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Porfiry Rostnikov #9
Hard Currency
When a former Russian advisor stands accused of murdering a female citizen in Cuba, Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov is dispatched to the former Soviet Unions one-time ally on a criminal investigation-cum-diplomatic mission. With a watchful KGB agent on his tail Rostnikov must grapple with his cunning Cuban counterpart as well as a perplexing murder scenario, to save face for his mother country.
Back in Russia a spate of grisly sexual-mutilation murders announces the return of a notorious serial killer to the streets of Moscow_ Relentless, obsessive Inspector Emil Karpo -- "the Vampire" -- leads the manhunt for the person whose mundane appearance hides the tormented, predatory soul of madman.
With little more than their principles and theft shaken patriotism to guide them, Rostnikov and his driven detectives struggle to uphold the law -- even as the entire globe rumbles with change....
Back in Russia a spate of grisly sexual-mutilation murders announces the return of a notorious serial killer to the streets of Moscow_ Relentless, obsessive Inspector Emil Karpo -- "the Vampire" -- leads the manhunt for the person whose mundane appearance hides the tormented, predatory soul of madman.
With little more than their principles and theft shaken patriotism to guide them, Rostnikov and his driven detectives struggle to uphold the law -- even as the entire globe rumbles with change....
243 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
34 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Stuart M. Kaminsky
161 books215 followersStuart M. Kaminsky wrote 50 published novels, 5 biographies, 4 textbooks and 35 short stories. He also has screenwriting credits on four produced films including ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, ENEMY TERRITORY, A WOMAN IN THE WIND and HIDDEN FEARS. He was a past president of the Mystery Writers of America and was nominated for six prestigious Edgar Allen Poe Awards including one for his short story “Snow” in 1999. He won an Edgar for his novel A COLD RED SUNRISE, which was also awarded the Prix De Roman D’Aventure of France. He was nominated for both a Shamus Award and a McCavity Readers Choice Award.
Kaminsky wrote several popular series including those featuring Lew Fonesca, Abraham Lieberman, Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, and Toby Peters. He also wrote two original "Rockford Files " novels. He was the 50th annual recipient of the Grandmaster 2006 for Lifetime Achievement from the Mystery Writers of America.
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2007.
His nonfiction books including BASIC FILMMAKING, WRITING FOR TELEVISION, AMERICAN FILM GENRES, and biographies of GARY COOPER, CLINT EASTWOOD, JOHN HUSTON and DON SIEGEL. BEHIND THE MYSTERY was published by Hot House Press in 2005 and nominated by Mystery Writers of America for Best Critical/Biographical book in 2006.
Kaminsky held a B.S. in Journalism and an M.A. in English from The University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Speech from Northwestern University where he taught for 16 years before becoming a Professor at Florida State. where he headed the Graduate Conservatory in Film and Television Production. He left Florida State in 1994 to pursue full-time writing.
Kaminsky and his wife, Enid Perll, moved to St. Louis, Missouri in March 2009 to await a liver transplant to treat the hepatitis he contracted as an army medic in the late 1950s in France. He suffered a stroke two days after their arrival in St. Louis, which made him ineligible for a transplant. He died on October 9, 2009.
Kaminsky wrote several popular series including those featuring Lew Fonesca, Abraham Lieberman, Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, and Toby Peters. He also wrote two original "Rockford Files " novels. He was the 50th annual recipient of the Grandmaster 2006 for Lifetime Achievement from the Mystery Writers of America.
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2007.
His nonfiction books including BASIC FILMMAKING, WRITING FOR TELEVISION, AMERICAN FILM GENRES, and biographies of GARY COOPER, CLINT EASTWOOD, JOHN HUSTON and DON SIEGEL. BEHIND THE MYSTERY was published by Hot House Press in 2005 and nominated by Mystery Writers of America for Best Critical/Biographical book in 2006.
Kaminsky held a B.S. in Journalism and an M.A. in English from The University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Speech from Northwestern University where he taught for 16 years before becoming a Professor at Florida State. where he headed the Graduate Conservatory in Film and Television Production. He left Florida State in 1994 to pursue full-time writing.
Kaminsky and his wife, Enid Perll, moved to St. Louis, Missouri in March 2009 to await a liver transplant to treat the hepatitis he contracted as an army medic in the late 1950s in France. He suffered a stroke two days after their arrival in St. Louis, which made him ineligible for a transplant. He died on October 9, 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 27, 2009
The main protagonist in this story is Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov, nicknamed the Washtub, because of his physique. He reminds me of Arkady Renko of Gorky Park, one of my favorite fictional characters.
