"Arkady Renko returns in this tense political thriller, from one of the undisputed masters of the genre.
When Arkady Renko is charged with investigating the murder of Alexei Kazasky, the Deputy Minister of Defence, he knows he has to tread carefully. Alexei Kazasky is a high-profile politician and has a complicated relationship with Putin. This investigation clearly has Kremlin approval, but, as with everything in Russia, things are not always what they seem.
Already preoccupied with his developing Parkinson's, Arkady finds he has more to worry about. The war in Ukraine is gaining momentum, and his adopted son Zhenya has become involved with the Black Army, a Russo-Ukrainian group of hacktivists. Moreover, as Arkady digs deeper into Kazasky's murder, he realizes that the man's death may have been more politically motivated than he first assumed.
Now it seems that the people behind the killing have him firmly in their crosshairs - but this time Arkady's life is not the only one on the line.
PRAISE FOR MARTIN CRUZ SMITH:
'Does more on a page than most writers manage in a chapter. He is unique and irreplaceable' Mick Herron
'Among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'The undisputed master of the political crime thriller' Abir Mukherjee
'One of the finest writers of our age' Charlotte Philby "
"'The later Renko novels are stark, spare and beautiful, like trees in winter. Martin Cruz Smith does more on a page than most writers manage in a chapter. He is unique and irreplaceable' MICK HERRON
ARKADY RENKO IS BACK . . .
Renko has been confined to a desk job by his superiors to keep him out of the way. Although he's more disillusioned with policing and the general state of Russia than ever, he feels an odd sense of hope. A rebellion is bubbling in the country, with new values butting heads against old-school regimes. People want change and politician Leonid Lebedev could be the man to do it.
When Karina, a staunch supporter of Lebedev and member of the Forum, goes missing, Renko is asked by her father to find her. Soon after his investigation begins, Alex, a close friend of Arkady's son, is found dead. He was also a member of the Forum.
The night before his murder, Alex sent Arkady a cryptic message, simply containing three pictures of Russian writers. The link between the pictures is there, if only Renko could see it.
But Arkady has just been diagnosed with Parkinson's and the physical and psychological effects of the disease are taking their toll. This time, he must fight more than the impenetrable Russian regime to get answers – he will need to fight himself.
PRAISE FOR MARTIN CRUZ SMITH:
'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Martin Cruz Smith writes with an immediacy, depth and lightness of touch that is rare in its combination, and impossible to resist . . . Independence Square is no exception, and further crystallises Cruz Smith as one of the finest writers of our age' Charlotte Philby ?
'The undisputed master of the political crime thriller' Abir Mukherjee
'Renko started off investigating murders in Soviet Russia, now it's political corruption in Putin's Russia. And it's even more gripping than before' Gareth Rubin
'Cruz Smith's most powerful and engaging novel since Gorky Park' Paul Burke, CrimeTime FM"
"'Martin Cruz Smith makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent
Investigator Arkady Renko, described as 'one of the most compelling figures in modern fiction' by USA Today, finds himself travelling deep into Siberia when journalist Tatiana Petrovna disappears on a case.
Journalist Tatiana Petrovna has disappeared. Arkady Renko, iconic Moscow investigator and Tatiana's on-off lover, hasn't seen her since she left on a case over a month ago. No one else thinks Renko should be worried - Tatiana is known to disappear during deep assignments - but he knows her enemies all too well and the criminal lengths they will go to keep her quiet. Given the opportunity to interrogate a suspected assassin in Irkutsk, Renko embarks on a dangerous journey to Siberia to find Tatiana and bring her back.
Renko finds Siberia to be a land of shamans and brutally cold nights, oligarchs wealthy on northern oil and sea monsters that are said to prowl the deepest lake in the world. With these forces at work against him, Renko will need all his wits about him to get Tatiana out alive.
From the revered author of crime classic Gorky Park comes the brilliant ninth novel featuring the iconic Arkady Renko.
Praise for Martin Cruz Smith:
'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity - a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday
'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times"
"Don't miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, 'the master of the international thriller' (New York Times) - available to order now!
AN ARKADY RENKO NOVEL: #4
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent
***
Former Inspector for the Moscow Militsiya, Arkady Renko, is summoned to Cuba to identify a liquefying corpse, dragged from the oily waters of Havana Bay. Renko finds himself in a decaying country, the final recess of Communism - a place where Russia is despised, exotic rituals take precedence and unexpected danger meets bewildering contradictions. After a harrowing experience that has left Renko on the verge of suicide, this new mystery leads him on a trail of deceit that reaches international proportions, and gives him a reason to relish his own life again.
Praise for Martin Cruz Smith
'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity - a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it' Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation
'Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday
'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times
'Martin Cruz Smith's Renko novels are superb' William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier"
"Don't miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, 'the master of the international thriller' (New York Times) - available to order now!
AN ARKADY RENKO NOVEL: #2
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent
***
Arkady Renko, former Chief Investigator of the Moscow Town Prosecutor's Office, made too many enemies and lost the favour of his party. After a self-imposed exile in Siberia, Renko toils on the 'slime line' of a factory ship in the Bering Sea. But when an adventurous Georgian woman comes up with the day's catch, the signs of murder are undeniable. Up against the Soviet bureaucracy in a complex international web, Renko must again become the obsessed, dedicated cop he once was. And in doing so, he discovers much more than he bargained for . . .
