Havana Bay (Arkady Renko Novels, No 4)
by Martin Cruz Smith
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Book Reviews of Havana Bay (Arkady Renko Novels, No 4)
Book Review: An Enjoyable Detective Story
Summary: 4 Stars
Note: I made some immature Mormon angry because of my negative reviews of books attempting to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews almost as fast as they are posted (this one reposted once).
So your "helpful" votes are appreciated, and please note that a short review is not necessarily a bad review if it leads you to a great story.
Set in Havana in modern times, the story is about the finding of a dead Russian floating in Havana Bay. Arkady Renko, the protagonist of the "Gorky Park" series, is once again working through and outside the communist system to solve a murder linked to the dreams of great wealth at the fall of Castro.
I liked the woman detective who helps Arkady. She's a Castro loyalist but quite cynical about the system that can't provide enough food for its people. The conflict between the ideals of communism and the realities was a real eye-opener (prostitution all over the place). I would describe the novel as a fun read.
Because I collect book covers, I also loved the one on the hardback edition (not shown here) that pictures a empty Havana street at night. So evocative of tropical intrigue and under-the-surface violence.
Book Review: Somewhere between Wolves Eat Dogs and December 6
Summary: 5 Stars
I cite those 2 Cruz Smith books because they are my favorites. What you have to know about Cruz Smith is that he has an enviable style which flirts with real darkness but permits flashes of light, ergo redemption. So the writing is not hopeless as say, in Dubus. It's Russian in it's sadness but there's unrelenting humor and occasionally, hope.
Here Arkady Renko, the formerly excellent Russian investigator (and frequent Cruz Smith protagonist) turned mediocre by a lack of willingness on his colleagues to do their job, a lack of funding and personal tragedy, comes to Havana to discover what he can about the possible death of a friend, Segei Pribluda.
Along the way he meets planned resistance, runs into as much carefully researched description of Cuba as Cruz Smith had in pre-war Japan, is beaten, arranges numerous meetings with the oddest (and most real) of people, and brings us along for the ride.
One of the best writers of mystery fiction around today. Read all of them. One of my favorites. 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury
Book Review: A tangled web
Summary: 5 Stars
Havana Bay is a fine book. As in Smith's other novels of Russian life there is darkness, ambiguity and shadow. Much of the novel takes place in the dark, among ruins, with the central character wearing a heavy black overcoat even in the tropical heat. As Arkady Renko slides in and out of ruined buildings and the murky pollution of Havana Bay so too this novel evokes the destruction of greed and the loneliness and depravity of the soul. That this most Russian atmosphere is set in Havana, Cuba in the bright glare of the tropical sun is Martin Cruz Smith's statement of the enduring and universal nature of human depravity.
But the heaviness of the novel is offset by the brilliance of detail, the writer's descriptions of Havana and its inhabitants, and of the sociology of life under the reign of Castro. The seduction of the small love story and the unravelling of motives, actions and consequences make this a most worthwhile investment of a reader's time and imagination.
Book Review: Havana Bay
Summary: 5 Stars
The most recent (fourth) in the Inspector Arkady Renko series in Martin Cruz Smith's top notch series of "Russian" mysteries. We can only hope Smith will come up with more Renko mysteries. Since he is one of the most interesting protagonists in fiction today. Unfortunately Smith only writes a book on average of every FIVE years). Many writers today find a successful formula and stick to it... over and over. The only thing the same from Martin Cruz Smith's works are their high level of excitement, interesting characters and plot development. Havana Bay lives up to Smith's past work. What he does best is gives the reader an insiders' view of a society totally different than what the audience is used to. Whether it be Cuba in this novel, Japan in December 4th: A Novel, or the Soviet Union in Gorky Park, with his characters on the verge of an exciting adventure for the reader to be a part of.
Another fun read from Smith. I enjoy Smith's books!
John Row
Book Review: Great Plot, even better descriptions of Havana
Summary: 4 Stars
Martin Cruz Smith writes his fourth installment of Arkaday Renko, the character introduced in his first novel, Gorky Park. While it is not necessary to have read any of Cruz Smith's former books, those who have will be familiar with Renko. While perhaps not as gripping and fresh as Gorky Park, Havana Bay is a captivating read, both in that the murder/plot unfolds with each new scene/chapter and also for the peeling back of further layers for the reader about information about Cuba, Havana and the history of each. Cruz Smith's descriptions of events and landmarks in Havana are enticingly vivid and his descriptions of Cuban people instill images of what these individuals would actually be like in your head. I had always been interested in Cuba, but even if you hadn't been in the past, you will be now. Havana Bay is a quick, exciting read with enough of an unfolding plot and rich, lush descriptive scenery that readers should finish it wanting more.