Hard Currency is basically two stories, the first involving Rostnikov in an investigation of the murder of a Cuban woman supposedly committed by a Russian advisor in Havana. The second, the search for a serial killer headed up by Inspector Emil Karpo, nicknamed the Vampire.
While neither story is directly connected to the other, the switching back and forth is seamless. We are able to see the great differences in the two approaches to solving a puzzle. I was most impressed with Kaminsky's ability to keep both stories moving and not have one overwhelm the other.
The characters are interesting and well-drawn, Colonel Snitkonoy, the head of Rostnikov's bureau, nicknamed the Wolfhound, Major Sanchez, a Cuban police Major liaising with Rostnikov, Inspector Elena Timofeyeva, who is accompanying Rostnikov to Havana and especially Yevgeny Odom, the tortured serial killer. There are a number of equally interesting minor characters who keep popping up throughout the book.
The descriptions of Moscow and Havana are very well done. I felt like I was there. I especially enjoyed the description of Rostnikov's flight to Cuba in on Aeroflot, Russia's flag carrier, or as he put it, "the most accident prone airline in the world". The comparison of newly liberated Russia with still communist Cuba was humorous and most likely very accurate.
I have now added the other books in the series to my TBR list and I look forward to reading the next one.
Hard Currency is basically two stories, the first involving Rostnikov in an investigation of the murder of a Cuban woman supposedly committed by a Russian advisor in Havana. The second, the search for a serial killer headed up by Inspector Emil Karpo, nicknamed the Vampire.
While neither story is directly connected to the other, the switching back and forth is seamless. We are able to see the great differences in the two approaches to solving a puzzle. I was most impressed with Kaminsky's ability to keep both stories moving and not have one overwhelm the other.
The characters are interesting and well-drawn, Colonel Snitkonoy, the head of Rostnikov's bureau, nicknamed the Wolfhound, Major Sanchez, a Cuban police Major liaising with Rostnikov, Inspector Elena Timofeyeva, who is accompanying Rostnikov to Havana and especially Yevgeny Odom, the tortured serial killer. There are a number of equally interesting minor characters who keep popping up throughout the book.
The descriptions of Moscow and Havana are very well done. I felt like I was there. I especially enjoyed the description of Rostnikov's flight to Cuba in on Aeroflot, Russia's flag carrier, or as he put it, "the most accident prone airline in the world". The comparison of newly liberated Russia with still communist Cuba was humorous and most likely very accurate.
I have now added the other books in the series to my TBR list and I look forward to reading the next one.
October 15, 2022
O Inspector Rostnikov vai a Cuba com uma das assistentes e é a primeira vez que o vemos fora da Rússia Natal (já tinha saído de Moscovo noutras ocasiões, mas não do país. Enquanto isso, os outros dois membros da equipa procuram um assassino em série na capital.
October 24, 2023
FOLLOW A RUSSIAN DETECTIVE ON A MURDER CASE IN CASTRO'S CUBA
Sasha Tkach and Emil Karpo (“the Vampire”) are in Moscow, on the trail of a Russian serial killer with multiple personality disorder. And Karpo is also looking into the death of the Kazakhstani foreign minister, allegedly of natural causes. Meanwhile, their boss, Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov, has flown to Havana with their colleague, Elena Timofeyeva. They’ve been sent to investigate whether a Russian living there has killed a local woman, as the Cuban police insist. And all the while, the whole team’s superior, Colonel Snitkonoy (“the Gray Wolfhound”) frets about the pressure from above that threatens to undermine his little empire. He lives in fear that his investigative team will turn up something that will offend the powers that be. The fall of Communism three years earlier has changed the face of Russian government. But most of the same people still hold powerful positions. Welcome to the former Soviet Union in 1994!
COMMUNISM IN CHARGE, BEFORE AND AFTER
Thus opens Hard Currency, the ninth in Stuart Kaminsky’s sixteen-book series chronicling the career of Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov. The series spans the years from the time of Leonid Brezhnev to the era of Vladimir Putin. Along the way, the novels illuminate the suffering of the Russian people as, one after another, their leaders steer the country toward unattainable goals. Hard Currency is a little different in that it also offers us a picture of Communism in action in Cuba, three years after its demise in Russia. But these books are police procedurals, invariably including murder mysteries. And Hard Currency is no exception. All three cases the team is pursuing involve murders.
