First read more than thirty years ago, this novel truly held up remarkably well on a recent second reading. It is an outstanding police procedural/thriller that offers a captivating narrative. The characterizations are extremely strong, bringing the various individuals to life in a vivid manner. Moreover, the fine descriptive detail of crime, forensics, and detection in Moscow toward the end of the Soviet Era is simply superb. It provides readers with a fascinating glimpse into that particular time and place, with all its unique challenges and intricacies. The story unfolds in a way that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, eager to discover what will happen next. Overall, this novel is a must-read for fans of the police procedural/thriller genre, and it continues to be a classic that stands the test of time.
Ease Reading-Find Your Next Favorite Book
Arkady Renko #1
Gorky Park
...
Show More
A triple murder in a Moscow amusement three corpses found frozen in the snow, faces and fingers missing. Chief homicide investigator Arkady Renko is brilliant, sensitive, honest, and cynical about everything except his profession. To identify the victims and uncover the truth, he must battle the KGB, FBI, and the New York City police as he pursues a rich, ruthless, and well-connected American fur dealer. Meanwhile, Renko is falling in love with a beautiful, headstrong dissident for whom he may risk everything.
0 pages, Paperback
First published January 1,1981
This edition
- Format
-
0 pages, Paperback
- Published
-
February 1, 2000 by Ballantine Books
- ISBN
-
9780345917041
- ASIN
-
0345917049
- Language
-
English
Characters More characters
-
Irina Asanova
...
-
Major Pribluda
...
-
Zoya Renko
...
-
Pasha Pavlovich
...
-
John Osborne
John James Osborne (Fulham, London, 12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his excoriating prose and intense critical stance towards established social and political norms. The success of his 1956...
-
Feodor Golodkin
...
About the author
...
Show More
AKA Simon Quinn, Nick Carter.
Martin Cruz Smith (born Martin William Smith), American novelist, received his BA in Creative Writing from the University of Pennsylvania in 1964. He worked as a journalist from 1965 to 1969 before turning his hand to fiction. His first mystery (Gypsy in Amber – 1971) features NY gypsy art dealer Roman Grey and was nominated for an Edgar Award. Nightwing was his breakthrough novel and was made into a movie.
Smith is best known for his series of novels featuring Russian investigator Arkady Renko. Gorky Park, published in 1981, was the first of these and was called "thriller of the '80s" by Time Magazine. It became a bestseller and won the Gold Dagger Award from the British Crime Writers' Association. Renko has also appeared in Polar Star, Red Square, Havana Bay, Wolves Eat Dogs, Stalin's Ghost, and Three Stations.
In the 1970s, Smith wrote The Inquisitor Series under the pseudonym Simon Quinn and penned two Slocum adult action westerns as Jake Logan. He also wrote the Nick Carter: Killmaster series under the alias Nick Carter with Mike Avallone and others.
Martin Cruz Smith now lives in San Rafael, California with his wife and three children.
Martin Cruz Smith (born Martin William Smith), American novelist, received his BA in Creative Writing from the University of Pennsylvania in 1964. He worked as a journalist from 1965 to 1969 before turning his hand to fiction. His first mystery (Gypsy in Amber – 1971) features NY gypsy art dealer Roman Grey and was nominated for an Edgar Award. Nightwing was his breakthrough novel and was made into a movie.
Smith is best known for his series of novels featuring Russian investigator Arkady Renko. Gorky Park, published in 1981, was the first of these and was called "thriller of the '80s" by Time Magazine. It became a bestseller and won the Gold Dagger Award from the British Crime Writers' Association. Renko has also appeared in Polar Star, Red Square, Havana Bay, Wolves Eat Dogs, Stalin's Ghost, and Three Stations.
In the 1970s, Smith wrote The Inquisitor Series under the pseudonym Simon Quinn and penned two Slocum adult action westerns as Jake Logan. He also wrote the Nick Carter: Killmaster series under the alias Nick Carter with Mike Avallone and others.
Martin Cruz Smith now lives in San Rafael, California with his wife and three children.
Readers also enjoyed
Community Reviews
Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
33(33%)
4 stars
38(38%)
3 stars
29(29%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews All reviews
...
Show More
...
