Red Square

Written by Martin Cruz Smith

Narrated by Frank Muller

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 1990
• ISBN: 9781461812425

Martin Cruz Smith

Martin Cruz Smith’s novels include Gorky Park, Stallion Gate, Nightwing, Polar Star, Stalin’s Ghost, Rose, December 6, Tatiana, The Girl from Venice, and The Siberian Dilemma. He is a two-time winner of the Hammett Prize, a recipient of the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award and Britain’s Golden Dagger Award, and a winner of the Premio Piemonte Giallo Internazionale. He lives in California.

Reviews for Red Square

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is set in the former USSR and Germany in the summer of 1991. Those of us who can remember that far back will recall that summer as a time when the fate of Russia could have gone a different way. If you don't remember that summer this article from wikipedia provides an excellent summary of the events. So that is the background of the book which tells the story of Investigator Arkady Renko looking for the murderer of a Jewish mafia boss who was collaborating with Renko. Renko has recently returned to Moscow after spending some time in Siberia and aboard fishing trawlers for infractions under the Communist rule which put him into exile. Now, with glasnost and perestroika, Renko has been returned to his office as Chief Investigator and he even has a staff although equipment for forensic investigation is virtually nonexistent. As Renko follows the clues he learns that there is some connection with Munich, Germany. He has also just heard his former lover and defector, Irina, broadcasting for Liberty Radio from Munich. He manages to get to Munich and, despite having no official status and almost no money, he starts to zero in on the culprit(s). He also contacts Irina who initially professes to have almost forgotten him. As the story unfolds he and Irina keep interacting. In fact, Irina has some key information for Renko although she is not aware of the connection. Irina and Renko return to Moscow just after the coup attempt and the story concludes on the steps of the White House (the Soviet parliamentary building). Smith evokes the tenor of the times magnificently. This is a work of history as well as mystery and it was superbly written. The contrast between life in Moscow with shortages of everything and the excessive opulence in Germany are shocking. The mystery itself takes so many twists and turns that at times I had trouble keeping up but it was worth it. I haven't read the book that is set between Gorky Park and Red Square but that is a lack I intend to remedy soon.

[tmph_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the third Moscow detective Arkady Renko novel; Gorky Park being the first (which I'm reading now). Started slow, for me, but then just became wonderful. The Berlin Wall has fallen but the Soviet Union is still lumbering along. A violent murder in Moscow sends Renko to Munich, which was a great treat for me. Mostly excellent writing, great characters, love, travelogue, and fascinating times.

[marse_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the third Renko book and it was OK. It has to do with the black marketing of artwork, though it took awhile before that becomes clear. Part of the mystery is the question "Where is Red Square?" which Arkady hears on the phone of a recently murdered black market money launderer. The "red" herring is the misunderstanding of the word "square" in Russian versus English. Anyway, not to give too much away -- it is all figured out by the end.A very good representation of the chaos in Russia after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

[rosecityreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Red Square is the third book in Martin Cruz Smith’s Arkady Renko series, following Renko’s introduction in Gorky Park and Siberian exile in Polar Star. In Red Square, Renko is back in Moscow, reinstated as an investigator with the militia. His efforts to discover the killer of a black market financier lead him to the world of high-stakes art smuggling, the Munich studios of Radio Liberty, and the arms of his lost love Irina.Set at the brink of the 1991 “August Coup” that precipitated the final breakup of the Soviet Union, Red Square is as moody and grim as all the Renko novels. Mafioso capitalists – still more robber than baron – vie for control of the fledgling new economy while people stand in line for beets and Party apparatchiks cling to the shreds of power. Smith captures the inherent dichotomies with snapshots such as this scene at the end of Renko’s interview of a suspect at the man’s Western-style sports bar: Borya . . . dropped his voice. . . . “[D]o you think I’d endanger all this, everything I’ve achieved, to take some sort of primitive revenge? That’s the old mentality. We have to catch up with the rest of the world or we’re going to be left behind. We’ll all be in empty buildings and starving to death. We have to change. Do you have a card?” he asked suddenly. “Party card?” “We collect business cards and have a drawing once a month for a bottle of Chivas Regal.” Borya controlled a smile, barely.It is detailed touches like this – as well as emotionally evocative lines such as “despair saturated the air” and “the threadbare overcoats of Soviet crime” – that create the authentic atmosphere in Smith’s novels and raise them above the typical thriller. Also posted on Rose City Reader.

