A review by vicardave
The Siberian Dilemma by Martin Cruz Smith

4.0

This is an outrageously good series, which I was put onto by my astute psychiatrist who thought I would enjoy it. It's not quite the top tier of Renko novels, but it's still excellent. Not for the first time, there's a very bold sequence detailing a character's medical crisis, their experience of it, and recovery from it. That doesn't quite work as brilliantly as it does elsewhere in the series, but it's still a strikingly adept wrinkle to the genre that you can imagine few other authors even dreaming of. Not for the first time - but perhaps to the greatest extent in the series - I found myself brilliantly led to wonder if the main character is a fully reliable narrator; some things are deftly omitted from the narrative that pose big questions by their absence. As always, the fiction sheds much light on contemporary Russia, with as much insight and wisdom as in-depth analysis from the best journalists around. It's shorter than most of the series too; it could perhaps have been allowed to breathe a little more. All told, another outstanding Renko novel.