Reviews

I'm sorry, but I couldn't really get into this book. It's set in Russia and Germany in 1991, when the Soviet Union has started to cruble (the attempted coup happens during the book), and Germany has been unified. That in and of itself makes the book feel dated.

What I didn't like about the book was the core story. It is the third Arkady Renko book, the first, called Gorky Park caosed a bit of a sensation because of its' depiction of Russia at the time. This book is no Gorky Park, however, and deals with Renko's rehabilitation and gets back to Moscow, as an investigator, and investigates what happens when the car of a Russian money lender explodes, with the lender inside. The death of the lender leads Renko to Germans smugglers (not good), Chechens (even worse) and his own corrupt police force as it teeters on the end of collapse (the worst).

The thing I don't like about the series is that you get the sense that there's a lot of back story from Gorky Park going on here that you're missing out on (I read that book close on 20years ago, and can't remember much about that story). If you can remember the story, or don't mind the feeling you're missing something, you'll probably like the book better than me.

bibliomaniac2021's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny informative reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

dragonofbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

stevem0214's review against another edition

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5.0

My favorite Arkady novel other than the original Gorky Park. Seems that Arkady is back in good graces...or is he? For that matter, with the Soviet Union survive (we know who that turns out. Will he find Irina...you'll have to read the book. A lot going on in this one at the same time. You have to read These books in order to understand what's going on.

sandin954's review against another edition

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4.0

Another excellent read in this series. Arkady has his old job back as an investigator in Moscow but the city is going through some major changes along with the rest of the country. A great look at the Soviet Union during the early nineties.

marcel's review against another edition

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dark funny informative mysterious reflective tense

4.0

i’m sooo bored by the irina plot but damn renko deserves a win

lande4981's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? N/A

4.5

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