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Wolves Eat Dogs (Arkady Renko Novels)

Simon & Schuster

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Average customer rating: 4 stars

I don't have any complaints.

I love this book so far! It's my second of the Arkady novels and it's been thrilling.

A great outing in a great series

In this outing in the Arkady Renko series of Russian mysteries, Detective Renko is called on to investigate the suicide of a Russian tycoon. Unraveling the mystery leads him to the ghostly outlaw city of Chernobyl.

I just love this series. The phelgmatic Renko appears to be one of life's losers, but he still pursues his cases with a relentless passion for justice and a dry, mordant sense of humor that makes his character a joy to follow. The details about Russian life are alternately unsparing, horrifying, and hilarious. The plot of the story, which came to involve the Chernobyl accident, Jewish history, and Renko's own past as a survivor of suicide, was compelling and first-rate.

On the downside, the story did seem to wind up hurriedly, and at times I found myself having to backtrack to refresh my memory about different parts of the plot. Nonetheless, this was another great outing in a great series. Start with Gorky Park and go from there if you have not.

Martin Cruz Smith

Having read all of the books in Martin Cruz Smith "Gorky Park" series about the moscow investigator Arkady Renko I am an admirer of the work. dscott

Entertaining

Bought the audio book to help with a long drive & was not disappointed. The story kept my interest; fascinated with people living in "Black Zones" of Chernobyl & how they eke out a day to day existence. Liked it.

Excellent Picture of the New Russia

In this selection of the Arkady Renko series, Martin Cruz Smith paints a very vivid portrait of post-Communist Russia. Russia is now dominated by gangsters and young wealthy corporate executives. The hero, Renko, who is now a senior investigator, begins asking too many questions about the death of a Russian business man. To keep Renko from snooping around, the prosecutor sends him on a related case to the Ukraine, the "Dead Zone" where in 1986, a nuclear meltdown occurred at a facility in Chernobyl.

One of my favorite things about Martin Cruz Smith is how he can paint a setting, and make the reader think he is there. Polar Star (fishing boat on the Bering Sea and Havana Bay (Cuba) are two great examples. Smith details abandoned villages occupied by criminals, squaters and the elderly unable to flee. The area is also occupied by scientists studying the contamination of the area. The suspense is great and the book is a page turner like other parts of the series. It is rich in detail about post meltdown Chernobyl. This book is highly recommended.