MADreads

Detecting, Russian style

November 13th, 2008 Kathy K. - Central

One of the reasons I read books is to learn about places that I’ve never been.  Russia is one of those places.  Fortunately, there are a number of Russian detectives that have provided me insight into and knowledge of this vast and diverse country.

It all started with Gorky Park.  Three bodies are discovered in Gorky Park.  Renko, a Moscow chief inspector is reluctant to get involved in a case that interests the KGB.  Yet he is drawn in due to the death of his partner.  There are many complications, yet the cynic Renko perseveres.  So far there are five more in the series.  The latest is Stalin’s Ghost.  I like Renko for his stubborn determination and his patient ability to cut through all the crap to find a bit of justice and to survive.

Another series I enjoy is Stuart Kaminsky’s Inspector Rostnikov mysteries.  So far there are 15 books in the series.  Although you don’t have to start with the first one, Death of a Dissident, I’ve found it interesting to see how the characters have changed over the years.  Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov is a Moscow policeman who in the first book tracks down the killer of a dissident while trying to stay out of the way of the KGB.  This bear of a man with a bum leg tries to find justice and protect his family in spite of the odds against him—corrupt leaders, cunning criminals and an ingrained bureaucracy.  With each new outing I look forward to finding out how he and his team are doing and seeing which untouchable case they have been assigned.  The relationships between the team members are one of the things that I like best about this series.

In his latest People Who Walk in Darkness, Chief Inspector Rostnikov and his team are scattered across Russia trying to solve within nine days various crimes, including murder, drug and diamond smuggling.  The existence of the Office of Special Investigations where he and his staff work depends on their success.  Rostnikov and his assistant Emil Karpo are sent to Siberia to investigate the murder of a Canadian geologist in a diamond mine.  The death was apparently caused by the ghost of a little girl.  Two team members, Elena and Sasha, are off to Kiev to investigate the murder of a drug smuggler, and the other two team members, Iosef and Zelach, are left in Moscow, trying to investigate the murders of two Africans who may have been smuggling diamonds from Botswana.  I enjoyed seeing how Rostnikov and his team resolve this high stakes investigation and I look forward to their next case.

Lastly, Boris Akunin, the international best-selling author, has two late 19th century Russian detectives.  One is Erast Fandorin, a young naïve Moscow policeman, a bit of Holmes and a bit of Clousseau.  Erast was introduced in The Winter Queen, the first of five books.  Akunin’s other series stars Sister Pelagia, a young nun in a remote Russian province.  Her bishop discreetly uses her deductive skills to solve crimes.  I’ve read the first one Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog, but haven’t gotten to the second one yet, Sister Pelagia and the Black Monk.

If you’re an armchair traveler like me, here’s your chance to visit our neighbor to the east.

Entry Filed under: Mystery