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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 813.54 EAN: 9780743276733 ISBN: 0743276736 Label: Pocket Manufacturer: Pocket Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 352 Publication Date: June 03, 2008 Publisher: Pocket Studio: Pocket Accessories: Editorial Review: Product Description: Investigator Arkady Renko, the pariah of the Moscow prosecutor's office, has been assigned the thankless job of investigating a new phenomenon: late-night subway riders report seeing the ghost of Joseph Stalin on the platform of the Chistye Prudy Metro station. The illusion seems part political hocus-pocus and also part wishful thinking, for among many Russians Stalin is again popular; the bloody dictator can boast a two-to-one approval rating. Decidedly better than that of Renko, whose lover, Eva, has left him for Detective Nikolai Isakov, a charismatic veteran of the civil war in Chechnya, a hero of the far right and, Renko suspects, a killer for hire. The cases entwine, and Renko's quests become a personal inquiry fueled by jealousy. The investigation leads to the fields of Tver outside of Moscow, where once a million soldiers fought. There, amidst the detritus, Renko must confront the ghost of his own father, a favorite general of Stalin's. In these barren fields, patriots and shady entrepreneurs -- the Red Diggers and Black Diggers -- collect the bones, weapons and personal effects of slain World War II soldiers, and find that even among the dead there are surprises. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Another good Russian storyM Smith has keep the character first intoduced in Gorky to a new height. He has captured the cold of Russia anew. Rating: - Remarkably good at details of Russian lifeMartin Cruz Smith wrote a few detective novels taking place in Russia. His knowledge of Russia is intimate and he knows things about the country that are inaccessible to academic researchers. Stalin's Ghost is a good story with detective Renko solving a very complicated plot, in real life perhaps with a bit optimistic end. It is a compulsive reading and I recommend it to all who also want to know a bit about contemporary as well as the Soviet Russia. Rating: - Arkady Is Back!And so is Martin Cruz Smith! A common criticism of his previous novel "Wolves Eat Dogs" was that it was as much a travelogue of the Chernobyl area as it was a mystery novel. There was some truth in this. "Wolves Eat Dogs" was a bit slow, and, when it came down to it, Inspector Arkady Renko didn't do all that much. But "Stalin's Ghost" shows beyond doubt that Martin Cruz Sith still has the chops for writing a great mystery. Arkady is as broodingly compelling as he has ever been. The supporting ... Read More Rating:  - Disappointed Arkady fanHaving read most of his earlier books (altho disappointed at the previous one set in Chernobyl), I picked this book up as soon as I saw it in the bookstore. That's something I won't do again with another of his books. He's always been a bit of a "slow" writer, but this book lacks cohesion in storyline and meanders along randomly (and annoyingly) at times. More focus please! My advice - don't bother. Rating: - Arkady FanI'm an Arkady fan. This one was pretty good but not as good as some of the others in the series- a little less action. |