Of course, the case of the serial killer is the most extreme. The man—we learn early that he is, indeed, a man—has just murdered a young woman in Sokolniki Park. It’s “at least the thirty-fifth and probably the fortieth murder by the man.” But he may have gone too far this time. The victim is a member of the feared Capones youth gang. And now the police won’t be alone in chasing down the killer. The Capones are out to get him, too.
A REVEALING SCENE
There is a scene late in the novel when Colonel Snitkonoy appears before a tribunal in the Kremlin. They’ve summoned him to present the evidence Emil Karpo has assembled on one of the cases. It’s evidence that may well prove to be supremely embarrassing to one of the tribunal’s members, since he is likely to have ordered the killing Karpo had turned up. But through adroit oratorical skills, the colonel has explained to the tribunal how they might disregard the evidence.
“‘Your vigilance is appreciated,’ said the general” on the panel. “‘Please continue to bring to our attention any problem that might have serious consequences inside or outside our borders.’
“In his mind, the Wolfhound translated this as, ‘If you put us in an awkward position like this again, you shall suffer for it.'”
So it goes in Russia in 1994. Not much different from the Soviet Union of a decade earlier.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stuart Kaminsky’s obituary in the New York Times (October 13, 2009) reads in part as follows: “Stuart M. Kaminsky, a film scholar turned detective novelist who was widely known for his prodigious output, complex characters and rich evocations of time and place, including Hollywood in its Golden Age, died on Friday in St. Louis. He was 75.
“The author of more than 60 crime novels, Mr. Kaminsky typically wrote two or more books a year. A past president of the Mystery Writers of America, he was named a Grand Master, the organization’s highest honor, in 2006.
“Mr. Kaminsky made his mystery debut in 1977 with “Bullet for a Star” (St. Martin’s). The novel introduced Toby Peters, a down-at-the-heels private eye in the 1930s and ’40s. The setting is Hollywood.
“Stuart Melvin Kaminsky was born in Chicago on Sept. 29, 1934. Entering the University of Illinois on a soccer scholarship, he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1957, followed by a master’s in English literature in 1959. In 1972, he received a doctorate in film studies from Northwestern University.
“Joining the Northwestern faculty, Mr. Kaminsky taught film there until 1989. Afterward, he was the first director of the Graduate Film Conservatory at Florida State University, a position he held till 1994, when he left academia to write full time.”
Kaminsky wrote two other crime series in his three-decade writing career, including one featuring “a depressive process server working in Sarasota” as well as Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov.
Sasha Tkach and Emil Karpo (“the Vampire”) are in Moscow, on the trail of a Russian serial killer with multiple personality disorder. And Karpo is also looking into the death of the Kazakhstani foreign minister, allegedly of natural causes. Meanwhile, their boss, Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov, has flown to Havana with their colleague, Elena Timofeyeva. They’ve been sent to investigate whether a Russian living there has killed a local woman, as the Cuban police insist. And all the while, the whole team’s superior, Colonel Snitkonoy (“the Gray Wolfhound”) frets about the pressure from above that threatens to undermine his little empire. He lives in fear that his investigative team will turn up something that will offend the powers that be. The fall of Communism three years earlier has changed the face of Russian government. But most of the same people still hold powerful positions. Welcome to the former Soviet Union in 1994!
COMMUNISM IN CHARGE, BEFORE AND AFTER
Thus opens Hard Currency, the ninth in Stuart Kaminsky’s sixteen-book series chronicling the career of Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov. The series spans the years from the time of Leonid Brezhnev to the era of Vladimir Putin. Along the way, the novels illuminate the suffering of the Russian people as, one after another, their leaders steer the country toward unattainable goals. Hard Currency is a little different in that it also offers us a picture of Communism in action in Cuba, three years after its demise in Russia. But these books are police procedurals, invariably including murder mysteries. And Hard Currency is no exception. All three cases the team is pursuing involve murders.
Of course, the case of the serial killer is the most extreme. The man—we learn early that he is, indeed, a man—has just murdered a young woman in Sokolniki Park. It’s “at least the thirty-fifth and probably the fortieth murder by the man.” But he may have gone too far this time. The victim is a member of the feared Capones youth gang. And now the police won’t be alone in chasing down the killer. The Capones are out to get him, too.
A REVEALING SCENE
There is a scene late in the novel when Colonel Snitkonoy appears before a tribunal in the Kremlin. They’ve summoned him to present the evidence Emil Karpo has assembled on one of the cases. It’s evidence that may well prove to be supremely embarrassing to one of the tribunal’s members, since he is likely to have ordered the killing Karpo had turned up. But through adroit oratorical skills, the colonel has explained to the tribunal how they might disregard the evidence.
