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Name: Red Square: Martin Cruz Smith: 9780679416883: Amazon.com: Books
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Rating: 4.3 (1629 reviews)

Martin Cruz Smith

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Red Square Hardcover – October 13, 1992

by Martin Cruz Smith (Author)

4.3 1,629 ratings

Book 3 of 11: Arkady Renko

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"Sharply, evocatively written and elaborately plotted...It should find as many friends as did GORKY PARK."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Back from exile, Arkady Reko returns to find that his country, his Moscow, even his job, are nearly dead. Not so his enemies. Hounded by the Russian mafia, chased by ruthless minions of the newly rich and powerful, and tempted by his great love, Arkady can only hope for escape. Fate, however, has other ideas....
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
A LITERARY GUILD MAIN SELECTION

From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Soviet upheavals have fueled the glowing talent of Smith (Gorky Park), America's preeminent writer of Russia-based thrillers. Investigator Arkady Renko returns from exile on the Polar Star fleet to find the new Moscow a dramatic battlefield of warlords and entrepreneurs; behind it, as still as a painted backdrop, eight million people standing in line. An ingenious bomb kills Renko's informer the banker for freewheeling black marketeers-leading Arkady's team through the quicksand of mafia-dominated official graft. His workaholic forensics expert, Polina (who must wait in line for morgue time as well as for beets), identifies the bomb method, leading Arkady too close for aparatchik comfort. He is bumped from the case, but only after a clue from the dead man's fax (Where is Red Square?) points him toward a Munich connection. Meanwhile, he is stunned to hear his lost love, Irina, on Munichbased Radio Liberty and with his last bit of clout wrangles a barely official trip to Germany. His mastery of the Russian system stymies the Munich embassy and reunites him with Irina in the midst of nasty fellow citizens bent on national theft. With vital aid from a Munich cop, Arkady links the fax clue to Russian bureaucrats, the ethnic Checken mafia, and German bankers. The novel paints the new post-Soviet aura through the stoic hero's wry humor and leaves Arkady and Irina perfectly poised, like Russia itself, for whatever comes next. Major ad/ promo; author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

y, evocatively written and elaborately plotted...It should find as many friends as did GORKY PARK."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Back from exile, Arkady Reko returns to find that his country, his Moscow, even his job, are nearly dead. Not so his enemies. Hounded by the Russian mafia, chased by ruthless minions of the newly rich and powerful, and tempted by his great love, Arkady can only hope for escape. Fate, however, has other ideas....
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
A LITERARY GUILD MAIN SELECTION

From the Paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0679416889
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House; First Edition (October 13, 1992)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 418 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780679416883
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679416883
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.7 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #591,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #330,593 in Literature & Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 1,629 ratings

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Martin Cruz Smith

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Martin Cruz-Smith's novels include Stalin's Ghost, Gorky Park, Rose, December 6, Polar Star and Stallion Gate. A two-time winner of the Hammett Prize from the International Association of Crime Writers and a recipient of Britain's Golden Dagger Award, he lives in California.

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Customers say

Customers find the story interesting and intricate. They describe the book as a good read with well-developed characters and complex personalities. Readers praise the writing style as rich and engaging. The pacing is described as fast and holds their attention for hours. Customers find the protagonistlikable and appreciate the historical accuracy of the setting.

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Story quality Readability Character development Writing quality Pacing Likability Historical accuracy Value for money

55 customers mention "Story quality"48 positive7 negative

Customers find the story engaging with its intricate plot and thrilling twists. They appreciate the detective story based around the break-up of the Soviet Union, and the author's skillful storytelling. Readers also mention that the book is one of his best mystery novels.

"...written as entertainment, and yet it is wonderfully literary, full of rich atmosphere, multi-faceted characterization and intelligent dialogue...." Read more

"...There are the usual number of near-misses, serious injuries and hand-wringing intrigue, including double-cross episodes and lots of strange names to..." Read more

"...This is an astonishing suspense novel. I hate to say, but it is surprisingly good...." Read more

"...for a skillfully crafted, novel with fully fleshed characters, spot on world building and, as always, Arkady Renko remains one of the more appealing..." Read more

50 customers mention "Readability"47 positive3 negative

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable. They describe it as interesting and well-written. The characters are believable, making it hard to put down.

