Most Popular Books by Martin Cruz Smith

From Martin Cruz Smith, the internationally bestselling author of Gorky Park, comes a reissue of Nightwing, the million-copy bestseller that Stephen King called “one of the best horror novels in the last twenty years.” As darkness gathers, the sky is filled with frantic motion and maddening murmurs. In an effort to end the world, an unhappy, aging Native American shaman invokes the Hopi god of death. Those around him remain skeptical, dismissing him as crazy old man. Then they discover his mutilated, bloody body and soon other similarly disfigured bodies begin to appear. Horses, sheep, cattle—no living thing is safe. But what is causing the horrible deaths? Deputy Sheriff Duran is called back to the reservation to investigate. Immediately, Duran recognizes the significance of the shaman’s spell and, with the help of two scientists, he works to combat the supernatural scourge—before there’s nothing left to save. Written “in the tradition of Stephen King” (Kirkus Reviews), Nightwing is part love triangle, part Native American case study, part supernatural thriller…and “genuinely horrifying” (The Washington Post Book World).

When the corpse of a Russian is hauled from the oily waters of Havana Bay, Arkady Renko comes to Cuba to identify the body. Looking for the killer, he discovers a city of faded loneliness, unexpected danger, and bewildering contradictions. His investigation introduces him to a beautiful Cuban policewoman; to the rituals of Santeria; to an American fugitive and a group of ruthless mercenaries. In this place where all things Russian are despised, where Hemingway fished and the KGB flourished, where the hint of music is always in the air, Arkady finds a trail of deceit that reaches halfway around the world–and a reason to relish his own life again.

The “gripping, romantic, and dazzlingly original” (Cosmopolitan) Arkady Renko book that started it all: the #1 bestseller Gorky Park, an espionage classic that begins the series, by Martin Cruz Smith, “the master of the international thriller” (The New York Times). It begins with a triple murder in a Moscow amusement center: three corpses found frozen in the snow, faces and fingers missing. Chief homicide investigator Arkady Renko is brilliant, sensitive, honest, and cynical about everything except his profession. To identify the victims and uncover the truth, he must battle the KGB, FBI, and the New York City police as he pursues a rich, ruthless, and well-connected American fur dealer. Meanwhile, Renko is falling in love with a beautiful, headstrong dissident for whom he may risk everything. “Brilliant...there are enough enigmas within enigmas within enigmas to reel the mind” (The New Yorker) in this wonderfully textured, vivid look behind the Iron Curtain. “Once one gets going, one doesn’t want to stop...The action is gritty, the plot complicated, and the overriding quality is intelligence” (The Washington Post). The first in a classic series, Gorky Park “reminds you just how satisfying a smoothly turned thriller can be” (The New York Times Book Review).

A Moscow detective is sent to Chernobyl for a frightening case in the most spectacular entry yet in Martin Cruz Smith’s Arkady Renko series. In his groundbreaking Gorky Park, Martin Cruz Smith created an iconic detective of contemporary fiction. Quietly subversive, brilliantly analytical, and haunted by melancholy, Arkady Renko survived, barely, the journey from the Soviet Union to the New Russia, only to find his transformed nation just as obsessed with corruption and brutality as was the old Communist dictatorship. In Wolves Eat Dogs, Renko returns for his most enigmatic and baffling case yet: the death of one of Russia’s new billionaires, which leads him to Chernobyl and the Zone of Exclusion—closed to the world since 1986’s nuclear disaster. It is still aglow with radioactivity, now inhabited only by the militia, shady scavengers, a few reckless scientists, and some elderly peasants who refuse to relocate. Renko’s journey to this ghostly netherworld, the crimes he uncovers there, and the secrets they reveal about the New Russia make for an unforgettable adventure.

Harry Niles, a disreputable American nightclub owner with a mysterious agenda, seeks to abandon his life in Tokyo while desperately trying to flee to the West on the last flight out before the Pearl Harbor attack. Reprint.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • “Sharply, evocatively written and elaborately plotted . . . [Red Square] should find as many friends as did Gorky Park.”—The Washington Post Book World Back from exile in the hellish reaches of the Soviet Union, homicide investigator Arkady Renko discovers that his country, his Moscow, even his job, are nearly dead. But his enemies are very much alive, and foremost among them are the powerful black-market crime lords of the Russian mafia. Hounded by this terrifying new underworld, chased by the ruthless minions of the newly rich and powerful, and tempted by his great love, defector Irina Asanova, Arkady can only hope desperately for escape. But fate has something else in store. “Gripping . . . Smith at his best.”—The Wall Street Journal “A crackling suspense thriller.”—The Boston Globe “Fascinating . . . powerful.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “Absorbing.”—The New York Times “Extraordinary.”—Time

