Ebook377 pages6 hours
Fall of a Cosmonaut
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this ebook
With his Edgar Award–winning series about a Moscow cop, “Kaminsky’s a master of tone, maintaining the edgy excitement of suspense” (The Washington Post).
In the 1960s, Russian children wanted to be cosmonauts like Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space. But the Soviet Union is history, and Gagarin’s glory is long gone. For the men and women aboard the decaying Mir space station, life is an unending series of near-disasters. During one such breakdown, cosmonaut Tsimion Vladovka asks ground control to contact Moscow police inspector Porfiry Rostnikov if anything happens to him.
The cosmonaut returns to Earth safely, but a year later he goes missing and his former crew members start turning up dead. Vladovka was in possession of state secrets, so there’s also a potential security risk. He must be found, dead or alive. In the days of the USSR, no one could navigate the bureaucratic maze of the Kremlin like Rostnikov—but he’s never encountered anything like the labyrinth that is Star City, home of the Russian space program. Still, the veteran policeman is convinced: The answer to what happened to the cosmonaut on Earth lies in something that happened in space.
Bringing to life historic shifts in contemporary Russian history, as seen through the eyes of one hard-boiled Moscow cop, “Kaminsky’s Rostnikov novels are among the best mysteries being written” (The San Diego Union-Tribune).
In the 1960s, Russian children wanted to be cosmonauts like Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space. But the Soviet Union is history, and Gagarin’s glory is long gone. For the men and women aboard the decaying Mir space station, life is an unending series of near-disasters. During one such breakdown, cosmonaut Tsimion Vladovka asks ground control to contact Moscow police inspector Porfiry Rostnikov if anything happens to him.
The cosmonaut returns to Earth safely, but a year later he goes missing and his former crew members start turning up dead. Vladovka was in possession of state secrets, so there’s also a potential security risk. He must be found, dead or alive. In the days of the USSR, no one could navigate the bureaucratic maze of the Kremlin like Rostnikov—but he’s never encountered anything like the labyrinth that is Star City, home of the Russian space program. Still, the veteran policeman is convinced: The answer to what happened to the cosmonaut on Earth lies in something that happened in space.
Bringing to life historic shifts in contemporary Russian history, as seen through the eyes of one hard-boiled Moscow cop, “Kaminsky’s Rostnikov novels are among the best mysteries being written” (The San Diego Union-Tribune).
Author
Stuart M. Kaminsky
Stuart M. Kaminsky was the author of more than 60 novels and an Edgar Award winner who was given the coveted Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America. His series include the Lew Fonesca, Inspector Rostnikov, Toby Peters, and Abe Lieberman mysteries, which includes such titles as Terror Town, The Last Dark Place, and Not Quite Kosher. He passed away in the fall of 2009.
Read more from Stuart M. Kaminsky
Exercise in Terror Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When the Dark Man Calls Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Melody and Murder: Two Novels Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When the Dark Man Calls: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
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Titles in the series (20)
Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death of a Dissident Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Knight in Red Square Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Chameleon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tarnished Icons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Cold Red Sunrise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death of a Russian Priest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood and Rubles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fall of a Cosmonaut Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dog Who Bit a Policeman Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Fine Red Rain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Cold Red Sunrise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hard Currency Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Man Who Walked Like a Bear Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rostnikov's Vacation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death of a Russian Priest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Fine Red Rain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Knight in Red Square Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood and Rubles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Fall of a Cosmonaut
Rating: 3.9565217391304346 out of 5 stars
4/5
23 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Enjoyable entry in the series, with yet more insight into the characters we've come to know. Oh, and there's also three murders, at least, that need solving. Well done.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I've been reading this mystery series since some time in the early 1980s and I still enjoy them. The books may have lost a bit of je ne sais quoi in their backdrops as they moved from the Soviet Union to post-Soviet Russia: the political drama surrounding the investigations just seems less intense and convoluted. However, the characters I've come to enjoy are still there and, despite being largely unchanged with time, have avoided becoming caricatures of themselves. I'd recommend this series to those who enjoy whodunits.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One cannot fail to fall in love with this one-legged Moscow inspector - Porfiry Rostnikov, thoughtful, deliberate, never rushing, but always knowing, experienced and wise. It's the third book by S. Kaminsky that I've read and I am craving more. My only problem with this talented writer is that he should let an authentic Russian speaker edit the Russian phrases that he uses in the book, as he does have mistakes there; it's a shame he doesn't employ a Russian editor for this mystery series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It is getting harder to locate real mystery writers as opposed to mass murdering, psycho thrillers. Kaminsky books are always thoughtful and witty with good character development - and a good mystery. His prose is concise and I am never subjected to multiple page descriptions of a car chase. As usual, our Inspector is given a "detective" assignment with political limits. He must find the missing cosmonaut but not inquire into why he is missing - or the reason why all his planned interviewees seem to get murdered just before he finds them. Meanwhile his cohorts investigate a murder plot involving a stolen movie about Tolstoy and the murder of a parapsychologist. Kaminsky is always a joy to read. (Excerpt: when a suspect asks one of our detectives if he needs this information so he can imagine the murder, he answers: "I have no imagination. I gather facts. If imagination is needed I consult (my boss)."
Book preview
Fall of a Cosmonaut - Stuart M. Kaminsky
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