"...Red Square is written as entertainment, and yet it is wonderfully literary, full of rich atmosphere, multi-faceted characterization and intelligent..." Read more

"...All-in-all I give it a 4.4, rounded down to an Amazon 4. It was entertaining, if a bit gruesome and at times just silly." Read more

"...This is an astonishing suspense novel. I hate to say, but it is surprisingly good...." Read more

"...life is evident, the Russian mafia's all here and a love interest, worth reading if prefer the " thinking man" type hero." Read more

26 customers mention "Character development"26 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters with complex personalities. They appreciate the detailed descriptions and the persistent protagonist. The book is described as rich in atmosphere with multi-faceted characterization and intelligent dialogue. Readers praise the author's literary skills and knowledge of the country, people, and politics.

"...What this book is really about, though, is a fascinating, complicated character who, in the process of making his way through a world that is..." Read more

"...The characters are fleshed out and the dialogue worthy of an Eastern bloc Elmore Leonard...." Read more

"...This is the setting for a skillfully crafted, novel with fully fleshed characters, spot on world building and, as always, Arkady Renko remains one..." Read more

"...masochistic character of old and the book is filled with well thought out characters...." Read more

25 customers mention "Writing quality"19 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality. They find the descriptions and dialogue engaging, with intelligent dialogue worthy of an Eastern bloc Elmore Leonard. The settings and details are true to the Russian experience, and the author shows smoother and nuanced writing skills over time.

"This is a beautifully written book, more so because it has no literary pretension...." Read more

"...Nonetheless, I liked the writing, I liked Arkady and his dilemmas, and I admired the intricate scenarios and the extensive travelogue-style visits..." Read more

"...Martin Cruz Smith is a gifted writer and never so confident as with this book. The pacing is breakneck...." Read more

"This book was a challenging - in a good way - a murky complicated investigation in which little is as it seems...." Read more

14 customers mention "Pacing"11 positive3 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book fast and engaging. They say the complex plot keeps their minds active and draws an exciting picture of a time in the last century. The background and storyline are colorful and wonderful, providing depth into the lives and thoughts of the characters.

"...I hate to say, but it is surprisingly good. The locales are so well rendered, I really got a sense of Moscow, Munich and Berlin...." Read more

"...The background and story line were colorful and wonderful! Loved it!" Read more

"...Evocative settings, details true to the Russian experience and great story telling keep him on my read and re-read lists." Read more

"Very slow to start, boring actually, but it picks up and becomes a very good thriller...." Read more

8 customers mention "Likability"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's likability. They appreciate the writing style, character development, and intricate plot. The book is described as the best in the series and a classic Martin Cruz Smith thriller.

"...Nonetheless, I liked the writing, I liked Arkady and his dilemmas, and I admired the intricate scenarios and the extensive travelogue-style visits..." Read more

"...the places, but it is tempered by the black humor and ultimate likability of Arkady Renko...." Read more

"This is a classic Martin Cruz Smith Inspector Arkady Renko thriller...." Read more

"My favorite in the Detective Renko series!..." Read more

6 customers mention "Historical accuracy"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging with its historical accuracy and suspense. They appreciate the backdrop of a fascinating time in Russian history, events leading up to the events, and the art and art history aspects. The book also covers life before Putin.

"...One learns, interestingly enough, about art and art history, as well as life in pre-Putin Russia...." Read more

"...Set amongst a backdrop of a fascinating time in Russian history, events leading up to the uprising that brought about the demise of Communism...." Read more

"...Highly recommend the high drama and historical information about the dissolving Soviet Union post Berlin wall crash...." Read more

"...This is a thoroughly enjoyable read, set at an historical time." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book reasonably priced and a good investment. They say it arrived promptly in good condition with solid binding.

