Rating: 
Summary: Havana Bay weaves a spellbinding tale ...
Review: ... that challenges your willpower to put the book down at the end of the day.A solid read written in such a manner that you can feel on your skin the soft breezes coming from the open Bay and the sweaty air of the close quarters in Havana, in your soul the characters' pains from the circumstances in which they find themselves, and in your mind the belief that you too are under the ever-present, watchful eye of the Bearded One as you follow each character through the Cuban venues so vividly illustrated by the author's words. This story starves you to read or re-read the author's other works that allow you to follow the steps of Arkady Renko.
Rating: 
Summary: Cold War Writer Finds Himself
Review: After a few uneven novels, compelling story teller Martin Cruz Smith has plucked Arkady Renko, the hero of "Gorky Park," "Polar Star" and "Red Square," out of freeze to take on the rouges once again. By sending Detective Renko to Havana to identify the body of his old friend Sergei Pribluda, Smith sets himself a considerable challenge: Not only must he provide the sophisticated whirls of intrigue for which "Gorky Park" is famous; he has to make the country seem real from a Russian's perspective. Arkady has to assimilate language, customs and even a little Cuban forensicology at a dizzying rate. But the tropical locations of "Havana Bay" reward both the author -- who meets the challenge by grounding the book with precise, credible detail -- and his inexhaustible protagonist. In Havana, a cabal of Cuban police officers wants to prevent Arkady from identifying the body, and, if possible, to prevent him from going home alive. Only one officer, a single mother named Ofelia Osorio, comes to his assistance, and together the two try to get to the heart of an international conspiracy of venal, murderous thugs. Smith has a delicately layered touch with this novel. Along with a love story, he takes the reader along with Arkady on a hairpin-curve tour through the topics of Russo-Cuban relations, Santeria and the local conventions of hustling with the unsentimental deftness of a seasoned guide. Smith, like other Cold War writers, has had some difficulty in the past few years finding the emerging markets for intrigue. His 1992 novel "Red Square" was an interesting but somewhat shallow dive into Moscow's organized crime problem; his novel, "Rose," was an ambitious piece of historical fiction about the perils of coal mining in England. So while Smith's writing hadn't suffered much, it hadn't excelled, either. Now it has. Enjoy this solicitous, lascivious, at times, sleek-sleaze ride.
Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary page-turner. Mystery writing at its best.
Review: Havana Bay is an extremely engaging and exciting mystery novel that is a strong and welcome addition to the author's three previous Arkady Renko novels, each of them featuring the quiet and sensitive but also extraordinarily dedicated and perceptive Moscow detective, once again up against the power and evil of a corrupt political and social system that is doing its best to obscure the facts, cover the crime, and eliminate him from the scene. Cruz-Smith takes us into the heart of Castro's Havana and gives us a gritty, raw look at a world that runs by its own rules, and the overall view isn't a pretty one. This isn't the Havana that tourists or Castro apologists will see, but one with a dirty underbelly that for all its moralism reeks of corruption on a political and social level. As he did with Polar Star and Rose, Cruz-Smith takes us into the heart of a place and a time we would never have otherwise visited and makes us feel as though we're actually there - the rarest gift of a fine novelist. This is a book that will keep you enthralled and however much you'll want to reach the end of the mystery, its very richness of scene and detail will make you wish the book were twice or three times the size. Definitely one you won't want to miss.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely Not His Best
Review: I have read all of the previous Arkady Renko books by Martin Cruz Smith, as well as the enjoyable change of pace Rose, so I eagerly looking forward to reading this latest installment in the Renko series. While a subpar effort by a skilled mystery writer like Smith is still better than most novels in the genre, Havana Bay is definitely not his best work. The book takes place in Havana, as the title would suggest, although it is never really explained to the reader's satisfaction exactly what compelled Arkady to travel to Cuba, on his own dime, to investigate the death of an old comrade. As is usual in the series, Arkady meets his share of corruption at higher levels, attempted cover-ups, attractive mysterious women who somehow are drawn to him and his rumpled appearance, etc. Renko seems to be going through the motions even more than usual here, driven to seek the truth by some sense of duty to ascertain whether his friend was murdered or died naturally , (even if it kills him), in a strange land with no cooperation by the authorities. I thought the strongest character of the novel was Cuba itself, in all its faded glory. The sights, sounds and smells of the island come alive in Smith's talented hands, as did the frozen skating pond of Gorky Park and the arctic fishing boat of Polar Star. The problem here is that the other characters in the novel are a forgettable bunch, and the plot is more convoluted than even Smith fans can expect. I enjoyed passages of this book, and I feel like I know Cuba almost as if I visited the island. However the story of the novel was pretty forgettable, and I would only recommend this one to real fans of the Renko series. For all you others, if you've already read Gorky Park, read Rose instead.
Rating:
Summary: Still a Good Book
Review: I really think this series is this authors best story line and set of characters. When I read some of this other books, I just do not get into the story as much as I do with Arkady. He again creates this dark, brooding lead character that you believe in, even though it seems to be the central casting type for these type of parts. I was concerned that this book took this character, that I know so well, out of Russia - would the author be able to create that overall sense of foreboding that he does so well in Russia? I think so, at least he made the parts of Cuba that may resemble Russia stand out. Overall the story is a good one, with the normal relationship sub plots for Arkady. The mystery holds up to the end and the book has a decent pace. I do think it is not as good as the other three, he is trying to move the story along and that is the difficult part - - we all love aspects of the original Gorky Park and the further the author gets away from that book, the more he has to change to keep the stories somewhat fresh. I think this 4th book was the biggest step, the first three were very close to each other, almost additional chapters to the original work. It is a difficult balance and I think we will really not be able to tell if it is working until the 5th one of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Renko takes a couple of weeks off in Havana- so should you!
