Gorky Park

Rating:
Summary: start of a terrific series
Review: It was unfortunate I saw the Hollywood version of "Gorky Park" before reading the novel. The film does not do justice to the main character or the storyline. It cannot compare to the book! After reading "Polar Star" and Red Square", the second and third installments of the series, I picked up the original and loved it. More recently, "Havana Bay" was published, and later this year a long-awaited fifth novel, "Wolves Eat Dogs", will be released. Arkady Renko, the protagonist of the series, is an honest, dedicated, hard-working Ukrainian cop. When he was Chief Homicide Inspector for the Moscow Prosecutor's Office, he took charge of a grisly murder case involving the international fur trade. Very quickly, he fell afoul of the KGB. That's how his troubles began, which pursue him throughout all four novels. I recommend this series highly. The settings are supurbly drawn -- from snowbound Moscow to an Arctic Sea fish processing ship, from a steam-filled banya to the steamy port of Havana. Wherever he goes, Arkady brings his cynical love-hate relationship with the Soviet system which often impedes his work. Like Columbo, he outsmarts the sly evil-doers while seemingly fumbling his way along the investigation. And he has more lives than the proverbial cat as his sleuthing lands him in the most lethal stews! Author Martin Cruz Smith has created one of the most likable protagonists in police fiction. Cleverly writing the character as just "Arkady" -- intimately using his first name -- helps endear him to the reader. We care for Arkady because of his moral strengths, his humility and compassion, and despite his weaknesses. Along the way, Arkady has fallen obsessively in love with the most unsuitable woman imaginable: an obnoxious, abrasive dissident who not only treats him like dirt and breaks his heart, but is the cause of his political woes. It is hard to lament in the least her later demise! But we sympathize with our hero's suffering and rejoice in his small rewards. Reward yourself by reading this exceptional series, beginning with "Gorky Park"!

Rating:
Summary: start of a terrific series
Review: It was unfortunate I saw the Hollywood version of "Gorky Park" before reading the novel. The film does not do justice to the main character or the storyline. It cannot compare to the book! After reading "Polar Star" and Red Square", the second and third installments of the series, I picked up the original and loved it. More recently, "Havana Bay" was published, and later this year a long-awaited fifth novel, "Wolves Eat Dogs", will be released. Arkady Renko, the protagonist of the series, is an honest, dedicated, hard-working Ukrainian cop. When he was Chief Homicide Inspector for the Moscow Prosecutor's Office, he took charge of a grisly murder case involving the international fur trade. Very quickly, he fell afoul of the KGB. That's how his troubles began, which pursue him throughout all four novels. I recommend this series highly. The settings are supurbly drawn -- from snowbound Moscow to an Arctic Sea fish processing ship, from a steam-filled banya to the steamy port of Havana. Wherever he goes, Arkady brings his cynical love-hate relationship with the Soviet system which often impedes his work. Like Columbo, he outsmarts the sly evil-doers while seemingly fumbling his way along the investigation. And he has more lives than the proverbial cat as his sleuthing lands him in the most lethal stews! Author Martin Cruz Smith has created one of the most likable protagonists in police fiction. Cleverly writing the character as just "Arkady" -- intimately using his first name -- helps endear him to the reader. We care for Arkady because of his moral strengths, his humility and compassion, and despite his weaknesses. Along the way, Arkady has fallen obsessively in love with the most unsuitable woman imaginable: an obnoxious, abrasive dissident who not only treats him like dirt and breaks his heart, but is the cause of his political woes. It is hard to lament in the least her later demise! But we sympathize with our hero's suffering and rejoice in his small rewards. Reward yourself by reading this exceptional series, beginning with "Gorky Park"!

Rating:
Summary: Martin Cruz Smith creates a great character in Arkady Renko
Review: It's Arkady Renko at odds with power, corruption and intrigue. Martin Cruz Smith hit the nail on the head with this story. Not just your typical spy-crime thriller, Gorky Park delves into the heart and mind of what it meant to be a Russian approaching the era of new capitolism.

Renko, investigating a grisly triple murder in the heart of Moscow's famous Gorky Park, is certain he has stumbled into the work of the KGB. He is the prototypical man of principle awash in a compromising world, where the rules change daily, power and influence corrupt on both sides of the Atlantic, and pargons of virtue pose a threat to all.

I guarantee that you will love this book and quickly continue on with the following three sequels.

Rating:
Summary: martin Cruz Smith's at his BEST
Review: Many writers today find a successful formula and stick to it... over and over. The only thing the same from Martin Cruz Smith's works are their high level of excitement, interesting characters and plot development. Gorky Park is Smith's BEST work to date. What he does best is gives the reader an insiders' view of a society totally different than what the audience is used to. And introduces his characters to his readers as if we had been their friends (or enemies) for years.
Whether it be Los Alamos during the development of Man's deadliest weapon in Stallion Gate, Cuba in Havana Bay, Japan in December 4th: A Novel, or Moscow in Gorky Park, with his characters on the verge of an exciting adventure for the reader to be a part of.
I enjoy Smith's books. Gorky Park is THE mystery novel I judge all other mysteries and mystery writers by. Some mysteries I consume like potato chips or pretzels. Very, VERY few do I savor each page as I did Gorky Park!

