Rating: 
Summary: Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith
Review: Fans of Arkady Renko will love Polar Star. Just the right amount of suspense and humor Polar Star will not disappoint readers. Arkady, now exiled from the 'party' has found a meager living on the Polar Star a factory processing ship of the artic fishing fleet. The naked body of a young beautiful female worker is brought up in the nets. Renko is invited to investigate this bizzar event. Should he investigate? Should he run? Does this have ties to the Russian political establishment? Is Arkady Renko being investigated himself? Many questions have to be answered by a man all alone in the icy seas and by the reader. Martin Cruz Smith created an excellant followup for his character. We need more five star adventures of Renko even those after the fall of the Soviet Union and throughout the creation of the commonwealth of independant states.
Rating:
Summary: Martin Cruz Smith's best book
Review: I also read "Polar Star" several years ago, and I could not pass up the opportunity to praise this novel. Expecting a read like "Gorky Park" -- which was very entertaining and timely -- I encountered a book so well written, so absorbingly psychlogical, that I could not put it down. Everyone to whom I have recommended "Polar Star" has valued it as much as I have. This book transcends its ostensible mystery genre and deserves to be considered literature.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptional read
Review: I have just read the first three Arkady Renko novels (Gorky Park, Polar Star, and Red Square) by Martin Cruz Smith, and am currently enjoying his fourth featuring the Moscow investigator (Havana Bay). I found Polar Star to be an extremely enjoyable read. It is uniquely set on a factory ship on the Bering Sea which consequently infuses a claustrophobic atmosphere into every page. In Arkady Renko, Cruz Smith has created an intriguing and realistic hero. Never before has a leading character been so easy to identify with and warm to. And in Polar Star, Cruz Smith has, in my view, exceeded the standard set by the brilliant Gorky Park. It is extremely well written, with an absorbing plot that gathers momentum as it hurtles towards a gripping climax. In summary, unputdownable.
Rating:
Summary: Polar Star
Review: I picked up a copy of Polar Star when I was 12 and now, 2 years later, I still think it's one of the best book I've ever read. As I had not read Gorky Park, I found the concept completely unique. The main character's past, up to the events on the Polar Star, were helpfully refreshed by the superb literary skills of the author. I was able to quickly understand the story (and misfortunes) of Arkady Renko. In short, a body is pulled out of the sea by a Soviet fishing ship called the Polar Star. Captain Marchuk calls upon Renko to investigate into the case. He soon finds his superiors bullying him inot wrapping up the case, and sees something sinister is afoot. The story kept me enthralled right until the final confrontation in the frozen waters of the Bering Straits. Martin Cruz Smith is a genius of thriller writing. I also recommend Red Square (which I thought was the final Arkady book until I saw the Havana Bay reviews on this very site.)
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing follow-up to Gorky Park
Review: I thought this book was quite a let-down after the far superior "Gorky Park." It seems to be an example of an author cranking out a sequel in order to ensure a big payday. The situation was completely unrealistic--there was no way Renko would have been allowed to investigate under the circustances presented in the book. The mystery itself was not involving, the romance embarassingly cliched and unbelievable (with hostility turning to affection with unusual abruptness), the resolution a confusing, pointless letdown. The murder victim is portrayed as an unbelievably cynical and manipulative slut, which gives the whole thing kind of an unpleasant air--not much sympathy is expressed for her. Then there's the obligatory psycho murderer shipmate who harbors a fanatical grudge against Renko for putting him away many years before, obviously included as a red herring and to provide a few scenes of violence and suspense, otherwise largely missing. Skip it and read "Gorky Park" again instead, if you feel the need for a murder mystery with a Russian flavor.
Rating:
Summary: Please Keep Writing
Review: I thought this was a very solid follow up to Gorky Park. The characters lot in life and situation make since to me. The same strong character building comes through to thus book and that dark, a bit desperate feel is there also. I look the feel of the book, in describing the fishing ship - I can smell it, the description is that good. I also liked the story, I was wondering how he was going to give us a fulfilling murder mystery to solve and he did it. If you liked his last book in this series then you will really like this one.
Rating:
Summary: Please Keep Writing
Review: I thought this was a very solid follow up to Gorky Park. The characters lot in life and situation make since to me. The same strong character building comes through to thus book and that dark, a bit desperate feel is there also. I look the feel of the book, in describing the fishing ship - I can smell it, the description is that good. I also liked the story, I was wondering how he was going to give us a fulfilling murder mystery to solve and he did it. If you liked his last book in this series then you will really like this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Polar Star
Review: Inspector (retired...) Arkady Renko returns as the man to watch in the second thriller in Martin Cruz Smith's series of Russian intrigue begun with Gorky Park (Renko's introduction). Many writers today find a successful formula and stick to it... over and over. The only thing the same from Martin Cruz Smith's works are their high level of excitement, interesting characters and plot development. Arkady Renko is one of the most interesting characters in all of mystery fiction.
What Smith does best is gives the reader an insiders' view of a society totally different than what the audience is used to. And introduces his characters to his readers as if we had been their friends (or enemies) for years.
Whether it be Los Alamos during the development of Man's deadliest weapon in Stallion Gate, Cuba in Havana Bay, Japan on the brink of World War II in December 4th: A Novel, or Moscow in Gorky Park, with his characters on the verge of an exciting adventure for the reader to be a part of.
I judge other mysteries and mystery writers byMartin Cruz Smith's works. Some mysteries I consume like potato chips or pretzels. Very, VERY few do I savor each page as I do Martin Cruz Smith's excellent thrillers!John Row
Rating:
Summary: Polar Star
Review: Inspector (retired...) Arkady Renko returns as the man to watch in the second thriller in Martin Cruz Smith's series of Russian intrigue begun with Gorky Park (Renko's introduction). Many writers today find a successful formula and stick to it... over and over. The only thing the same from Martin Cruz Smith's works are their high level of excitement, interesting characters and plot development. Arkady Renko is one of the most interesting characters in all of mystery fiction.
What Smith does best is gives the reader an insiders' view of a society totally different than what the audience is used to. And introduces his characters to his readers as if we had been their friends (or enemies) for years.
Whether it be Los Alamos during the development of Man's deadliest weapon in Stallion Gate, Cuba in Havana Bay, Japan on the brink of World War II in December 4th: A Novel, or Moscow in Gorky Park, with his characters on the verge of an exciting adventure for the reader to be a part of.
I judge other mysteries and mystery writers byMartin Cruz Smith's works. Some mysteries I consume like potato chips or pretzels. Very, VERY few do I savor each page as I do Martin Cruz Smith's excellent thrillers! John Row
Rating:
Summary: I Could Smell the Fish!
Review: Martin Cruz Smith again proves himself to be a master story teller. For Americans, the settings and charachters that flourish in Smith's novels are exotic, unforgettable, and incredibly intriguing. Renko is again the ultimate anti-hero, exiled to a Russian fishing ship where he wades knee-deep into a murder mystery despite the potential consequences. Fantastic!
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