Martin Cruz Smith Book order

'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 'Cruz Smith's most powerful and engaging novel since Gorky Park' Paul Burke, CrimeTime FM

Detective Arkady Renko returns to his Moscow base in Martin Cruz Smith's exciting installment in the internationally bestselling series about Russian crimes, broken hearts, and the mysteries of the soul. Investigator Arkady Renko, the pariah of the Moscow prosecutor's office, has been assigned the thankless job of investigating a new phenomenon: late-night subway riders report seeing the ghost of Joseph Stalin on the platform of the Chistye Prudy Metro station. The illusion seems part political hocus-pocus and also part wishful thinking, for among many Russians Stalin is again popular; the bloody dictator can boast a two-to-one approval rating. Decidedly better than that of Renko, whose lover, Eva, has left him for Detective Nikolai Isakov, a charismatic veteran of the civil war in Chechnya, a hero of the far right and, Renko suspects, a killer for hire. The cases entwine, and Renko's quests become a personal inquiry fueled by jealousy. The investigation leads to the fields of Tver outside of Moscow, where once a million soldiers fought. There, amidst the detritus, Renko must confront the ghost of his own father, a favorite general of Stalin's. In these barren fields, patriots and shady entrepreneurs—the Red Diggers and Black Diggers—collect the bones, weapons and personal effects of slain World War II soldiers, and find that even among the dead there are surprises.

S&S; is delighted to present the stunningly repackaged backlist of internationally bestselling author Martin Cruz Smith