Rating: 
Summary: Again, tops by Smith.
Review: The title is a play on words, and things have really changed in Arkady Renko's Moscow. He's an Investigator again; he has been rehabilitated. His concerns are the different mafias that rule the city's underground (and plenty of the above-ground) trade, and a radio program from Germany that connects him to his past. There are "bankers" in this new Moscow, and trade is in full swing. There are Audis, markets, chemical bombs, and charming Party-members who look like movie stars and get along with Americans because Americans love people who look and act like they do. The murder of a Jewish banker-informer takes Arkady and his partner to the outskirts of Moscow, to a collective farm that has not done much farming, to a Volvo ("a compact, well-made car" as Arkady thinks while looking for his partner) and to Stalin's villa. From there, right before the August putsch, Renko will go to Germany after the trail of the Russian mafia, after "Red Square," after the voice he listens to on the radio every night, alone in his apartment.Full of intrigue and with a great plot, "Red Square" is also the most romantic of the Arkady Renko novels. Again, where so many of the genre writers fail miserably, Smith soars: the love between Arkady and Irina is poignant, believable, adult, and a bit childlish at the same time; the dialogues are realistic; the description is never trite or tired, but vital and fresh. Once again, Smith proves that he is not only a good genre writer who can churn out a superior mystery novel, but a great writer, period. In Arkady Renko he has created a person, not just a character, and his prose flows with ease. In "Red Square" Smith mixes the reality of the August coup and the barricades with the story of Arkady and Irina, and the pursuit of the truth regarding the deaths of an informant, a policeman, an affable Trabant-lover, and the smuggling of art. A Russian in Germany, a poor man from a poor country in a rich country not known for its hospitality to others, the real victors and the real losers from World War II, all this is part of the intricate but rewarding story of "Red Square." Whatever else Martin Cruz Smith decided to do with his detective in the next novel ("Havana Bay," most of which I did not approve of), he created a very tough-to-follow act with his Renko trilogy: genre novels, detective stories, that are well-written and presented with respect to the reader. These are true rarities in the crowded, low-quality mystery shelf. "Red Square," like "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star" before, stands out as top writing by a top writer.
Rating:
Summary: Great Author, Great Story
Review: This book is great, a very good book in a wonderful series. You know this is a great series because of all the other books that claim to be just like it. This was really the first series that I believed the dark disgruntled cop roll - he really sells it well. I like the plot twists and the pace. There is also a lot of time dealing with life in the USSR, which is great background. Once you read this you will search out the rest in the series. I only hope he continues to put them out.
Rating:
Summary: Great Author, Great Story
Review: This book is great, a very good book in a wonderful series. You know this is a great series because of all the other books that claim to be just like it. This was really the first series that I believed the dark disgruntled cop roll - he really sells it well. I like the plot twists and the pace. There is also a lot of time dealing with life in the USSR, which is great background. Once you read this you will search out the rest in the series. I only hope he continues to put them out.
Rating:
Summary: A great book with a great ending
Review: This book is not only a terrific action/mystery novel that is beautifully written, it provides significant insights into the transition of Russia from a communist to a capitalist state.
And it makes a very significant statement about how the Russians feel about the new Russia. After hundreds of pages of predominantly negative portrayals of the problems of new Russia, you get a very poignant portrayal of how much the people of Russia want to defend that society.
Rating:
Summary: Smith completes the circle with Arkadi Reko!
Review: This final sequel to Gorky Park is dark and gripping. The fallen detective, Arkadi Reko, finally returns to Moscow in triumph. At last he regains his honor. But for what? For the new Russia? Red Square is a thriller to be ranked with the best. Each of these novels leaves you wanting more. Smith is a writer of the highest magnitude.
Rating:
Summary: Very special and deep
Review: To say I seldom read thrillers is an understatement (I might have read as many as ten in my entire life, otherwise dominated by books). However, this book was a treat, written with intellligence and an exceptional depth of insight in both human nature and political background. Renko is one of the most authentic literary figures I have come across, and he even influenced me in my way of thinking while I still was a refugee in Germany. That particular setting was probably the reason why I like this book a lot more than Polar Star (I was really surprised that several reviewers claimed it to be the best one in the trilogy), and even more than Gorky Park.
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