A signed copy of Gorky Park: A Novel by Martin Cruz Smith has been gathering dust on my library shelf for far too long. This police procedural is not just a run-of-the-mill thriller; it transcends the genre with its smooth narrative and captivating storyline. It also offers a fascinating glimpse into life in Cold War Russia.

Arkady Renko, the Chief Police Inspector for the People’s Militia, is tasked with investigating the mysterious deaths of three individuals found lying side by side in the snow in Gorky Park. They have been brutally shot at close range, their fingers tips severed, and their faces mutilated. As Renko delves deeper into the investigation, he embarks on a perilous chase across Russia and into New York City, pursued by the KGB, CIA, FBI, and the New York Police Department.

Renko soon realizes that the crimes committed in Gorky Park are a “crime of wit,” designed to test and challenge his investigative skills to the limit. But once he gets on the trail of the killer, he is determined to see the case through to the end, no matter the cost. However, in the case of the three murdered people in Gorky Park, justice is not so simple, as more and more of their pasts come to light.

Gorky Park has a lot to say about the police-state mentality, particularly in the comparison of Russian and American police and security work. Martin Cruz Smith is a truly talented writer, handling the devious twists and turns of a complicated plot with consummate skill. I can't wait to read the subsequent books in the Arkady Renko series, many of which are already sitting on my library shelf, waiting to be discovered.

I really can't fathom how this book has managed to receive such high praise.

Up until approximately page 300, it was nothing but a tiresome monotony. There were maybe 20 or so pages that were somewhat decent, but then it quickly reverted back to being boring and uninteresting drivel.

It is nowhere near as good as Tom Rob Smith's trilogy. In fact, Arkady is a very poor comparison to the wonderful Leo in that trilogy. I can highly recommend Tom Rob Smith's works as a great read set in Russia. However, this particular book just doesn't measure up. :-(

It's truly disappointing that a book that starts off so lackluster and fails to maintain any real momentum or excitement could be so highly regarded. There are far better Russian-themed books out there that offer a more engaging and captivating reading experience.

As the snow slowly starts to melt in Moscow, three frozen bodies are shockingly discovered in Gorky Park. Each of them has been shot, and their bodies have been brutally mutilated, making it extremely difficult to identify them.

Investigator Arkady Renko is a remarkable figure. He is brilliant, honest, yet cynical. Even his enemies have to admit that he is a top-notch investigator. However, to solve this complex case, he will have to engage in a fierce battle against the powerful KGB, the FBI, and the New York City police.

This is the first installment in a series, and Smith presents us with an interesting array of characters. There is a dwarf who is skilled at doing reconstructive sculpture from bones to assist in identifying crime victims. There is also a mysterious young woman working with a film crew, a rogue NYC cop, and a rich, ruthless, and well-connected American mogul. Despite all his skills and tenacity, Renko is not without flaws. He is also going through the end of his own marriage, which adds another layer of complexity to his character.

The plot begins with a thrilling start, but as it progresses, Smith introduces so many side shows and plot twists, including a significant amount of political intrigue. As a result, I gradually began to lose interest. Moreover, I found the ending to be somewhat anticlimactic. Therefore, I highly doubt that I will read more of this series.

“Noir” on a red and white background.

Genre: Novel.

What it tells us: In Moscow in the late 1970s, the discovery of three mutilated corpses with gunshot wounds in the snow of Gorky Park causes the more than usual clashes between the KGB and the militia (police) of the Ministry of Interior. Eventually, the responsibility for handling the case falls on the main investigator Renko. He very soon becomes aware of the very unusual circumstances surrounding the crimes. This is the first book in the Arcady Renko series and is also quite well-known by its original name, "Gorki Park".

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Gorky Park – officially known as the Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure (Центральный парк культуры и отдыха имени Горького) – holds a significant place in Moscow's life, similar to Central Park in New York City. It offers a haven of green space for relaxation and rejuvenation amidst the bustling metropolis, along with various recreational opportunities. Named after the Soviet writer Maxim Gorky, it has now become renowned for its association with an American writer, Martin Cruz Smith, who made it the thematic core and title of one of the greatest police-procedural novels.

At first glance, Smith's background doesn't seem to hint at his future success in writing detective novels set in the Soviet Union and later the Russian Federation. Born in Pennsylvania, he has no Russian or Eastern European heritage. Instead, his mother is of Pueblo ancestry and was actively involved in Indigenous Rights movements. This Native American heritage influenced his works like Nightwing and Stallion Gate. However, Smith has always been interested in writing fiction that crosses cultural boundaries, as seen in his early mystery novels featuring a Romani art dealer turned detective. Gorky Park follows this tradition.