"...Great condition hardcover, for a great price." Read more

"Fast delivery. Super price for the hardcover...." Read more

"...hard to find book is in like-new condition and, otherwise, was a good price at 10.70 total." Read more

"reasonably priced book arrived promptly, in good condition, solid binding, pages yellowed, but it is a 1992 copyright...." Read more

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Paul Ingalls
Brilliant!
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2015
Verified Purchase

This is a beautifully written book, more so because it has no literary pretension. Red Square is written as entertainment, and yet it is wonderfully literary, full of rich atmosphere, multi-faceted characterization and intelligent dialogue. To read it is to steep yourself in the cynical, contradictory, dysfunctional world of Soviet Russia, as seen through the character of criminal investigator Arkady Renko, a man simultaneously compelled to rebel against a corrupt system while being psychologically incapable of divorcing himself from it. It is this kind of contradiction that gives Renko his depth, and it is the wonderful dialogue Smith writes for him that gives him his appeal. Renko is the kind of person who never says anything that has only one meaning. When a customs agent at an airport remarks to him that he must be “anxious to go home,” he responds in his typically enigmatic way, “I am always anxious when I go home.” Renko is always the smartest person in the room, and always the person least invested in having people know that. He is someone who prevails not because he is stronger or more intelligent than everyone else, but because he understands his shortcomings better than his opponents understand theirs. Meanwhile, Smith peppers his prose with human insight and poetic description. Renko realizes that there’s a restaurant beyond a hedge, for instance, when he hears “the chatter of cutlery” from the other side. As for plotting, yes, there’s a plot. You have your KGB agents, your Russian mobsters, your fanatic Communists and your corrupt officials. Most of them end up dead, some as the result of particularly unpleasant experiences. There are a number of surprises and plot twists, a thread of romance and a smidgen of sex. What this book is really about, though, is a fascinating, complicated character who, in the process of making his way through a world that is painfully familiar to him, reveals a world that is refreshingly alien to us.

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David Island
Where Is Red Square?
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
“Red Square” by Martin Cruz Smith is one of Smith’s Arkady Renko series. It is a police investigator story set in Moscow, Munich and Berlin during the final days of the crack-up of the former Soviet Union in the summer of 1991. There’s lots of killing, blowing people up, car wrecks, chases, stabbings and other murderous mayhem, all of which surrounds a kind of ridiculous love story between Arkady and Irina (and Max).

There are the usual number of near-misses, serious injuries and hand-wringing intrigue, including double-cross episodes and lots of strange names to work your memory muscles over. There’s plenty of ethnic racism toward just about everyone but especially at Chechens, overt negativity about life in Russia, jealous contrasts between East and West, and overall a grand abundance of way too many pages in a story that should have ended long before it did.

It’s too long with too many twists and turns, too many miraculous escapes and too many characters. The in-depth look at the differences between Americanized Western Europe and the disastrous results of 50 years of Communism in the East are stark and for the most part realistic. There is no humor as well there might not be in a story such as this. In sum, it was a very American story.

Nonetheless, I liked the writing, I liked Arkady and his dilemmas, and I admired the intricate scenarios and the extensive travelogue-style visits to the 3 cities. As police detective stories go, this one is quite good. And yet, I could not help but compare author Smith to the Norwegian great contemporary writer, Jo Nesbo, who writes about similar people in Norway and has his own series of detective stories (the Harry Hole series). Smith is no Nesbo. However, I will try another by Smith.

One learns, interestingly enough, about art and art history, as well as life in pre-Putin Russia. The words “Red Square,” it seems, stand for much more than the well-known plaza in front of the Kremlin.

All-in-all I give it a 4.4, rounded down to an Amazon 4. It was entertaining, if a bit gruesome and at times just silly.

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B. Shapiro
A great Read!
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2011
Verified Purchase
I have been a bit under the weather this summer and so I have done a lot of reading. I read Gorky Park years ago and enjoyed it as well as the film adaptation. Since this is a series, I thought I'd better read the Arkady Renko books in order. I must admit I was a little let down by Polar Star, and it certainly didn't prepare me for Red Square. This is an astonishing suspense novel. I hate to say, but it is surprisingly good. The locales are so well rendered, I really got a sense of Moscow, Munich and Berlin. The characters are fleshed out and the dialogue worthy of an Eastern bloc Elmore Leonard. There is a grimness to the story, the crimes and the places, but it is tempered by the black humor and ultimate likability of Arkady Renko. Martin Cruz Smith is a gifted writer and never so confident as with this book. The pacing is breakneck. I didn't want to put this one down... and I didn't want it to end. If that tattooed girl in Sweden leaves you cold (like that series left me), read this book. If you like hardboiled crime fiction, read this book. If you like simply good writing, read this book.

