Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and entertaining, start to finish
Review: Smith finds all the right notes in 'Polar Star.' The Arkady Renko character is really unique in popular fiction--a mix of resignation, reluctance, intelligence, and doggedness is tough to describe. The subject matter hooked me--disgraced Soviet citizen in exile to Siberia and a fish-processing ship, coupled with late-Cold-War espionage and murder in the Bering Sea. The plot development never felt forced or artificial to me. The characters, even the Americans, feel Russian, because of the distinct atmosphere of the book. I particularly enjoyed the characterizations in the book--lots of people, all distinctive, with their own histories and agendas. It's not often that "#1 bestsellers" deliver all the goods, but this one did for me. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Sequel
Review: The second in Martin Cruz Smith's wonderful Russian-themed detective series, Polar Star lives up to the promise of the first book, Gorky Park. Polar Star is a Russian fishing ship off the coast of Alaska, working in conjunction with a team of US trawlers. Moscow detective Arkady Renko is being rehabilited after the events in Gorky Park and finds himself on board when a murder takes place. The setting, on a freezing fishing ship in the icy Bering Sea, lends a heavy pressurized feeling to every page. Smith has done the research, his writing is self-assured but not self-conscious. He doesn't show off, but casts plot and dialogue and characters and scenery with the true ring of authenticity. Renko's self-deprecating honesty and Columbo-like detective style brings a smile. Smith is a good writer and this is a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Sequel
Review: The second in Martin Cruz Smith's wonderful Russian-themed detective series, Polar Star lives up to the promise of the first book, Gorky Park. Polar Star is a Russian fishing ship off the coast of Alaska, working in conjunction with a team of US trawlers. Moscow detective Arkady Renko is being rehabilited after the events in Gorky Park and finds himself on board when a murder takes place. The setting, on a freezing fishing ship in the icy Bering Sea, lends a heavy pressurized feeling to every page. Smith has done the research, his writing is self-assured but not self-conscious. He doesn't show off, but casts plot and dialogue and characters and scenery with the true ring of authenticity. Renko's self-deprecating honesty and Columbo-like detective style brings a smile. Smith is a good writer and this is a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Again, above the rest.
Review: The second novel in the Arkady Renko series is the one I actually read first. Renko has escaped his enemies by going to work in a factory ship, the 'Polar Star.' Here, he will have to use his talents to solve the murder of a young Georgian (Soviet Georgian, that is) woman who had been in contact with Americans. As in "Gorky Park," the Americans are not portrayed too kindly, which only adds realism to the story. The most extraordinary thing about this book is the absolute control that Smith has of its setting. Once again the author has proven that he can not only tell an interesting tale, but that he can do it with enviable talent: the ice, the cold weather, the trapped ship, the people who lie to Renko for their own reasons, the plots within plots, all of this is masterly interwoven by Smith with apparent ease. Although "Polar Star" does not advance the story of Arkady and Irina (for those with a touch of the romantic in us), it does provide the credible setting for the investigator's return home, opening the way for the third book. The Renko novels are all good, even if the fourth one goes against my romantic streak, and Smith only proves that he is one of the best American writers today, period.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Detective Story
Review: This is a good story. Murder on the high seas... With a Russian twist. I read this book a while back and can still remember most of the details. I remember how vivid the scenes were. I could easily picture in my mind what it must have looked like and been like. The icy water, the towering waves.... The rocking ship, the smell in the confined places. Smith did a wonderful job of creating the scenes....The story was good too... A little slow in the beginning, but once the characters were created, it moved along quickly.
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