Review: In Havana Bay, Martin Cruz Smith delivers a fourth detective mystery based on the exploits of Arkady Renko, the Moscow chief investigator that cannot leave any question unanswered. This time an enigmatic call for help brings Renko to Havana where his former KGB nemesis Sergei Pribluda (recall Gorky Park) is missing. Again Renko assumes his role of protagonist as the investigator no one seems to understand or wants to have on the case. Devotees of Renko will find all the literary devices they've become accustomed to in the previous three novels- the resistant love interest, antagonists that become unlikely allies and conspiring that reaches to the highest level of intrigue. There is no doubt that Smith is playing a formula here, but that may be the secret of a great detective series. Doubtless Arkady Renko could join with Sam Spade, Hercule Poirot among others in starting a new generation of unlikely gumshoes. As with Polar Star and Red Square, Gorky Park is the logical and helpful prerequisite to gaining the most out of reading Havana Bay. In this third sequel to Gorky Park, Renko seems to arrive at a greater sense of himself, a little less dark, a little more hopeful. As someone that enjoys the moodiness, manner and method of Renko, Havana Bay met all my expectations and became a pleasant aside from the usual Russian environment the earlier novels were set in.
Rating:
Summary: Great Plot, even better descriptions of Havana
Review: Martin Cruz Smith writes his fourth installment of Arkaday Renko, the character introduced in his first novel, Gorky Park. While it is not necessary to have read any of Cruz Smith's former books, those who have will be familiar with Renko. While perhaps not as gripping and fresh as Gorky Park, Havana Bay is a captivating read, both in that the murder/plot unfolds with each new scene/chapter and also for the peeling back of further layers for the reader about information about Cuba, Havana and the history of each. Cruz Smith's descriptions of events and landmarks in Havana are enticingly vivid and his descriptions of Cuban people instill images of what these individuals would actually be like in your head. I had always been interested in Cuba, but even if you hadn't been in the past, you will be now. Havana Bay is a quick, exciting read with enough of an unfolding plot and rich, lush descriptive scenery that readers should finish it wanting more.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes Suicide isn't Painless
Review: Moscow detective Arkady Renko, out of work and miserable for the last half-dozen years, is called to the Russian Embassy in Havana to look into the mysterious disappearance of his old comrade Sergei Pribluda. Renko is fighting suicidal impulses, trying to survive despite a crushing personal tragedy, and the trip to Cuba is an opportunity to leave the gloomy and cold Moscow winter behind and get away from the constant reminders of better times. Unknown to his bosses he plans to commit suicide once he gets to Cuba. But immediately after he arrives the Cuban police want him to identify a floater pulled from Havana Bay as his missing friend. Pribluda, a former KGB agent, who is currently the Russian Security Service's resident spy in Havana, has been missing for almost two weeks. The Cuban authorities want him to make the identification, acknowledge that the death was from natural causes, and return to Moscow on the next flight. Renko says he's not sure it Pribluda, since the body is badly decomposed and the circumstances surrounding the death may not be as obvious as they seem. Renko wants the Cuban police to investigate, however they apparently won't. Renko regains his will to live and is determined to find out what happened to Pribluda, so he begins his own snooping. What he finds is more than he expected and certainly more than the Cubans wanted him to find. It seems the case has the potential to become an embarrassment for Castro's government and the Cuban's want the matter closed quickly and quietly. As he's done in Renko's past adventures, Smith shows his readers a culture and country foreign to most in the United States. He depicts a Cuba learning to make its own way in the world, an island with rich customs where 1950s vintage American cars cruise seaside boulevards and many people practice the mystic Santeria religion. I couldn't put this book down and I can't recommend it enough.
Rating:
Summary: Kind of a let down
Review: Perhaps, Mister Smith has become too comfortable with Arkady Renko. I guess I was expecting Gorky Park in Havanna. It just never happened. There are the bad guys that come armed with syringes, baseball bats and machetes. There is a certain amount of deductive reasoning, but I must confess I did not see where the story was going until the last 50 pages. Without giving anything away, it seems there could have been more fireworks than what occurred at the end of the book. Perhaps that was the intent, but I missed the hints - probably because I never connected with the supporting cast. The backdrop of Havanna and the missed opportunity for the past half century is compelling, but it is not enough to carry off the novel.
Rating:
Summary: Unity of action, setting, and mood in Havana
Review: Russian detective Arkady Renko of Gorky Park fame returns in this novel to investigate the murder of a fellow countryman in Havana. Readers familiar with Smith's other novels will probably agree that his style and craft are really much better than they need to be for the detective fiction genre. The result is like riding a rollercoaster with one breathtaking view after another. Should you enjoy the thrills or the scenery? How about both? Interspersed among the action scenes are engaging portrayals of ordinary (and not-so-ordinary) Cubans and descriptions of Havana that you pause to reread so as not to miss their full effect. Anyone who has visited Havana should enjoy the scenes set along Havana Bay and in the neighborhoods of Chinatown, Vedado, and Playa.
| 
