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gavinsteyn's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
joeholmes's review against another edition
3.0
A quick read, and propelled more by mood and fascinating Russian detail than compelling story.
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
While this series overall is great, this book is probably one of the weakest. The two plots were both pretty slight but at least the characters were as interesting as ever. Listened to the audio version which was narrated by one of my favorites Ron McLarty.
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
While this series overall is great, this book is probably one of the weakest. The two plots were both pretty slight but at least the characters were as interesting as ever. Listened to the audio version which was narrated by one of my favorites Ron McLarty.
petealdin's review against another edition
3.0
It's sad that this series seems to become less coherent as it goes along. Smith is capable of brilliant prose and lovely irony, both of which appear sporadically in this piece.
Arkady is a loveable as ever, but the constantly shifting points of view and the shifts between narrative past present and future were jarring and irritating.
I was glad to have another Renko book to read, but I hope if there's another, that Martin Cruz Smith has an editor brave enough to force him to polish it better.
Arkady is a loveable as ever, but the constantly shifting points of view and the shifts between narrative past present and future were jarring and irritating.
I was glad to have another Renko book to read, but I hope if there's another, that Martin Cruz Smith has an editor brave enough to force him to polish it better.
liberrydude's review against another edition
3.0
This didn't have all the suspense of Gorky Park but it was a quick and interesting read. The despair, paranoia, and indifference of day to day life in Russia shout from the pages. Arkady is in hot water again with his venal boss, Zurin. The professional critics who were disappointed in this book are not to be believed. This is still a good book. The critics didn't like the plot line about the missing baby and considered it a distraction from the main plot of a serial killer. Not true in my book. Found the street urchins and missing baby quite interesting. Would love to see a movie with a Hummer and Lada duking it out on the Moscow roads-didn't know whether to laugh or be excited reading some of the action chases. They ought to make a series out of this like they did for Wallander.
heritage's review against another edition
2.0
This one was a bit of a departure from the other Renko novels. This time, the mystery Arkady is investigating doesn't lead to an in-depth discussion of Russia, nor is it the grand conspiracy that has been the hallmark of the others in the series. Also, the story is split between what Arkady is investigating and what his chess-genius, semi-adopted son, Zhenya, is doing: helping a 15-year-old mother find her missing baby. It's this secondary plot that provides the glimpse into Russian society--that of the area surrounding the three main train stations in Moscow, mostly populated by street kids, immigrant workers, prostitutes, and trouble. Even this plot doesn't follow the typical Martin Cruz Smith mystery, as it's more of a run-from-the-villains than his classic whydunits (as opposed to the dreaded whodunits of lesser authors).
Two things struck me with this novel. One is that Smith is running out of things to write about Russia. The second is that Arkady is getting older, and Smith may be thinking of turning the focus over to Zhenya, which would certainly provide a different perspective on Russia.
The good news is "Three Stations" is better than "Stalin's Ghost". Unfortunately, it isn't as good as the rest of the Renko novels. I think it's time for Smith to write something else. He's written 3 in a row now, so perhaps it's time for something fresh. I'm guessing his Renko novels sell better, but he did such a good job with "Rose", and "December 6" was pretty good, too.
Two things struck me with this novel. One is that Smith is running out of things to write about Russia. The second is that Arkady is getting older, and Smith may be thinking of turning the focus over to Zhenya, which would certainly provide a different perspective on Russia.
The good news is "Three Stations" is better than "Stalin's Ghost". Unfortunately, it isn't as good as the rest of the Renko novels. I think it's time for Smith to write something else. He's written 3 in a row now, so perhaps it's time for something fresh. I'm guessing his Renko novels sell better, but he did such a good job with "Rose", and "December 6" was pretty good, too.
impreader's review against another edition
3.0
Follows previous Renko's novels with a deftness Stalin's Ghost didn't quite manage, this mystery-detective-thriller tails Renko through a three-pronged peril, shifting from one character's thread to the next, always coming back to its anchor in Renko. Cruz Smith strikes the chord of vodka-vague, bitter-edged post Soviet Russia always. His prose, both stark and hauntingly descriptive in its brevity, links with a dedication to research and detail which make his tales more than believable. Er, read it then. I'm not detailing a detective tale--it takes the bite out of it for you.
johnnyb1954's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve said some books need to be edited cut out excess description and repetition. This book needed editing to be longer. Toward the end it seems like there are hunks left out. Suddenly Renko says he’s investigating a serial killing when that revelation has not really been developed yet. Then he’s at his cabin with a group of people without any discussion about this plan.
The missing baby plot is solved by introducing a group of kids who find the baby then they almost all get killed and coincidentally the baby shows up near where the mother is searching.
The serial killers are conveniently killed in an accident and Renko is given back his job for no apparent reason. His superiors denied there was a serial killing, why does Renko become a hero when these people die in an accident?
The two main plots are sort of tied tied together by a random abandoned trailer. A sub-plot about the travails of oligarchs in Russia is loosely tied into the serial killer plot. It’s all a weird muddle.
And yet it was a page turner - and it was short.
So 3 stars
The missing baby plot is solved by introducing a group of kids who find the baby then they almost all get killed and coincidentally the baby shows up near where the mother is searching.
The serial killers are conveniently killed in an accident and Renko is given back his job for no apparent reason. His superiors denied there was a serial killing, why does Renko become a hero when these people die in an accident?
The two main plots are sort of tied tied together by a random abandoned trailer. A sub-plot about the travails of oligarchs in Russia is loosely tied into the serial killer plot. It’s all a weird muddle.
And yet it was a page turner - and it was short.
So 3 stars