Problematic plot but who cares when the writing is this good?

books:


	• Red Square Martin Cruz Smith Random House, 1992 - 418 pages average customer review:based on 30 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

"Who can we be, if we get out alive?"

First published in 1992, _Red Square_ illustrates the complexities which have emerged as the Russians allow some private enterprise but have not yet become a democracy. Hardliners want to perpetuate their own way of life, while young people and the hungry proletariat want reform and their own piece of the pie. Arkady Renko, who has appeared in two previous Cruz Smith novels (Gorky Park and Polar Star), has returned to Moscow from exile and has resumed his job as a detective, this time investigating corruption and criminal fraud in the city as private enterprise takes illegal turns.

Rudy Rosen, who engages in money-changing, gambling, and other felonies, some of them involving citizens of foreign countries, is cooperating with Renko by allowing him to record conversations. Immediately after Renko leaves Rudy in his car, however, Rudy's car explodes, incinerating Rudy and a suitcase full of cash. As Renko investigates who might have killed Rudy, the complexity of this mystery parallels the complexities of a Russian society in which it's every man for himself in terms of financial transactions.

All the characters are at loose ends, wondering who they are and how they are perceived. Renko is just back from exile, the love of his life having defected to Germany years ago, and she believes that he has abandoned her. Rudy Rosen wants to have it both ways--to cooperate with Renko and to continue his shady dealings. The Chechens who appear in the story are blamed for everything that is violent or illegal, but they remember the horrors of mass relocation and the killings through which the Russians annihilated their villages and left them homeless. As the investigation of Rudy's death leads Renko from Moscow to Munich and Berlin (and to a meeting with Irina, his long lost love), Renko meets with other Russians who live abroad but still regard themselves as Russian.

Renko is a sad case--morose, love-starved, and without any reason for living--and as he tries to do what is right, his essential goodness comes through. As the case becomes an investigation of stolen paintings, many of them owned by Jews at the outbreak of World War II (and earlier), Renko's own superiors and the Russian Mafia abroad threaten his life. The body count rises and who-did-what-to-whom becomes confusing, but many readers will be focused on the character of Renko. As he tries to navigate the minefield of his own life, he resembles a modern version of some of the great Russian tragic heroes. This is not the most unified of the Renko mysteries, but it is fascinating, nevertheless. n Mary Whipple

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Another superb novel from Martin Cruz Smith

I read this book twice. Still was confused, but as in his other novels, the author grabs you and puts you inside the protagonist's (Arkady Renko) head.
I think I will read this a third time. Even if I still don't understand it, I will greatly enjoy the ride.

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All four very good, this one is fantastic.

Red Square blew my mind. What a great book. I find there is a lot of junk out there for the two genres I prefer: fantasy and crime drama. I was floored by Red Square - and had actually read it first. Kind of shows how great it is that I loved every moment and I had not even read Gorky Park or Polar Star yet (both darn good, too). Havana Bay followed and was good, but not as full and gripping as Red Square. wow. Truly a gift.