Show More
In 1977, during the Cold War years, beyond the police in Gorky Park of the SSCB, a light also shone on a bygone era. Information about many names, places, and institutions that had been forgotten except by the curious, thanks to fictional characters, came back to life in my mind and my reading process led to extensive Google searches (Brejnev, the Great Patriotic War, the Sieges of Leningrad and Stalingrad, the Komsomol, the Politburo, the NKVD, the KGB, the Kolkhozes, Vronskyzim, Botvinnik, Spassky, Fischer, and my dear Olga Korbut :))).
By chance, as the ice began to melt in Gorky, the most beloved and visited park in Moscow (also mentioned in Scorpions' song "Wind of Change"), park attendants found three corpses. These corpses, with their faces and fingers cut off to prevent identification, brought the KGB and the Moscow City Police face to face. Homicide Detective Arkady Renko, at the risk of his career and future, despite inter-agency conflicts, his wife's betrayal, and corrupt colleagues, identifies the killers; he uncovers the murderer and those who helped him. This truth, not accepted by the state, leads to the murderer fleeing the country; Renko is also interrogated by the KGB for months and fired from his job. Given one last chance to find and settle accounts with the murderer who also caused the state financial losses, Renko is sent to New York, where he faces a difficult choice. He will either give in or return to his country as nothing, leaving the woman he loves behind.
The book, which consists of three parts, has in the Moscow part the investigations, betrayals, and efforts to reach a solution; in the Shatura part - which was my favorite part - the interrogation by the KGB and the process of winning the respect of the KGB agent who is his arch-enemy and finally parting as friends; and in the New York part, the settling of accounts and dilemmas.
Nearly 10 years ago, I started the series by reading "Polar Star", the second adventure of Arkady Renko; although it took me quite a while to obtain the other books, I finally found the 4 books published in our country at the bookstores. Now I will continue with "Polar Star" again and complete the series without interruption.
...
Show More
I believe I read this many years ago, but I only recalled the first part. Could it be that I only read the initial portion and then got distracted and never went back to it? It's hard to imagine not remembering (as per the GR description) that Arkady Renko chases after a wealthy, heartless, and well-connected American fur dealer.Anyway, I'm pleased to have read it now. I don't think it's as consistent as I might have anticipated. I even questioned if this was a debut novel, but it isn't. He had other works published under pseudonyms a full 10 years earlier. That being said, the tension gradually builds. Perhaps the inconsistency is because the author gives us a break from the tension. I confess that there were moments when I had to stop for a few minutes, look at something else, before going back to the novel. I had my own methods of relieving the tension.This isn't all about action, but there is really only the characterization of Renko that can be described as "characterization". Since we will follow him throughout the series, this is fitting. However, there is also the portrayal, if you will, of life in the Soviet Union. The next book in the series takes place before the breakup, while the others are set afterwards. I'm looking forward to seeing how this aspect evolves. I admit that some may think this makes the series seem outdated. I'll concede that point to them, but they are probably not readers of historical fiction, which, perhaps, these early installments should be categorized as.I was hoping for something closer to 5 stars, but it's not. I think it's a solid 4 stars and probably falls in the middle of that range.
...
Show More
I always held back from reading Gorky Park -- despite its decades long service as a dust collector on my shelf -- for fear that an American author during the Cold War could only deliver the shabbiest form of propaganda if writing about a Moscow cop circa the early 80s. And all this even though I remember William Hurt's turn as Arkady Renko (Gorky Park's relentless protagonist) with fondness. It turns out I needn't have worried. I can't say how accurate Martin Cruz Smith's portrayal of Moscow and the greater Soviet Union was, but I was impressed by his balancing of Soviet bureaucratic corruption with the West's -- and in particular the U.S.A.'s -- dual corruptors of civil service and capitalism (not always necessarily entwined). And once that balance became clear, I was able to sit back and pretend that Renko's Moscow was the actual Moscow of the early 80s and to thoroughly enjoy the maybe Moscow Cruz Smith evoked. Though not as evocative of the city as some of his crime writing brethren (Rankin's Edinburgh comes to mind) nor as compelling in characterization as others (Sjowall and Wahloo), Martin Cruz Smith does enough to make us care about Arkady Renko and to want more of his imagined Soviet Union. Sadly, his books are hard to come by these days. Once summer comes and the snow parts so that I can make an easy ride to all the used book stores, I will make it my mission to find Polar Star. I hope I won't be forced to wait as long as I foolishly waited before. I truly believe that Gorky Park is a hidden gem that many might overlook due to initial prejudices. However, once you give it a chance, you'll be drawn into a world that is both fascinating and thought-provoking. The story not only provides an interesting look at the Soviet Union during that era but also makes you question the nature of corruption and justice in different societies. I can't wait to explore more of Arkady Renko's adventures in Polar Star and see what other surprises Martin Cruz Smith has in store for us.
