If you haven't read any Martin Cruz Smith, you should. Let me suggest Gorky Park. You've probably seen the movie with William Hurt as Arkady Renko. The movie was excellent, in a 1970s/early 1980s sort of way. The book was great. I thought it couldn't get better. I was wrong. Number 2 in the Renko series is Polar Star. And holy crap is it awesome.
The Polar Star is a Russian nee Soviet fishing vessel, responsible for collecting tons of fish caught by other boats, processing the fish into fillets or meal, then freezing the resultant tons till the ship returns to the USSR. It's a big ship. Sadly, I hadn't realized the book had cross sections of the ship and the main American ship at the beginning of the book. The one time I wish I would have had a physical copy.
The best part of these books is how well MCS writes the Russian soul. The Russian soul is something that Russians talk a lot about, and brag that no one understands. It doesn't take long to understand. You just have to live with it for a while. (Like, about five years, right Mike?!) Smith certainly has it down pat. I recognized Russian traits in all his characters.
If you read this book and think, several times through the story, "Dammit, Renko, tell him the truth!" you really must understand that Renko is Soviet. He's also Russian. Defeatism, hopelessness, acceptance of crappy situations, is all a part of life there. I would tell you that several years ago I read in Russian press a phrase that was quite popular at the time, and might still be: "Life is hard. Thank God it's short." That is so Russian.
The book was expensive at $12.99 for the Kindle version, but well worth it. I've already downloaded Renko #3!
Keeper series!
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