John Row

Rating:
Summary: martin Cruz Smith's at his BEST
Review: Many writers today find a successful formula and stick to it... over and over. The only thing the same from Martin Cruz Smith's works are their high level of excitement, interesting characters and plot development. Gorky Park is Smith's BEST work to date. What he does best is gives the reader an insiders' view of a society totally different than what the audience is used to. And introduces his characters to his readers as if we had been their friends (or enemies) for years.
Whether it be Los Alamos during the development of Man's deadliest weapon in Stallion Gate, Cuba in Havana Bay, Japan in December 4th: A Novel, or Moscow in Gorky Park, with his characters on the verge of an exciting adventure for the reader to be a part of.
I enjoy Smith's books. Gorky Park is THE mystery novel I judge all other mysteries and mystery writers by. Some mysteries I consume like potato chips or pretzels. Very, VERY few do I savor each page as I did Gorky Park!

John Row

Rating:
Summary: Worth getting through it - I think
Review: Mine was a hard cover book. After reading about 1/3 of the book, I almost gave up. However, after completing the book, I must admit that it was very interesting and different from anything I have ever read. My husband has read the long, long Russian novels so he encouraged me to persevere.

The plot was a wonderful mystery with great character development. I found myself reading very slowly. Often, I read sentences over again. Sometimes, I never understood what was going on but isn't that the way the world really is for most of us?

For me, time will tell as to whether or not it was 'worth getting through it," as I may read another novel by this author. If I do, I'll be interested to find out what I think then.

Rating:
Summary: One of the very best...
Review: Most mystery writers today produce books that are like cotton candy: they're light, fluffy, give you a quick sugar high, and are ultimately unsatisfying in the long run. Unfortunately, most of these writers produce a book a year-whether they have anything new to say or not. Once in a great while, a mystery writer comes along whose work is so broad in scope as to resemble great literature. Martin Cruz Smith belongs to this elite group, and Gorky Park is one of the best mysteries ever written.

Arkady Renko is Chief Investigator of Homicide for the city of Moscow before the fall of communism. While he has a 100% success rate in investigating homicides, his personal life is less than stellar. Renko is called in when three faceless, fingerless bodies are discovered in the snow at Gorky Park during a spring thaw. He is able to take what little evidence there is, and starts putting together the pieces of this complicated puzzle. The closer he gets to the truth, the more evident it is that someone (maybe the KGB or even someone in his own office) does not want him to solve this crime.

But what makes Gorky Park so fascinating is the Russian angle. Solving crimes and investigative techniques are a bit different than in the United States (they tend to use a lot of vodka, for one thing). Not only does Arkady have the party bureaucracy to contend with, but the KGB is also looking over his shoulder. It is often hard to tell who are the bad guys. We also get a glimpse of what it was like to live in Soviet Russia. Professionals like Renko didn't get very high salaries, and living conditions were often spartan.

But where Cruz Smith really excels is in his characters. Renko is probably one of the most memorable characters in any mystery. He is a very likable, sympathetic man with a kind heart. His humble, self-deprecating manner belies a brilliant mind, which he needs to fight not just criminals, but also the Soviet system. But Renko also carries a lot of baggage, and it sometimes interferes with his job.

Cruz Smith's plot will keep you up nights, reading to find out what happens. Gorky Park is also filled with ironic wit. Renko never tries to take himself too seriously, and we learn that humor is the best way to survive in the Soviet Union. When one character tells Renko that he wants to kill him, Renko responds "this is Russia. Get in line." The exchange between Renko and an FBI agent about defection will have you in stitches.

If Gorky Park isn't the best mystery written today, it's certainly close to the top of the list.




Rating:
Summary: A genre classic!
Review: Near the end of Chapter 11, Renko experiences a sharp pang of discomfort as the girl he has entangled in his investigation of three murders puts a cigarette out against the bark of a birch tree, "as if the warm stab were being pressed into his heart. He believed her. The truth had gone from her into the tree and into him." This is the quality of writing that we get from Martin Cruz Smith. His facility with language balances with his storycraft to produce a compelling, dramatic espionage thriller that stands against the best work of Le Carre or Fredrick Forsyth.

Rating:
Summary: If you haven't read this, do
Review: Rereading after many years. Renko is fearless, even if stupid or possibly bullheaded, and has a wonderful sense of humor. All the characters, even the bad guys, have a great sense of style and range from the very charming to the only slightly charming. Enjoy if you are lucky enough to read it for the first time, even the second or third time!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The best detective novel I have ever read. The setting, storyline and the characters keep you hooked until the very last page. I would highly recommend this book.