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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The third engrossing tale of Arkady Renko, 1 Sep 1999
By A Customer
And so Martin Cruz Smith continues the tale of Arkady Renko, now reinstated as Special Investigator in Moscow after his redemption in Polar Star. Although thoroughly enjoying this book, I feel it is the only book in the Renko trilogy which would be best enjoyed if the other books had been read first. My principal attraction to the novel was the further development of Renko's character, notably in his painfully futile obsession with his lost love Irina, which serves as an emotional contrast to the muder investigation, the details of which are as complex and engrossing as Smith's previous work.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Renko's return to Moscow..., 30 Aug 2006
...and how it has changed! When we first met Chief Investigator Captain Arkady Renko it was at the height of the Cold War when he investigated the deaths of three mutilated bodies in a Moscow park that led to an international conspiracy that reached deep into the Kremlin circle of power. As a "reward" for solving the murders, poor old Renko was stripped of his position and ended up as a 20th century galley slave on a Soviet factory ship in the Arctic circle. After redeeming himself he is back in Moscow, but the times are changing.
The Communists have been booted out, the old ways are dying and the Moscow Militia has to cope with the new threats of international organised crime, drugs, prostitution and old attitudes that refuse to curl up and die. An added distraction for Renko is that Red Square sees the welcome returning of the alluring but dangerous Irina, his long lost love.
Red Square is the third of the Renko books and for me lacks the strength and menace of the earlier two novels, but it remains a fast paced thriller with enough twists and turns to keep you up past midnight as you read just one more chapter. It has the essential chills and sinister characters lurking in the shadows and it's a welcome addition to the Renko saga, but would make a lousy starting point for anyone who has not read the earlier books. Renko comes with baggage and it's important to be aware of it so if you are to fully understand him and his laconic take on life. Buy this with Gorky Park and Polar Star and give yourself a treat.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Who can we be, if we get out alive?", 28 Jan 2007
First published in 1992, _Red Square_ illustrates the complexities which have emerged as the Russians allow some private enterprise but have not yet become a democracy. Hardliners want to perpetuate their own way of life, while young people and the hungry proletariat want reform and their own piece of the pie. Arkady Renko, who has appeared in two previous Cruz Smith novels (Gorky Park and Polar Star), has returned to Moscow from exile and has resumed his job as a detective, this time investigating corruption and criminal fraud in the city as private enterprise takes illegal turns.
Rudy Rosen, who engages in money-changing, gambling, and other felonies, some of them involving citizens of foreign countries, is cooperating with Renko by allowing him to record conversations. Immediately after Renko leaves Rudy in his car, however, Rudy's car explodes, incinerating Rudy and a suitcase full of cash. As Renko investigates who might have killed Rudy, the complexity of this mystery parallels the complexities of a Russian society in which it's every man for himself in terms of financial transactions.
All the characters are at loose ends, wondering who they are and how they are perceived. Renko is just back from exile, the love of his life having defected to Germany years ago, and she believes that he has abandoned her. Rudy Rosen wants to have it both ways--to cooperate with Renko and to continue his shady dealings. The Chechens who appear in the story are blamed for everything that is violent or illegal, yet they cannot forget the horrors of mass relocation and the killings through which the Russians annihilated their villages. As the investigation of Rudy's death leads Renko from Moscow to Munich and Berlin (and to a meeting with Irina, his long lost love), Renko meets with other Russians who live abroad but still regard themselves as Russian.
Renko is a sad case--morose, love-starved, and without any reason for living--and as he tries to do what it right, his essential goodness comes through. As the case becomes an investigation of stolen Jewish paintings from World War II and earlier, the Russian Mafia abroad and Renko's own superiors threaten his life. The body count rises and who-did-what-to whom becomes confusing, but many readers will focus on the character of Renko. As he tries to navigate the minefield of his own life, he resembles a modern version of some of the great Russian tragic heroes. Not the most unified of the Renko mysteries, but fascinating, nevertheless. Mary Whipple
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