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A review by shrutinaik
The Siberian Dilemma by Martin Cruz Smith
3.0
The Siberian Dilemma is the ninth book in the Arkady Renko series by Martin Cruz Smith and the book that introduced me to this author and these characters. Which makes me wonder if I would have enjoyed this book more had I been acquainted with these characters before.
Arkady is an investigator for the prosecutor's office in Moscow and one of the few honest officials who knows the extent of corruption in the Russian judicial system. He is sent to Siberia to indict a man, Aba Makhmud, for attempting to murder the prosecutor. But Arkady has a feeling that things don't add up. At the same time, Tatiana, a journalist and Arkady's lover who is also in Siberia, breaks all contact with him while trying to write an article on Russian oligarchs. After dealing with Aba, Arkady tracks her down and thus begins a story that involves bears, oil, shockingly trusting criminals and weird relationships.
This book didn't have much of a mystery nor was it much of a thriller if I'm being honest. Given that a character death is mentioned in the summary itself, you'd think that would be something that happens in the first fifty percent leaving the rest of the book to build up on the mystery surrounding the circumstances of the death, but it doesn't. It's one of the shocking elements that occurs much later and even though I knew it was coming, it was the only part of this book that I liked. That and the character of Rinchin Bolot, Arkady's factotum who you can't help but grow fond of.
I don't know if this book let me down only because I expected more from it but I genuinely did not enjoy it. I wouldn't recommend this one.
[I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Martin Cruz Smith for this ARC.]
Arkady is an investigator for the prosecutor's office in Moscow and one of the few honest officials who knows the extent of corruption in the Russian judicial system. He is sent to Siberia to indict a man, Aba Makhmud, for attempting to murder the prosecutor. But Arkady has a feeling that things don't add up. At the same time, Tatiana, a journalist and Arkady's lover who is also in Siberia, breaks all contact with him while trying to write an article on Russian oligarchs. After dealing with Aba, Arkady tracks her down and thus begins a story that involves bears, oil, shockingly trusting criminals and weird relationships.
This book didn't have much of a mystery nor was it much of a thriller if I'm being honest. Given that a character death is mentioned in the summary itself, you'd think that would be something that happens in the first fifty percent leaving the rest of the book to build up on the mystery surrounding the circumstances of the death, but it doesn't. It's one of the shocking elements that occurs much later and even though I knew it was coming, it was the only part of this book that I liked. That and the character of Rinchin Bolot, Arkady's factotum who you can't help but grow fond of.
I don't know if this book let me down only because I expected more from it but I genuinely did not enjoy it. I wouldn't recommend this one.
[I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Martin Cruz Smith for this ARC.]