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this a lot at the beginning, when Arkady first starts to investigate the murder of his friend/informant. But slowly, and gradually, I lost interest, as the book jumped to Germany and a love lorn Arkady mopes about. By the end, I was done, and wished this book was 70 or so pages shorter. But, I like Arkady and I'm glad I read it

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Each time I read one of his novels I'm impressed by the ability of the author to create a palpable atmosphere. The Soviet Union of this novel is one in free fall, run by rival crime gangs where hard currency reigns supreme. It truly is an insane world where a man who is supposed to find the truth can hardly keep his bearings. I liked the reunion of Arkady and someone significant from his past.

[hanneri_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Martin Cruz Smith creates a fully formed protagonist in Arkady Renko. His character is at odds with almost everything around him in the freshly created ruins behind the Iron Curtain. His disgust at the government he works for, despite his love of Mother Russia make him a pariah wherever he finds himself. Dogged determination is his only virtue, and it seems to be all he needs. Through his eyes, Smith allows us a rare glimpse into the sad world of emerging capitalism - one without capital for the vast majority. The peculiarities of everyday life are deliciously captured in sardonic wit, and expose the absurd desperation of Russian life circa 1991. The story line is a bit convoluted, but that's what you expect from the author of Gorky Park, or any well written spy novel.

[thewasp_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While still well written and an enjoyable read I did not find this book as engaging as it's predecessors, Gorky Park & Polar Star. Arkady Renko is back in Russia.The investigation of the death of a black market "wheeler-dealer", leads Arkady to Germany and a determined quest for the truth, only to see him back in Russia for the people's revolution. I spent too much time trying to determine who were the good guys and who were the bad guys and at the end, I felt that the book wasn't finished as there were characters and scenarios that I still wanted to know more about. Maybe a second reading will solve that.....

[neilsantos_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not bad. I read his first novel like 20 years ago, this was a decent way to pass the time before finding the next section of the library to read over. I have a soft spot for Russians. Pretty weak ending though.

[dwate_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the third Arkady Renko mystery. Arkady tries to investigate the murder of a black marketeer, but his superiors continually obstruct and then remove him from the case. The action moves from Moscow to Munich and Berlin. Irina is re-introduced in this novel, and their relationships moves through stages of rejection and passionate renewal. Despite many setbacks, Renko’s persistence finally bears fruit. As usual, the background, atmosphere and characters are thoroughly convincing.

[dspoon_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Back from exile, Arkady Reko returns to find that his country, his Moscow, even his job, are nearly dead. Not so his enemies. Hounded by the Russian mafia, chased by ruthless minions of the newly rich and powerful, and tempted by his great love, Arkady can only hope for escape. Fate, however, has other ideas....

[bookmarque · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Arkady is sort of returned to his former self. Reluctantly I think, but the new regime has to maintain at least the appearance of change. His reputation precedes him and no one knows whether they should trust him or whose side he’s on and he has no allies as usual. They know he’s talented, but I get the feeling they only put him on shit detail because of this. Despite his broken and battered state, his characteristic deviousness and intelligence comes to the fore to crack the case and stay alive.Again, we’ve got an up close and personal view into Soviet life. At this point in time the Communist Party is losing control of the country and with the wall in Germany now down, time is short for life as they know it. When Arkady lands in Germany he sees exactly how much the Soviet Union is suffering. Suddenly there is food aplenty and consumer goods as far as the eye can see.The reunion with Irina is painful to read. She is hurt and trying not to let herself become vulnerable to him again. At first she seems overly bitchy and cold. Later she tells him that she looked for him. She tried to find him. Moved all around and tried to figure ways to draw him out of the Soviet Union. But Arkady’s conviction that if he so much as thinks about Irina their enemies will find her and kill her keeps him from even considering the possibility that she might try to find him. It’s heart wrenching and painful, but when they do come together it is very sweet and very poignant. In a sense I wish this were the last Arkady Renko novel because it ends on a relatively high note. With Irina home and by his side and his professional prospects somewhat intact, they have hope. We have hope that they will succeed. After all they’ve been through it’s the least the world can do for them.