“‘Your vigilance is appreciated,’ said the general” on the panel. “‘Please continue to bring to our attention any problem that might have serious consequences inside or outside our borders.’
“In his mind, the Wolfhound translated this as, ‘If you put us in an awkward position like this again, you shall suffer for it.'”
So it goes in Russia in 1994. Not much different from the Soviet Union of a decade earlier.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stuart Kaminsky’s obituary in the New York Times (October 13, 2009) reads in part as follows: “Stuart M. Kaminsky, a film scholar turned detective novelist who was widely known for his prodigious output, complex characters and rich evocations of time and place, including Hollywood in its Golden Age, died on Friday in St. Louis. He was 75.
“The author of more than 60 crime novels, Mr. Kaminsky typically wrote two or more books a year. A past president of the Mystery Writers of America, he was named a Grand Master, the organization’s highest honor, in 2006.
“Mr. Kaminsky made his mystery debut in 1977 with “Bullet for a Star” (St. Martin’s). The novel introduced Toby Peters, a down-at-the-heels private eye in the 1930s and ’40s. The setting is Hollywood.
“Stuart Melvin Kaminsky was born in Chicago on Sept. 29, 1934. Entering the University of Illinois on a soccer scholarship, he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1957, followed by a master’s in English literature in 1959. In 1972, he received a doctorate in film studies from Northwestern University.
“Joining the Northwestern faculty, Mr. Kaminsky taught film there until 1989. Afterward, he was the first director of the Graduate Film Conservatory at Florida State University, a position he held till 1994, when he left academia to write full time.”
Kaminsky wrote two other crime series in his three-decade writing career, including one featuring “a depressive process server working in Sarasota” as well as Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov.
September 26, 2025
Stuart Kaminsky's "Hard Currency" is an enjoyable addition to the Rostnikov series. In it the protagonist of the series, inspector Porfiry Rostnikov, is dispatched to Havana from post-USSR breakup Moscow to investigate the murder of a young Cuban woman committed by a Russian who was employed at their embassy. A sub-plot involving Rostnikov's subordinate Karpo's search for Russia's greatest serial killer is deftly woven throughout but really deserved its own novel. Over the course of the main story we're treated to descriptions of the terrifying flight from Moscow to Cuba, Havana's neighborhoods, inscrutable members of the Havana police force, and religions. As usual in the series, political interference runs rampant as the Russian leaders are struggling to stay above ground after the breakup of their collection of nation-states and the Cubans are blaming the Russians for bailing out on them. Those were the good old days, I guess.... Typically, the crimes are solved but justice not really served.
I like everything about this series. The characters are memorable, especially Rostnikov with his damaged leg and droll statements and his charge Karpo (a.k.a. 'the Vampire'), an avowed communist with a computer mind and a way of dressing and acting that scares the crap out of everyone he encounters. For some reason, I picture American actor/comedian Richard Belzer when I think of Karpo. The time-frame is unique in that not a lot of literature is out there on the Soviet Union of that period and Kaminsky's descriptions of Moscow and its inhabitants seem perfectly cast. I also appreciate Rostnikov's dry sense of humor as he tries to keep his head above water and solve the crimes that are in front of him.
I like everything about this series. The characters are memorable, especially Rostnikov with his damaged leg and droll statements and his charge Karpo (a.k.a. 'the Vampire'), an avowed communist with a computer mind and a way of dressing and acting that scares the crap out of everyone he encounters. For some reason, I picture American actor/comedian Richard Belzer when I think of Karpo. The time-frame is unique in that not a lot of literature is out there on the Soviet Union of that period and Kaminsky's descriptions of Moscow and its inhabitants seem perfectly cast. I also appreciate Rostnikov's dry sense of humor as he tries to keep his head above water and solve the crimes that are in front of him.
November 16, 2017
This is a good entry in a fine series.
In this volume of the series, Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov and an assistant, attractive and humorless Elena Timofeyeva, are dispatched to Cuba to aid in the investigation of a Russian advisor working in Cuba who has been arrested for murder.
At the same time, two other members of Rostnikov's squad in Moscow, Emile Karpo and Sasha Tkach, are trying to track down a serial killer, suspected in the murders of forty young men and women.
Both cases are complex and fascinating. The settings in Moscow and Havana seem convincing to me (although, admittedly, I have never been to either city). I wish that there had been more information about Santería, a religion evidently very common in Cuba at that time, since it has an important part in the story.