...
Show More
After an intriguing start, the novel seemed to lose its way and became extremely drawn out. At one particular point, I reached a stage where I truly didn't care what was unfolding in the story and came very close to abandoning it altogether. Thankfully, it did manage to improve somewhat as the narrative progressed. I understand that my perspective might differ from that of many others, but I have to admit that the end of the book was a very welcome relief. It felt as if I had finally reached the conclusion of a long and sometimes tiresome journey. Overall, while the novel had its moments of interest, its tendency to drag on made it a bit of a struggle to get through at times. However, I'm glad I persevered until the end to see how the story ultimately resolved. Perhaps with a bit more editing and tightening up of the plot, this could have been a more engaging and satisfying read. Nonetheless, it was an experience that I'll remember for both its highs and lows.
...
Show More
I really liked this article. It presented some very interesting ideas and concepts that really caught my attention. The writing style was engaging and easy to follow, which made it a pleasure to read. The author did a great job of presenting the information in a clear and concise manner, without overwhelming the reader with too much detail. I also liked the examples that were used to illustrate the points being made. They really helped to bring the concepts to life and made them easier to understand. Overall, I thought this was a great article and I would highly recommend it to others. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
...
Show More
Martin Cruz Smith's novels centering around Chief Investigator Arkady Renko have been my favorites for a long time. Since there hasn't been a new Renko book after Tatiana in 2013, I decided to go back (for the fourth time) to the very beginning. Once again, I'm still extremely excited by the outstanding plotting, the vividly drawn characters, and the author's remarkable ability to paint a captivating picture of Russia. Gorky Park is not just one of my favorite novels but also one of my all-time favorite films. When I was young, I had the film poster hung on my bedroom wall, and I still listen to James Horner's excellent soundtrack nowadays. So, if you're looking to read a great thriller, just remember (as the film's tagline states)......It all started with three faceless bodies in the snow. This simple yet powerful image sets the stage for a thrilling and unforgettable story that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
...
Show More
Well. Sigh. I'm currently in the process of deciding what to write. Ok. Let me tell you the truth. I'm really disappointed with 'Gorky Park', which is the first book in the Soviet Union's Inspector Arkady Renko series. Oh, it is indeed a fine and inventive entertainment for a mystery. It has a plethora of twists and near-death escapes. There are tons of corrupt cops and officials, and so many betrayals and hidden motives. I'm truly amazed that the body count wasn't even higher considering the undrained swamps that Renko has to wade through, not just in Russia but also in New York City. However, in Russia, many different official police, prosecutor, and spy departments don't actually want Renko to solve the murders of the three bodies found in Moscow's Gorky Park. Instead, they each want him to claim that he solved the crimes with a falsified story, pointing fingers in the direction that each department head desires. Each of them has a devious plan to force or trick Renko into lying about the murders. After Renko ‘solves’ the murders in the way each department wants, they all plan to file a report of Renko’s sudden death. They hope to say that Renko committed suicide, or was killed by an enemy of the state, or he himself confessed to the murders, or he confessed to working as a corrupt double agent. There are scenes of meetings between nefarious officials and underworld characters. These scenes made no more sense to me than they did to Renko, other than establishing confusing relationships or misdirections regarding with whom Renko is friendly. Later, in America, Renko is manhandled and passed around in the custody of the FBI, the New York City police, the KGB, and a rogue triple agent. I'm still scratching my head over the supposed reason for the Soviets to allow Renko to travel to America and the Big Finish reveal. It just didn't ring true at all. But the biggest complaint I have is that the story has too much squirrelly plotting! I simply couldn't suspend my disbelief after I was 60% into the story. Instead, I began to feel that I was reading a sneaky tongue-in-cheek joke mystery or an overcooked Dashiell Hammett The Maltese Falcon! ‘Gorky Park’ is a great summer blockbuster script, one which might have been ordered on spec by a Hollywood producer. So, other than the fact that I was snorting and guffawing when I wasn't supposed to, it IS a well-written mystery. I'll give it three stars for the good writing and wily twists. Maybe you won't guffaw, gentle reader. I'm going to read the next one, 'Polar Star' because I'm really wondering what new mystery/spy plot inventions the author can possibly have left after throwing in every mystery genre plot mechanism that has ever been created into this book.
Leave a Review