Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express

Rating:
Summary: One of the best of an excellent series
Review: Stuart Kaminsky's series about Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov and his team of Moscow detectives bears a strong similarity to Ed McBain's "87th Precinct" police procedural novels. And that is no coincidence -- Inspector Rostnikov can often be found relaxing with a tattered paperback Ed McBain novel in hand. "Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express" is one of the best of the books in the entire series. Three cases unfold in parallel: An unknown woman is stabbing men seemingly at random on the Moscow subway. A skinhead rock star, the son of a wealthy media magnate, has been kidnapped. And Rostnikov is sent on a journey aboard the Trans-Siberian Express train because of a report that a courier is to exchange a suitcase full of money for a mysterious package. Interwoven with these threads are the evolving personal stories of the detectives. Is Karpo mentally disintegrating? Will Sasha Tlach reconcile with his wife? What does the future hold for Iosef Rostnikov and Elena Timofeyeva? And what plumbing problems await Porfiry? Although a newcomer to the series could read "Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express" with pleasure both for the mysteries presented and for the social commentary upon present-day Russia (a strong point of this Kaminsky series has been its portrait of, first, a decaying Soviet Union and, later, of a new Russia stumbling through chaos), such a reader would not fully appreciate the significance of the background material dealing with the personal lives of the various detectives. My recommendation is to read this novel, most certainly, but first go back and read those which came before. In Porfiry Rostnikov Stuart Kaminsky has created an admirable protagonist, both strong and wise. Fueled by deep compassion, Rostnikov serves justice, not the letter of the law, and he has long ago learned the art of the possible, tempering his quest for justice with the knowledge that such justice is not always obtainable in a world ruled by power and corruption. Some times -- most times -- a partial victory is all that can be achieved.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best of an excellent series
Review: Stuart Kaminsky's series about Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov and his team of Moscow detectives bears a strong similarity to Ed McBain's "87th Precinct" police procedural novels. And that is no coincidence -- Inspector Rostnikov can often be found relaxing with a tattered paperback Ed McBain novel in hand. "Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express" is one of the best of the books in the entire series. Three cases unfold in parallel: An unknown woman is stabbing men seemingly at random on the Moscow subway. A skinhead rock star, the son of a wealthy media magnate, has been kidnapped. And Rostnikov is sent on a journey aboard the Trans-Siberian Express train because of a report that a courier is to exchange a suitcase full of money for a mysterious package. Interwoven with these threads are the evolving personal stories of the detectives. Is Karpo mentally disintegrating? Will Sasha Tlach reconcile with his wife? What does the future hold for Iosef Rostnikov and Elena Timofeyeva? And what plumbing problems await Porfiry? Although a newcomer to the series could read "Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express" with pleasure both for the mysteries presented and for the social commentary upon present-day Russia (a strong point of this Kaminsky series has been its portrait of, first, a decaying Soviet Union and, later, of a new Russia stumbling through chaos), such a reader would not fully appreciate the significance of the background material dealing with the personal lives of the various detectives. My recommendation is to read this novel, most certainly, but first go back and read those which came before. In Porfiry Rostnikov Stuart Kaminsky has created an admirable protagonist, both strong and wise. Fueled by deep compassion, Rostnikov serves justice, not the letter of the law, and he has long ago learned the art of the possible, tempering his quest for justice with the knowledge that such justice is not always obtainable in a world ruled by power and corruption. Some times -- most times -- a partial victory is all that can be achieved.