As usual, Rostnikov comes across as a three-dimensional figure. I thought that the serial killer was convincingly depicted as well. (If you think about it, Rostnikov must be older than he appears to be. He is in constant pain from an injury he suffered fighting in World War II. This book seems to be set in the time that it was written, 1995, so Rostnikov must be at least in his mid-60's in this story.)
I have never read any of Stuart Kaminsky's much-praised "Abe Lieberman" series and I was not a fan of his "Toby Peters" books, but I strongly recommend the "Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov" series.
In this volume of the series, Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov and an assistant, attractive and humorless Elena Timofeyeva, are dispatched to Cuba to aid in the investigation of a Russian advisor working in Cuba who has been arrested for murder.
At the same time, two other members of Rostnikov's squad in Moscow, Emile Karpo and Sasha Tkach, are trying to track down a serial killer, suspected in the murders of forty young men and women.
Both cases are complex and fascinating. The settings in Moscow and Havana seem convincing to me (although, admittedly, I have never been to either city). I wish that there had been more information about Santería, a religion evidently very common in Cuba at that time, since it has an important part in the story.
As usual, Rostnikov comes across as a three-dimensional figure. I thought that the serial killer was convincingly depicted as well. (If you think about it, Rostnikov must be older than he appears to be. He is in constant pain from an injury he suffered fighting in World War II. This book seems to be set in the time that it was written, 1995, so Rostnikov must be at least in his mid-60's in this story.)
I have never read any of Stuart Kaminsky's much-praised "Abe Lieberman" series and I was not a fan of his "Toby Peters" books, but I strongly recommend the "Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov" series.
December 13, 2019
This, along with Death of a Russian Priest , is probably the best in the series so far. It was interesting to read how Rostnykov traverses the Cuban political landscape. The book actually has two entirely different investigations--the one carried on by Rostnykov and Elena, and the other by Karpo in Russia--but somehow, because both are intriguing, it works. Rostnykov's and Karpo's characters have been pretty static, but in this novel, we see a softer, more emotional side of Rostnykov and hints that Karpo is evolving as well. Although it has the required components of a mystery and a thriller, Kaminsky's contemplative narration is, as always, enjoyable.
August 22, 2020
Rostnikov Goes to Cuba
In this story, my favorite detective is sent to Cuba with a young detective who speaks Spanish to investigate allegations of murder against a Russian man, while Karpo and Tkatch are left in Moscow to investigate and catch a serial killer. Another enjoyable read in my favorite Kaminsky series after Abe Lieberman.
In this story, my favorite detective is sent to Cuba with a young detective who speaks Spanish to investigate allegations of murder against a Russian man, while Karpo and Tkatch are left in Moscow to investigate and catch a serial killer. Another enjoyable read in my favorite Kaminsky series after Abe Lieberman.
January 25, 2021
Third of this series and I'm enjoying it very much. This time Rostnikov travels to Cuba and we get a bit more exploring of places I'd like to visit one day. The usual format of multiple stories, politics both national and office, and more time with his eclectic and most interesting group of police. A delightful man who can fix a strangers plumbing or have a clandestine meeting with Castro.
March 5, 2018
Keeps getting better. Tighter. More depth. And wonderful description of a moment in Castro's Cuba.
May 21, 2019
The books in this series get better with each book. I really enjoyed this one.
June 29, 2019
reading about my favorite Russian detective is always a joy...sometimes bittersweet.
December 27, 2019
Fast-paced and fun, a spy story and a crazy serial killer juxtaposed.
April 19, 2020
The best of the series thus far. Really, really good.
October 13, 2022
The Rostnikov novels are a treat if you like to read about Russia. They are not new but mysteries are timeless and good writers are hard to find.
August 7, 2025
Cuba as USSR collapses was interesting but Elena’s actions not believable.
December 28, 2025
An engaging Porfiry Rostnikov mystery searching for a murderer in Cuba and a serial killer in Moscow. Always a good read.
October 13, 2013
Additional confirmation, for me anyway, that Kaminsky's Rostnikov stories improved with age. Both Rotsnikov and Karpo as they get older have evolved as characters. Karpo struggles with admitting he is human and that the Communist Party that he devoted his life to is no more (and that corruption was rampant in both the good old days and today) and Rostnikov as a father figure to his staff and a man who takes pleasure in things outside of his work (though he remains more devoted to justice than the law).