Published in 1981 during the Cold War, the novel begins with the discovery of three bodies in Gorky Park. What makes this murder unique is the removal of the victims' faces and fingertips, making their identification seemingly impossible. The protagonist, Arkady Renko, a chief investigator for the militsiya, has his own set of problems even before this case. His life and work are overshadowed by his father, a bloodthirsty World War II general, and he has powerful enemies in the KGB. Moreover, his wife is having an affair.
Despite these challenges, Renko is protected by his excellent investigative skills, loyalty to Russia, quick thinking, Stoic attitude, and ironic sense of humor. Through his diligent work, he uncovers evidence that one of the victims was an American, which could transfer the case to the KGB's jurisdiction. However, a part of him wants to solve the case. As he continues his investigation, he meets a diverse range of supporting characters, all connected to the murders in some way. These include John Osborne, a wealthy American businessman; William Kirwill, a New York City detective; and Irina Asanova, a beautiful Siberian dissident.
The fact that the victims lack faces and fingertips poses a significant obstacle to identification. However, in the Soviet Union, there was a real-life scientist, Mikhail M. Gerasimov, who could reconstruct a human face from bones and tissue. In the novel, Professor Andreev from the University of Moscow takes on the challenge of reconstructing the faces of the Gorky Park victims. Although Kirwill is skeptical, this line of inquiry yields important results for Renko's investigation.
Renko's detective work eventually leads him to the killer, and a tense confrontation ensues as the killer is about to enter a party through the Kremlin's Trinity Gate. The killer questions Renko's willingness to take risks, given the corruption in Soviet society. Renko is nearly killed by a betrayal from a friend and mentor, but even the KGB acknowledges his honesty. As the case nears its resolution, Renko finds himself on the other side of the Iron Curtain in New York City, where an exchange of smuggled goods offers the possibility of freedom for him and Irina Asanova. However, he realizes that their chances of a happy ending are slim.
Smith's writing in Gorky Park is a blend of tough-minded prose and poetry. He creates vivid characters and weaves a complex plot with unexpected twists. While the 1983 film adaptation is stylish, the novel offers a deeper and more immersive reading experience, allowing post-Cold War readers to step back in time and experience life in the U.S.S.R.

This book found me, more than four decades after I purchased it.

I was cleaning my library, with a view to getting rid of some unwanted books. And this tome fell off the shelf, as if saying: "Hello! I am still unread." It started sidling up to me, hoping that I would pick it up.

I was initially doubtful. The blurb informed me that this was a tale of intrigue in the former Soviet Union, penned by an American novelist. "Trash," I told myself. "American anti-communist propaganda disguised as fiction." I had been off these cold-war thrillers for quite some time now.

But the poor thing looked so forlorn, lying on the floor. So, I just didn't have the heart to abandon it. I picked it up, ready to drop it the moment the going got nauseous.

Wonder of wonders, I completed it. I rather liked it, too.

***

Don't get me wrong - I don't consider this a great book. It has its good points and its flaws. But the story pulls you in from page one and keeps you engaged.

Three skaters - two men and one woman - have been brutally murdered in Gorky Park, right in the middle of Moscow. Their faces have been cut away, and fingertips removed to prevent identification. For Chief Investigator Arkady Renko, the crime reeks of state intrigue. He is certain that it would be snatched away by Major Pribluda of the KGB. He only has to put on a show of investigating and dig up enough evidence to show that state security has been compromised.

But to his surprise, Prosecutor Andrei Iamskoy keeps him on the case. Being an excellent investigator, Renko starts uncovering foreign involvement, smuggling, and international intrigue involving some really important people. The issues at stake could affect relations between the USSR and the USA, immediately making him persona non grata. Running from the law and the villains simultaneously, Arkady further complicates his life by falling in love with Irina Asanova, a dissident. From then on, it's the familiar Hitchcockian tale of a single man against the system.

What I liked about the novel was the way the author constructed its world and its characters. I don't know how well-acquainted Martin Cruz Smith was with the Soviet Union, but his descriptions are detailed and authoritative. And all his characters are finely developed and believable, even the unimportant ones.

What I disliked was the way a mini-climax was inserted midway. After that, the story slowed down to a crawl before it picked up steam for the final assault. In a thriller, one expects the pace to be maintained.

There is no "aha" moment - the secret comes to light slowly, through painstaking police procedure. But that's one of the attractions of the novel, not a drawback.

I would give it 3.5 stars. It didn't quite make it to a 4.

In 1981, Smith published "Gorky Park". At that time, the Berlin Wall still stood tall, and Glasnost was not even a glimmer of an idea in Gorbachev's mind.

Perhaps in the context of nearly 40 years of the Cold War, a thriller mainly set behind the Iron Curtain, delving into how the people on the Red side lived, was sufficient to excite an audience. However, the excessive praise lavished on this work surely cannot be attributed to the writing.

"Gorky Park" is, at best, a chaotic narrative, and at worst, a random jumble of Soviet stereotypes. What is most disappointing is the absence of mystery in this thriller. The bad guy, who incidentally wears a black hat, is identified early on, and from then on, simply appears conveniently like a jack-in-the-box bogeyman.

In conclusion, "Gorky Park" is wildly overrated. It fails to deliver on the promise of a thrilling and mysterious story, instead relying on tired clichés and a lackluster plot.

Arkady Renko, the Chief Investigator with the Moscow militia, has a sense that something is amiss. In the halls, his footsteps echo as if belonging to another. Most officers are out clearing drunks before May Day. His father complains about his rare visits, and his 10-year marriage to Zoya is in trouble due to his lack of ambition and non-membership in the Party. His friends and colleagues also have their own woes, especially with one of his officers being a KGB informant.

He is called to Gorky Park, where the early thaw reveals the bodies of two men and a woman, all shot at close range. Their faces are erased and fingertips chopped off. Arkady is used to handling drunken homicides, but these bear the hallmarks of a state-sanctioned assassination. Before he can secure the area, Major Pribluda of the KGB arrives, contaminating the scene. The female victim is identified as Irina Asanova, a former student dissident. The pathologist suggests one of the men was a foreigner, but the Prosecutor insists Arkady continue the investigation. Arkady demands the KGB hand over taped conversations of foreigners. The Major agrees, and the team is given space in the Hotel Ukraina. At night, while rechecking the scene, Arkady is attacked by a man with an American accent.

Listening to the tapes at the Ukraina, Arkady recognizes Irina's voice. The main person of interest is a businessman named John Osborne. Arkady is reluctantly drawn into a web of deceit and corruption, with the intention that he fails. When key witnesses and a colleague are killed, he tries to save Irina but is framed for a friend's murder. He manages to evade the police and finds an unlikely ally in Major Pribluda. Martin Cruz Smith has created an intense and finely-balanced murder mystery that keeps the reader guessing. The novel captures the psyche of the Russian people and their limitations. This is the third Arkady Renko novel I've read, and I'm eager to find the others.

Just a brilliantly narrated story.

It was a tale that had the power to captivate and engage from the very first sentence. The narrator's skillful use of language painted vivid pictures in the minds of the listeners or readers. Each word seemed to be carefully chosen to create a sense of atmosphere and emotion. The story unfolded like a beautiful tapestry, with its intricate plot and well-developed characters.

The narrator's voice added an extra layer of depth and authenticity to the story. It was as if they were right there, sharing the events with you in person. Their tone could change from light and humorous to solemn and serious, depending on the mood of the story.

As you listened or read, you couldn't help but be drawn into the world of the story. You became invested in the characters' lives and cared about what happened to them. The story took you on a journey, filled with twists and turns, surprises and revelations.

In the end, it was just a brilliantly narrated story, but it left a lasting impression on you. It made you think, feel, and perhaps even see the world in a slightly different way.

I'm currently engaged in the process of planning to pen a crime story that is firmly set in the late 1980s within the vibrant city of Moscow. This story is based on real events, which adds an extra layer of authenticity and intrigue. In order to truly capture the essence and atmosphere of that era, I made the decision to take a second look at "Gorky Park".

I must confess that I found myself a little let down on several fronts. When I first read the book all those years ago, it seemed to have a certain charm and allure that perhaps didn't quite hold up upon this second reading.

I had the privilege of living in Moscow for over a year towards the conclusion of the Soviet Union's existence, and I've visited the city on numerous occasions. So, I was initially quite impressed by the remarkable degree of realism that Cruz Smith managed to convey in his work. For the most part, his vivid depiction of that specific time and place was highly accurate. I'm not one to nitpick over minor details. Another aspect that I truly appreciate about this piece of literature is the sheer beauty of the writing. At times, the author's prose is almost lyrical, painting a vivid and evocative picture in the reader's mind. However, at other moments, it can be rather punchy and to the point, adding a sense of urgency and drama to the story. There is indeed a certain quality about the prose that is undeniable.

Nevertheless, there are a few elements that don't quite work for me. One of the things that I struggle with is the rather implausible long-winded speeches that are delivered by many of the characters. It seems that everyone in the story has a strong opinion about the politics of the day, and of course, it's essential to incorporate the historical realities when writing a story set in the USSR. But for my taste, Cruz Smith perhaps lays it on a little too thick. Some of these rambling speeches are so overly elaborate that they would even make Shakespeare proud. Additionally, I find that the plot is at times too convoluted and difficult to follow. There are certain sections where I had to really concentrate and re-read passages to fully understand what was going on. Thankfully, though, it all manages to come together nicely at the end, tying up all the loose ends and providing a satisfying conclusion. All in all, I would say that the novel is probably about 150 pages too long. The story could have been told in a much more succinct and streamlined fashion, without sacrificing any of the essential elements or the overall impact.

Finally, although I did mention earlier that the writing is beautiful at times, there are also moments when it can be downright clunky. For some reason, a particularly bizarre sentence from the book really jumped out at me and has since been stuck in my mind: "They ate fried sausages, bread and coffee". It just seems so ordinary and unremarkable, especially when compared to some of the more poetic and engaging passages in the book.

In conclusion, I would rate this novel as three stars. It has its strengths, such as the realistic portrayal of the setting and the beautiful writing in parts, but it also has its flaws, such as the overly long speeches and the convoluted plot. If it weren't for these issues, it could easily have been a five-star read.

This is perhaps the "detective" novel that I have most favored up to now.

It is not just a mystery; rather, it is a masterfully crafted, poignant, cynical, realistic, and all-too-tangible depiction of life behind the Iron Curtain.

Having been born and raised in this part of the world before 1989, I am almost astounded by how well an American author managed to capture the dreary, corrupt, existentially-dispiriting, and hopeless atmosphere of that era, without moralizing or making futile and inappropriate comparisons to a cheery, hopeful, democratic "west".

In fact, Cruz Smith successfully draws parallels between the two, showing them to be equally corrupt and oppressive in their own ways.

The story, for me, was beside the point. Perhaps its main point was to illustrate the futility of seeking "justice" when immense power is at stake on both sides of the Curtain.

There is no "happy ending" here, no neatly tied story arc concluded in a satisfactory manner.

My favorite aspect of this novel was Cruz Smith's ability to portray the Russian psyche. And nothing does this better than humor and insinuations.

These may be lost on those who are not familiar with the Eastern Block machinery. And Cruz Smith, bless his soul, is not explicit. Explicating the intangibles of life beyond the Iron Curtain to a "western" audience would only undermine the novel's realism.

Other reviewers have written that they gained a new appreciation for Cruz Smith only after traveling to this region of the world. This makes a great deal of sense, as one can still sense the desperation and dreariness of the "eastern-block" soul of that era, even today, when visiting former Communist countries.

In many ways, 99% of conversations of that time consisted of either backhanded humor or dark innuendo. Martin Cruz Smith does this brilliantly.

Some examples include Arkady's explanation about smuggled icons and Marxist dialectic, the description of Stalin gothic as a form of worship, the wiretapping by the KGB in foreign hotels, Arkady's meeting with a KGB agent, the discussion about theater, the subordinate's comment about being no theoretician, the pages about processing a body and the "right forms", the statement about the importance of a lie for escape, Arkady's observation of American clerks using telephones in NY, and the description of interrogation as a process of rebirth.

And the list goes on and on. I truly LOVE this book!

An excellent murder mystery that vividly reveals the hypocrisy of Communism. A homicide investigator finds himself compelled to handle a three-body homicide case in Gorky Park. The moment the KGB arrives at the crime scene, they immediately make the CID that investigated the Jeffrey MacDonald murders seem more like the highly professional team of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation rather than the bumbling Keystone Kops. After completely destroying the scene, the KGB then concludes that the bodies are not part of any foreign plot to undermine Mother Russia.

The chief investigator has to deal with the so-called creme de la creme of Russian society. These are the people who believe they deserve more than what they currently have and think they are immune to the Socialist rules by which they are governed. They even claim that these rules make them superior to the petit bourgeois members of a capitalistic society.

Moreover, this story also contains some of the best descriptions of facial reconstruction techniques in the field of forensic artistry, adding an extra layer of authenticity and intrigue to the already captivating narrative.