Praise for Martin Cruz Smith
'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity - a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it' Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation
'Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday
'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times
'Martin Cruz Smith's Renko novels are superb' William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier"
"THE NOVEL THAT STARTED IT ALL - ARKADY RENKO NOVEL #1
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent
***
Three bodies found frozen in the snow. And the hunt for the killer begins…
It begins with a triple murder in a Moscow amusement center: three corpses found frozen in the snow, faces and fingers missing. Chief homicide investigator Arkady Renko is brilliant, sensitive, honest, and cynical about everything except his profession. To identify the victims and uncover the truth, he must battle the KGB, FBI, and the New York City police as he pursues a rich, ruthless, and well-connected American fur dealer. Meanwhile, Renko is falling in love with a beautiful, headstrong dissident for whom he may risk everything.
A wonderfully textured, vivid look behind the Iron Curtain, Gorky Park is a tense, atmospheric, and memorable crime story.
Praise for Martin Cruz Smith
'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity - a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it' Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation
'Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday
'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times
'Martin Cruz Smith's Renko novels are superb' William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier"
"Don't miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, 'the master of the international thriller' (New York Times) - available to order now!
AN ARKADY RENKO NOVEL: #3
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent
***
Arkady Renko has returned to Moscow from his exile in the darkest reaches of the Soviet Union. He is reinstated as an Investigator in the Moscow Militsiya, only to find the home he once knew so well is crumbling under a new world order - the Russian mafia. After the brutal murder of a black-market banker, Renko finds himself wrapped in the rich, ruthless and highly powerful underworld of the new elite. The case will take Renko on an international journey that will lead him to someone he thought was lost to him forever - defector Irina Asanova.
Praise for Martin Cruz Smith
'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity - a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child
'Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday
'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times
'Martin Cruz Smith's Renko novels are superb' William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier"
"Don't miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, 'the master of the international thriller' (New York Times) - available to order now!
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent
?
***
Hidden in Los Alamos, New Mexico, amongst a massive expanse of Native American reservations, soldiers and scientists alike work in secret to create a weapon that will alter the course of the world forever.
Sergeant Joe Peña, a Native American historian and fighter, is recruited to assist three men looking for a location to test the first atomic weapon. In the middle of a blizzard, Peña leads physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, General Leslie Groves and spy Emil Klaus Fuchs across a barbed-wire fence at Stallion Gate and into the future . . .
Praise for Martin Cruz Smith
'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity - a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it' Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation
'Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday
'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times
'Martin Cruz Smith's Renko novels are superb' William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier"
"Don't miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, 'the master of the international thriller' (New York Times) - available to order now!
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent
***
When an unhappy, aging shaman invokes the Hopi god of death in an effort to bring the world to an end, those around him are sceptical. Then they discover his body, mutilated and bloody, and other similarly disfigured bodies begin to appear. Horses, sheep, cattle - no living thing is safe. But the cause of these horrifying deaths remains unclear…
Enter a young Duran, called back to the reservation to investigate. Duran immediately recognises the significance of the shaman's spell, and with the help of two scientists, he works to combat the supernatural scourge - before there's nothing left to save.
Praise for Martin Cruz Smith
'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity - a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it' Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation
'Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday
'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times
'Martin Cruz Smith's Renko novels are superb' William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier"
"Don't miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, 'the master of the international thriller' (New York Times) - available to order now!
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent
From the creator of the revered Arkady Renko series and bestselling author of Gorky Park comes a suspenseful World War II story set against the beauty, mystery and danger of occupied Venice.
Venice, 1945. The war may be waning, but the city known as La Serenissima is still occupied and the people of Italy fear the power of the Third Reich. One night, under a canopy of stars, a fisherman named Cenzo finds a young woman's body floating in the lagoon and soon discovers that she is still alive and in trouble.
Born to a wealthy Jewish family, Giulia is on the run from the Wehrmacht SS. Cenzo chooses to protect Giulia - an act of kindness that leads them into the world of Partisans, Mussolini's broken promises, and, everywhere, the enigmatic maze of the Venice Lagoon...
Praise for Martin Cruz Smith
'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity - a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it' Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation
'Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday
'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times
'Martin Cruz Smith's Renko novels are superb' William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier"
"Don't miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, 'the master of the international thriller' (New York Times) - available to order now!
AN ARKADY RENKO NOVEL: #8
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent
***
When the brilliant and fearless young reporter Tatiana Petrovna falls to her death from a sixth-floor window in Moscow in the same week that notorious mob billionaire Grisha Grigorenko is shot in the back of the head, Renko finds himself on the trail of a mystery as complex and dangerous as modern Russia itself. The body of an elite government translator shows up on the sand dunes of Kalingrad: killed for nothing but a cryptic notebook filled with symbols.
A frantic hunt begins to locate and decipher this notebook. In a fast-changing and lethal race to uncover what this translator knew, and how he planned to reveal it to the world, Renko makes a startling discovery that propels him deeper into Tatiana's past - and, at the same time, paradoxically, into Russia's future.
Praise for Martin Cruz Smith
'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity - a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child
'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid
'Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it' Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation
'Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday
'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian
'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times
'Martin Cruz Smith's Renko novels are superb' William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier"
