- Audio Cassette
- Publisher: Random House Audio (July 22 1989)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 039457866X
- ISBN-13: 978-0394578668
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 10.9 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 5 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #971,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Sprung from a state psychiatric hospital, Arkady Renko takes refuge in Siberia, ultimately working on a Soviet factory ship in the Bering Sea. When one of his shipmates is murdered, he's pressed into service. "Those eagerly awaiting the return of Renko, the saturnine, chain-smoking police investigator from Moscow who appeared in the bestseller Gorky Park , will be glad to know their hero is back in fine form," said PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
A Gorky Park sequel that finds Arkady Renko, disgraced Moscow cop-hero of that 1981 best seller, hiding out on a Russian factory ship (the Polar Star) - and up to his dour ears in an intricately textured but slow-drifting mess of murder, drug smuggling, and political intrigue. Tossed into a psychiatric ward for the "political unreliability" he evinced in Gorky Park, Arkady has escaped to Siberia and is now toiling on the "slime line" of a giant floating food-processing plant, part of a joint Soviet-US venture in the Bering Strait. When the stabbed body of female crew member Zina Patiashvili surfaces with the fishing nets, the ship's captain asks reluctant Arkady to investigate. Troubles crowd in at once: pressure from the Ship's political officer to declare the murder an accident or suicide; resentment by crews both Yank and Russian of Arkady's bulldogged questioning; a scary attempt by unknown assasilants on Arkady's life by locking him into a deep-freezer. A docking by the Polar Star at the American base of Dutch Harbor brings a second attempt and reveals a mortal enemy - Karp Korobetz, a hard-core criminal whom Arkady arrested for murder years before in Moscow and who now locks Arkady into a burning cabin. But fire proves no more fatal than ice to our hero, who busts out and who, as the Polar Star heads north into the ice pack, divides his time between hiding from Karp (most effectively, in the bed of American crew rep Susan Hightower); unraveling an espionage subplot; and digging out Zina's killer - not Karp, but one of Karp's Yank partners in a drug-smuggling conspiracy. Two violent deaths - one a bizarre suicide - climax the novel and lead to Arkady's professional and political redemption. As with Gorky Park, here it's the myriad glimpses of Soviet life that matter most: the Christmas-like wonder on the faces of Soviet sailors surveying electronic goods in an American store; the psychological insights ("Russian men saw themselves as wolves, lean and wild"), the details of food, talk, sex. But gone is the prequel's vigor and kink, and Arkady's charisma too: he's fully fleshed but tired, just like the mystery/suspense element. A distinguished chiller, then, but not a particularly enjoyable one - like good vodka gone warm. (Kirkus Reviews)
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vigilance Abroad,
By
This review is from: Polar Star (Mass Market Paperback)
Martin Cruz Smith is a former journalist and magazine editor. "Polar Star" was first published in 1998 and is the second of his books - after "Gorky Park" - to feature Arkady Renko.Renko was once the Chief Homicide Investigator for Moscow's militia - more or less the 'standard' police force, which saw Renko dealing with the 'everyday'. (The KGB dealt with the really interesting cases). However, following the investigation outlined in "Gorky Park", Renko's life and career has taken a major nosedive. He's been dismissed from the Prosecutor's Office, dismissed from the Party for a lack of `political reliability' and sentenced to a life in Siberia - but only after being kept for psychiatric `observation'. He's found it difficult to make a new life for himself, as his past has always caught up with him. Usually, that costs him whatever job he happened to be doing. He now works as a Seaman (Second Class) on the Polar Star, a factory ship working in American waters between Siberia and Alaska. The operation is a joint Soviet - American venture : the smaller ships, American trawlers, catch the fish, while the Polar Star processes the catch. The Soviets take the fish, while the Americans take the money. Four months out of Vladivostock, the nets return a little more than the usual catch : the body of Zina Patiashvili. Zina, a pretty blonde who worked in the cafeteria, was well-known onboard. Slava Bukovsky, the ship's third mate, is put in charge of the investigation into Zina's death. However, despite his lack of political reliability, Renko is appointed Bukowsky's assistant by the ship's captain, Viktor Marchuk. The captain makes it absolutely clear he wants no suggestion of a cover-up or a lack of a proper investigation. Things are made a little complicated, however, by the American fishermen : many of them were onboard the night Zina died, attending a dance in the cafeteria. While Marchuk doesn't appear too bother with Renko's lack of political reliability, the ship's first mate, Volovoi, isn't quite so forgiving, Volovoi is no sailor, despite his position : he holds his rank as the ship's Political Officer. Therefore, he's responsible for morale and discipline and reports directly to the KGB. It's clear to Renko that Zina was murdered, though it appears that some of the officers would prefer a verdict of suicide. Contrary to the captain's orders, Volovoi wants to be in absolute control : he wants no information to be passed to the Americans and to be briefed before any report is made to Marchuk. Volovoi's duties include writing a report on every crew member for the KGB. He makes it clear that Arkady's only hope of ever setting foot on dry land again rests on a very positive evaluation in that report. Trapped on a ship with conflicting orders from the senior officers and the strong possibility that the murderer is a fellow sailor, this is going to be a difficult investigation. I enjoyed "Polar Star" a great deal - even more, I think, than "Gorky Park". However, I would recommend starting with "Gorky Park", as there are several nods to Renko's past. Definitely recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Sequel,
By richard_t "richard_t" (Overseas) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Polar Star (Mass Market Paperback)
The second in Martin Cruz Smith's wonderful Russian-themed detective series, Polar Star lives up to the promise of the first book, Gorky Park. Polar Star is a Russian fishing ship off the coast of Alaska, working in conjunction with a team of US trawlers. Moscow detective Arkady Renko is being rehabilited after the events in Gorky Park and finds himself on board when a murder takes place. The setting, on a freezing fishing ship in the icy Bering Sea, lends a heavy pressurized feeling to every page. Smith has done the research, his writing is self-assured but not self-conscious. He doesn't show off, but casts plot and dialogue and characters and scenery with the true ring of authenticity. Renko's self-deprecating honesty and Columbo-like detective style brings a smile. Smith is a good writer and this is a good book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Please Keep Writing,
By
This review is from: Polar Star (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
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