A review by lisa_mc
Death of a Dissident by Stuart M. Kaminsky

4.0

The Inspector Rostnikov novels start in the waning years of the Soviet Union with “Death of a Dissident” and follow the main characters through the transition to a post-communist society. Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov (who shares his first and middle names with the police inspector in “Crime and Punishment”) leads a group of police detectives slogging through murders, robberies, arsons and the like, while dodging the political ambitions of the higher-ups and working within a broken system as best they can, which often isn’t very effectively at all. They develop as professionals and as people through out the series, which also gives an accurate, intimate look at daily life in a changing Russia. Intertwining plots, a host of interesting characters and a spot-on look at corruption and politics lift this sometimes gritty, sometimes hopeful series above the fray.