Rostnikov and Elena are sent to Cuba to investigate a murder. A member of the Russian embassy has murdered a Cuban woman and there are significant political implications to the case (aren't there always though in a Rostnikov story?). Karpo has deduced that a serial killer is haunting Moscow, and he believes he has the necessary insight to draw out and capture the man.
More and more these tales become about the people and the cultural settings (here Moscow and Havana). A great mystery, no. An engaging read about people going about their lives and work, yes.
Rostnikov and Elena are sent to Cuba to investigate a murder. A member of the Russian embassy has murdered a Cuban woman and there are significant political implications to the case (aren't there always though in a Rostnikov story?). Karpo has deduced that a serial killer is haunting Moscow, and he believes he has the necessary insight to draw out and capture the man.
More and more these tales become about the people and the cultural settings (here Moscow and Havana). A great mystery, no. An engaging read about people going about their lives and work, yes.
June 6, 2012
While some readers dislike that the two plots never intersected in Hard Currency, I didn't mind that. Both were excellent, suspenseful crime stories.
What did bother me was the minor errors in the Havana portion. The practitioners of the religion brought to Cuba by Yorubas are called "santeros," not "santerias." "Santeria" is the name of the religion. I was in La Floridita, a favorite watering hole of Hemingway's, in November 2000, and it didn't resemble the description in the book. It is my understanding that the bar -- basically, a shrine to Ernest Hemingway -- is unchanged from the 1940s. There were some other faulty descriptions of Havana, as well. It's as if Stuart M. Kaminsky's never been to Cuba but got muddled descriptions second-hand. It makes me wonder how true to life his Russia is.
What did bother me was the minor errors in the Havana portion. The practitioners of the religion brought to Cuba by Yorubas are called "santeros," not "santerias." "Santeria" is the name of the religion. I was in La Floridita, a favorite watering hole of Hemingway's, in November 2000, and it didn't resemble the description in the book. It is my understanding that the bar -- basically, a shrine to Ernest Hemingway -- is unchanged from the 1940s. There were some other faulty descriptions of Havana, as well. It's as if Stuart M. Kaminsky's never been to Cuba but got muddled descriptions second-hand. It makes me wonder how true to life his Russia is.
March 7, 2016
Sleuth Porfiry Rostnikov is a great character in the bleak Soviet world. This time he travels to Cuba to look into a case against a Russian, while during the parallel time his incongrous fellow detective the Vampire tracks down a sicko serial killer.
The gritty, weary feel of the post cold war Russia and post Russia Cuba is so well presented, and Porfiry Rostnikov is such a great character, that the novel cannot disappoint.
The mysteries are reasonably intricate and interesting. In the case of the serial killer, we know who the killer is, and the mystery is, how will the Vampire track him down?
First rate cold war-y sleuth detective stuff.
The gritty, weary feel of the post cold war Russia and post Russia Cuba is so well presented, and Porfiry Rostnikov is such a great character, that the novel cannot disappoint.
The mysteries are reasonably intricate and interesting. In the case of the serial killer, we know who the killer is, and the mystery is, how will the Vampire track him down?
First rate cold war-y sleuth detective stuff.
January 28, 2016
"We live in a world of unnecessary complexity," Rostnikov said as he rose. "It is the curse of being Russian. We don't believe that the mad world is sufficiently mad so we create even greater madness and then point to the chaos we have created as proof of our theory."
"We have a tragic history," Elena said.
"The greatest comedy is tragedy," he said. "Do you know who said that?"
"Lenin?"
"Gogol."
"We have a tragic history," Elena said.
"The greatest comedy is tragedy," he said. "Do you know who said that?"
"Lenin?"
"Gogol."
July 7, 2016
Continuing in the beat and flavor of the characters and detective story this one branches out reaching into Cuba a land of old, death, and mystery. A set of stories that holds true to the setting of Russian police detectives trying to do their job while protecting themselves and their homeland. A good read once again leaving readers to wonder.
May 19, 2022
This is another in the series of Porfiry Rostnikov mysteries by Stuart Kaminsky. This involves the investigations of a Russian accused of murder in Cuba and a serial killer in Moscow in the post-Soviet Russia. The main characters are criminal investigators. The stories are very readable and the characters are interesting and likeable. I always enjoys these mysteries.
June 19, 2015
rost and girl invest go to cuba to gind ig russian embassy guy killed cuban girlfriend. karpov goes after serial killer
February 2, 2016
Readable, entertaining mystery set in Cuba and Russia.
October 27, 2016
I enjoyed this book very much. My first Profiry Rostinkov mystery. A twin investigations occurring in Moscow and Havana; quite interesting book with interesting characters.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews