Red Square blew my mind. What a great book. I find there is a lot of junk out there for the two genres I prefer: fantasy and crime drama. I was floored by Red Square - and had actually read it first. Kind of shows how great it is that I loved every moment and I had not even read Gorky Park or Polar Star yet (both darn good, too). Havana Bay followed and was good, but not as full and gripping as Red Square. wow. Truly a gift.

martin cruz smith has delivered a delicious tale of historical intrigue. having been to moscow and berlin multiple times, i appreciate the realism in his descriptions. the physical connection resonates fully and the plots accentuate smartly. the meandering convenience of some of the organized crime figures is somewhat shallow, and yet they are necessary to illustrate the freemarket chaos in post-soviet russia. i thought that the upshot of the coup attempt was ignored, being that the story ended with tanks on the steps of the white house. the romance played well with irina but i was disappointed that the teasing with the female detective wasn't pursued. i would've enjoyed a romp in the sack between renko and the young bomb expert. in conclusion, my experience was one of light pleasure and therefore this pile of words is highly recommended.

Arkady Renko, brilliant and flawed hero from Smith's Gorky Park and Polar Star, is back in a book nearly as good as the original in the series. Renko, political offender, has returned from his "reconditioning" exile among the fishing fleet of the Siberian coast, and he's been permitted as a "reformed" person to begin work once again in the Moscow militia ( police department). Renko finds life vastly changed from a decade before, when he was a rising star among Soviet detectives. Not only has Gorbechev opened Soviet society to heights never imagined in the perpetual night of the Cold War, but the cynically pragmatic Renko discovers lawlessness of a type and savagery impossible under strict Communist control. As he infiltrates the new mafia, a variety of vicious, fearless black marketer, Renko finds himself caught up in a massive plot, the dimensions of which he at first can barely comprehend, involving the smuggling of priceless works of Russian art. Indeed, as Renko trails these national treasures into western Europe, he is reunited with his lost love from Gorky Park, Irina, who has worked for ten years among dissidents intend on crumbling the Soviet empire from the outside in. Red Square (the name is itself part pun and part key to a mystery) is, like all of Smith's Renko books, as much a sociological exploration of the society within a nation that was both a military superpower and an economic Third World regime. This is a satisfying read that concludes among real life events, and at its climax draws its strength from the backdrop of one of the brightest moments of freedom in the annals of humankind.

Red Square is the third Martin Cruz Smith mystery in the Arkady Renko series. After Polar Star, Renko finds himself back in Moscow and restored to his former position as an investigator. The Soviet Union is on the brink of collapse, and five or six different groups of Russian Mafia are vying for control in Moscow. One man, Rudy Rosen, is a tie to these many groups as he serves as a "banker" to them all. He also is an informer for Renko. When Rosen is brutally murdered, Renko has the difficult job of trying to find the killer.

Renko's search takes him from Moscow to Germany, where the possible suspects include gang members, the KGB, a Russian businessman and even a Russian prosecutor. There are many shady situations in Russia as communism begins its freefall, and the waters are definitely clouded. But Renko is extremely intelligent and also, very observant. Through hard work and perseverance, the waters start to clear for him.

Reading about this period of Russian history is always fascinating. It is also interesting to read how Radio Liberty (sponsored by Americans) broadcast out of Germany. This was the only way Russians could discover what was really happening in the USSR.

My only complaint about Red Square is that it seemed rather disjointed for the first one hundred pages or so. It was often difficult to keep characters straight and to follow the plot. But things really picked up halfway through, and the remainder of the book was riveting. I couldn't put it down.

So while I think Red Square fell just a little short of Gorky Park and Polar Star, it is still a fine effort by Cruz Smith.

Martin Cruz Smith's conflicted hero Arkady Renko, homicide inspector for the Militia is back patroling a different beat. After shaking off the 70 year old yoke of Communism, Russia's economic landscape is vastly different. Capitalism has created the opportunity to make money, some of it legal, some illegal. Renko has returned from exile in Siberia. where he toiled in inhospitable work details. He was being punished for aiding in the defection of a young woman Irina Asanova. While doing so they fell in love. Irina fled Russia but the dutiful Renko returned to meet his fate.

Renko in the course of an investigation enlisted a black market financier Rudy Rosen to act as a mole using a radio transmitter to monitor illegal monetary transactions. When Rosen was incinerated in a blazing inferno while siting in his Audi, Renko launched into action.

Renko ambled his way through an unfamiliar Moscow trying to solve Rosen's murder and stumbled upon a convoluted plan to make mountains of illicit money. In his probe Renko encounters the deadly Chechen mafia, as well as corrupt officials and newly established entrepreneurs all trying to squeeze profits out of the tumultuous new Russian economy. Renko's quest leads him to Germany where he hope to reunite with Irina. Unfortunately she consideres herself foresaken and has moved on.

Cruz Smith in "Red Square" attempts to describe the new Russia which is struggling with the changes that this new wave of capitalism has wrought. As the settings of the novel change to Munich and Berlin we see the differences present in those westernized cultures. Cruz Smith gives us a good sense of the confusion of the Russian people as they have to readapt their philosophies to cope and survive within this altered society.