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Lagoon
I didn’t want to leave Red Square.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2020
Verified Purchase

This book was a feast for me; encapsulating as it does so many of my favourite elements. Russia, of course, the eternal enigma, Germany shortly after the reunification, and best of all, the looting of art during World War Two.

Renko, a man at home in Russia but resentful of being so, is after answers. A small time racketeer is killed and Renko has his mission. Not that the man held any special place in Renko’s affections but the manner of his death is too outlandish to ignore.

A large part of the book takes place in Germany. Smith shines a light on Germany such as I have never seen before. Juxtaposing Germany’s rampant capitalism against Russia’s strange mix of communism and perestroika reveals aspects of the most powerful country in Europe that I had never considered. The attitude towards East Germans, the sense of entitlement that comes with a country that has risen from the ashes and the wariness of outside interference into their Utopia.

If I had a criticism, it would be that Renko has more lives than a cattery. Do you remember those old films that would end on a cliffhanger with the good guy just a few feet away from certain death? And then when the next instalment starts, there is fifty extra feet and five extra minutes added? That doesn’t distract from the book; it’s an amusement if anything. The sense of place throughout is captivating and the quality of writing never wavers. I’ve just started Gorky Park. Back where it all began.

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Vincent Gardner
Almost as good as Gorky Park
Reviewed in Canada on June 28, 2016
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I’m just floored by Martin Cruz Smith. I was stunned when I read Gorky Park. Smith’s ability to describe and use the nuanced, personal aspects of Russian life: the way the daily stresses of the opaque official double-life affect actions and lives – it was amazing, not to mention the intricate plot, the sharp writing, the great characters, the tension, etc. Smith is a master. I still hold that Le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is the greatest spy/mystery/thriller/detective novel ever, but I place Gorky Park right after it – ahead of any of P. D. James’ novels. And now I’ve read Red Square. And it’s almost as good as Gorky Park. How did Smith manage any of this? The level of research and imagination just floors me. The highly specific descriptions of very isolated locales, of inner offices, of dachas, of old barns, crummy apartments, neighborhoods, black markets, vehicles – it’s just drenched with authentic Russian ambiance. Millions of details – how did he do it? Le Carré had far more access than Smith to the places he wrote about, but he never managed to hit this level of highly specific, intimate detail.

I will read all of Smith’s books. He’s very close to the best. Of course, the ending gets a bit hairy, and one or two bits hit about a seven on the old unbelievability index. Smith really doesn’t need to push it that far. It ever-so-slightly cheapens the book. But this is a quibble. Other writers should beg to have their books cheapened up to Smith’s level.

Five stars.

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elizabeth hutchinson
superb thriller
Reviewed in Canada on June 25, 2018
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exciting and well written novel in Martin Cruz Smith's incomporable Arkady detective series about life in Russia in recent years.

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Warick A. Leeming
not his best
Reviewed in Australia on March 13, 2019
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story a bit drawn out, slow moving

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Sue
Red Square, 3rd in the "Arkady Renko" series.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2013
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Well written, really gives the reader a sense of place and time. I especially like the character of Arkady Renko, the russian investigator from Moscow. It leaves you with a feeling that you have actually visited the places the character visits in pusuit of his enquiries, during the cold war era. It reminds me of Philip Kerr's german investigator from Berlin, Bernie Gunther, they both have had hard, tough lives but manage to retain some empathy for their decent fellow men. Good plot and keeps the interest and intrigue going until the end.

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Top reviews from the United States

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5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!

4.0 out of 5 stars Where Is Red Square?

5.0 out of 5 stars A great Read!

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars I didn’t want to leave Red Square.

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost as good as Gorky Park

5.0 out of 5 stars superb thriller

3.0 out of 5 stars not his best

4.0 out of 5 stars Red Square, 3rd in the "Arkady Renko" series.

Brilliant!

Where Is Red Square?

A great Read!

I didn’t want to leave Red Square.

Almost as good as Gorky Park

superb thriller

not his best

Red Square, 3rd in the "Arkady Renko" series.