Un tren de pasajeros cruza la noche a sacudidas. Una solitaria madre adolescente se dirige a Moscú buscando una nueva vida. Un soldado de corazón endurecido la observa furtivamente, pensando en sexo. Cuando el tren llega a destino, un bebé ha desaparecido sin dejar rastro. Y Renko deberá resolver el enigma.
Investigator Arkady Renko returns in a new mystery about crime and corruption in the cold, dark, impenetrable landscape of modern day Moscow. The death of an elegant young woman whose body is found in a construction trailer on the perimeter of Moscow's main rail hub puts his skills to the test.
As always, Arkady Renko is about to lose his job, is a witness to the lunacy of the New Russia, and is insisting on solving a crime that has already been conveniently closed. The case involves a young woman who is not the drug addicted prostitute she might appear; at the same time his young friend Zhenya has met a runaway whose baby has been kidnapped. The scenes involving street kids and the vivid snapshots of modern Russia almost make up for the unusually underdeveloped plot. Disappointing after Stalin's Ghost, but only because the bar is set so high.
This one was a bit of a departure from the other Renko novels. This time, the mystery Arkady is investigating doesn't lead to an in-depth discussion of Russia, nor is it the grand conspiracy that has been the hallmark of the others in the series. Also, the story is split between what Arkady is investigating and what his chess-genius, semi-adopted son, Zhenya, is doing: helping a 15-year-old mother find her missing baby. It's this secondary plot that provides the glimpse into Russian society--that of the area surrounding the three main train stations in Moscow, mostly populated by street kids, immigrant workers, prostitutes, and trouble. Even this plot doesn't follow the typical Martin Cruz Smith mystery, as it's more of a run-from-the-villains than his classic whydunits (as opposed to the dreaded whodunits of lesser authors).
Two things struck me with this novel. One is that Smith is running out of things …
This one was a bit of a departure from the other Renko novels. This time, the mystery Arkady is investigating doesn't lead to an in-depth discussion of Russia, nor is it the grand conspiracy that has been the hallmark of the others in the series. Also, the story is split between what Arkady is investigating and what his chess-genius, semi-adopted son, Zhenya, is doing: helping a 15-year-old mother find her missing baby. It's this secondary plot that provides the glimpse into Russian society--that of the area surrounding the three main train stations in Moscow, mostly populated by street kids, immigrant workers, prostitutes, and trouble. Even this plot doesn't follow the typical Martin Cruz Smith mystery, as it's more of a run-from-the-villains than his classic whydunits (as opposed to the dreaded whodunits of lesser authors).
Two things struck me with this novel. One is that Smith is running out of things to write about Russia. The second is that Arkady is getting older, and Smith may be thinking of turning the focus over to Zhenya, which would certainly provide a different perspective on Russia.
The good news is "Three Stations" is better than "Stalin's Ghost". Unfortunately, it isn't as good as the rest of the Renko novels. I think it's time for Smith to write something else. He's written 3 in a row now, so perhaps it's time for something fresh. I'm guessing his Renko novels sell better, but he did such a good job with "Rose", and "December 6" was pretty good, too.
Review of 'Three Stations An Arkady Renko Novel' on 'Storygraph'
3 stars
A decent read, but it doesn't deal with the abusive violence of the sex industry as well as [b:Box 21|1437993|Box 21|Anders Roslund|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1194215026s/1437993.jpg|1428570], nor does it capture the pointless and ineffective police bureaucracy as well as [b:Child 44|2161733|Child 44|Tom Rob Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255690645s/2161733.jpg|2167258].
