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authortedcross's review against another edition
4.0
I re-read this as part of my ongoing plan to read all of the Arkady Renko novels (though out of order). I first read this one back in 1995 while visiting Bangkok for the first time. I found it as a discount book at a shop. I liked it then, and I think I liked it even more now. It's essentially a murder mystery set on a large Soviet fishing ship in the Bering Sea. The feel of being on a Soviet vessel is intriguing, and the twists and turns are surprising enough. The only drawback at all, in my opinion, is how the author never lets Renko say anything that could help himself. It's as if he wishes to be a martyr, always allowing people to think the worst of him when a few simple words could let them know they are wrong. Still, the series is great and anyone interested in stories set in Russia should love it. I only wish they had done a whole series of good movies based on this series.
sean_from_ohio's review against another edition
4.0
I'm so glad that I picked up Gorky Park because that book lead me to its sequel, Polar Star. This book, and character, are so enjoyable its almost hard to describe. While it seems all is at its lowest for underwhelming former investigator, Arkady Renko, the reader knows that somehow things will turn out for Renko. Unlike most serials however, everything isn't always coming roses for the lead and that's a part of this that is fantastic. Great stuff!
swashb's review against another edition
1.0
Reading this book was literary version f watching paint dry. I didn’t even bother to finish it.
vicardave's review against another edition
4.0
I found this marginally better than Gorky Park; it really benefitted from being entirely set on a fishing vessel, a setting which is brilliantly evoked and all the potential of which is used to the full.
internetnomads's review against another edition
4.0
I had the pleasure of reading a mystery where I truly did not have a freaking clue how it was going to turn out. I looked forward to reading a bit of this book every day and was always annoyed to have to put it down. Cruz Smith captures the isolation and small feeling of the ship very well.
pearl35's review against another edition
4.0
Shunted off to a Soviet psychiatric hospital after Gorky Park (embarrassed the state, but son of a famous military father), former Inspector Arkady Renko manages to get sent to work on a Russian fishing/processing ship in the Bering sea, finding some peace on the "slime line" gutting and scaling. As usual, a body drops out of the nets--a young Georgian woman on bad terms with the Soviet authorities and Americans in Alaska. Arkady is called upon to redeem himself by wading into another diplomatically and emotionally charged situation, with the possibility of a return to civilization and a reunion with Irina.
aralizca's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
medievalisting's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
bibliomaniac2021's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75