the interesting characters. The ending of this novel was particularly strong. 4.3 stars

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

# 3 in the Arcady Renko series. Slow start (for me). Intense tale set in Russia, Berlin and Munich, during the late Glasnost period, about the murder of a smuggler and private banker operating out of his car. Became steadily pulled into the story and really appreciated the vivid depiction of life in Germany a year after teardown of the the Berlin Wall and the last days of Gorbachev's Russia. Look forward to reading 'Havana Square,' the next in the series.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Either I like an Arkady book or I don't. Does not seem to be an in between. I just could not for the life of hold any concentration reading this one, in fact that has been a trait of most of Smith's Renko books. Life's too short to continue. So perhaps this is my last as it has been downhill since Gorky Park though I did enjoy Stalin's Ghost. Oh, horrors. I have two more unread one's on my bookshelf.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare to find such good writing married to such tight plotting, and I enjoyed this instalment just as much as Gorky Park. As before, the scene-setting is vivid - this time we see Munich and the newly-reunited Berlin as well as Moscow - and there's a strong sense of theme and symbolism.

[Asghar Abbas · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OKish but meh.

I like the novelty of these storylines but Smith definitely overstayed his welcome. Too grim and so serious. Russians have joy too.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this years ago. Honestly, though, I can't remember it well enough to rate it.

[Hermien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be biased but I love this series with our reluctant hero Arkady who cannot keep himself out of trouble.

[Brucie · Rating 4 out of 5]

superb. my top 5 fictional heroes: Arkady Renko, George Smiley, Matt Scudder, Virgil Flowers, Jack Reacher, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read the first two in the Arkady Renko series, about a homicide detective (“Investigator”) in Moscow; “Gorky Park” (which was made into a quite good movie starring Lee Marvin) and “Polar Star” (in which Arkady solves a murder aboard a fishing tender ship where he is working after being arrested, sent to a gulag, and tortured for committing a political crime). In the third (of eight so far, I think), he has worked his way back to Investigator status, mostly because he is a brilliant detective with political connections.

This story is set in the early 1990’s, during the breakup of the Soviet Union and the “fall” of Communism, with all their nasty political, economic and criminal aspects. Although there is a lot of supposed change for the better, one of the characters summarizes the situation in this way:

“A coup? It might be happening in Burma, darkest Africa, the Moon. The majority of people were too exhausted. If there was shooting in the streets, they would still stand in line. They were sleepwalkers, and at this sunset Moscow was the center of sleep.”

Arkady has been assigned to investigate a number of illegal smuggling and trades of electronic equipment. His main informant, Rudy Rosen, banker to the Russian Mafia, is killed in a car bomb. Rosen’s bodyguard, a man named Kim, has fled the scene and is the chief suspect. When Arkady investigates Rosen’s apartment he finds a Fax asking, “Where is Red Square?” Arkady’s investigations point to said Russian mafia, as well as several other organized-crime competitors including Chechens. The plot takes us from Moscow to Berlin and Munich (where Arkady has a sort of reunion with his old love, Irina Asanova, who is working for an anti-government radio station), and back to Moscow. There is a good deal of international intrigue, unappealing political and just plain criminal types, and at least three meanings of the term, “Red Square” to parcel out.

While the backdrop for this complex murder mystery is intriguing, and while I like old Arkady, mostly because of his cynicism, I found the action slow and somewhat disappointing, to my surprise. So, three stars for “Red Square,” but with a promise to myself to pursue the other five (so far) Arkady Renko books.

[Jim B · Rating 5 out of 5]

In retirement, I have returned to reading books in addition to listening to audio books. It's a life decision equivalent to saying, "Life is too short not to enjoy a good steak regularly." When I choose a book to read, I'm choosy - I want it to be an author whose descriptive powers need to be savored. I'm glad I have waited for years to return to the Arkady Renko series, because I wanted to enjoy the details.

Red Square did not disappoint. I've never lived in Russia, but secretly accompanying Arkady on his investigations has given me the feeling that I had another, darker life, in which I observed first hand the frustrations of a good investigator under the limitations of the Soviet system. For example, imagine stopping in a used goods / thrift store to buy a lightbulb that is burned out. Why would anyone sell such a thing, and who would buy it? It's a actually a very good insight into daily life when Arkady has a need for one, a need that was common at that time . . .

I love a good title. Martin Cruz Smith had a fun with the title Red Square and as a result, the reader learns how foreign language translation problems can help solve a crime.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another entertaining entry in the Renko series. Much of this novel is a character study of the Russian inspector and occasionally that results in the pacing of the main story to be a bit sluggish. The romantic aspect of the story was well presented and realistic. The author used humor very effectively when needed.