Don''t miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, ‘the master of the international thriller’ (New York Times) – available to order now! AN ARKADY RENKO NOVEL: #2 ''One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe'' Val McDermid ''Makes tension rise through the page like a shark''s fin’ Independent *** Arkady Renko, former Chief Investigator of the Moscow Town Prosecutor''s Office, made too many enemies and lost the favour of his party. After a self-imposed exile in Siberia, Renko toils on the ''slime line'' of a factory ship in the Bering Sea. But when an adventurous Georgian woman comes up with the day''s catch, the signs of murder are undeniable. Up against the Soviet bureaucracy in a complex international web, Renko must again become the obsessed, dedicated cop he once was. And in doing so, he discovers much more than he bargained for . . . Praise for Martin Cruz Smith ''The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity – a literary triumph'' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child ''One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe'' Val McDermid ‘Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it’ Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation ‘Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream'' Mail on Sunday ''Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary'' Guardian ''Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph'' Sunday Times ‘Martin Cruz Smith’s Renko novels are superb’ William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier

First published in 1970 and long out of print, The Indians Won is a stunning work of speculative fiction that imagines that, following the defeat of Custer and Benteen at the Little Bighorn in 1876, the many Indigenous tribes of America formed an alliance to sweep the whites out of the center of the country and form a new nation, bounded on both coasts by the United States. One hundred years later the two nations, having taken very different paths toward stewardship of the land and resources, are on the brink of war again, as the five hundred million wasichu of the United States eye the vast, open center of the continent, just as they had prior to their explusion in the nineteenth century. The difference is, now they are both nuclear powers. Imaginative, enthralling, rich in historical detail, and written from the perspective of a Native American writer, The Indians Won is an emotionally charged novel that asks the question: What if the Indians had won?

1922, Tokyo. Harry Niles is a ''wild child'', an American boy in a strange country, ignored by his missionary parents, he begins to lead his life in the Tokyo underworld. One night, he is charged with delivering a painting to an enigmatic figure, the samurai Ishigami. It is an encounter that will haunt Harry Niles forever... 1937, Nanking. China is under attack. The Japanese army is brutally and systematically murdering and raping the local population. In the midst of this horror, Harry finds himself face to face once again with Lieutenant Ishigami. But for the samurai warrior, their meeting leads to the greatest possible dishonour - public humiliation. 1941, Tokyo. With the attack on Pearl Harbour only days away, Japan is on the brink of war with the United States. Harry Niles has become a man of many faces. Allying himself with both sides, he treads a dangerous - but profitable - path between the fading glory of the Chrysantheum Club, where the city''s banking and industrial elite meet, and the shadowy Tokyo underworld.

From Martin Cruz Smith, “a master of the international thriller” (The New York Times), a suspenseful World War II love story set against the beauty, mystery, and danger of occupied Venice. Venice, 1945. The war may be waning, but the city known as La Serenissima is still occupied and the people of Italy fear the power of the Third Reich. One night, under a canopy of stars, a fisherman named Cenzo comes across a young woman’s body floating in the lagoon and soon discovers that she is still alive and in trouble. Born to a wealthy Jewish family, Giulia is on the run from the Wehrmacht. Cenzo chooses to protect Giulia rather than hand her over to the Nazis. This act of kindness leads them into the world of Partisans, random executions, the arts of forgery and high explosives, Mussolini’s broken promises, the black market and gold, and, everywhere, the enigmatic maze of the Venice Lagoon. With Martin Cruz Smith’s trademark suspense, action, and breathtaking romance during World War II Italy, The Girl from Venice is “a gripping evocation of a beautiful nation and of two people, trapped in the lunacy of war and the bravery it can inspire” (The Seattle Times).

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 Investigator Arkady Renko''s skills to the test.

Don''t miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, ‘the master of the international thriller’ (New York Times) – available to order now! ''One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe'' Val McDermid ''Makes tension rise through the page like a shark''s fin’ Independent ? *** Hidden in Los Alamos, New Mexico, amongst a massive expanse of Native American reservations, soldiers and scientists alike work in secret to create a weapon that will alter the course of the world forever. Sergeant Joe Peña, a Native American historian and fighter, is recruited to assist three men looking for a location to test the first atomic weapon. In the middle of a blizzard, Peña leads physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, General Leslie Groves and spy Emil Klaus Fuchs across a barbed-wire fence at Stallion Gate and into the future . . . Praise for Martin Cruz Smith ''The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity – a literary triumph'' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child ''One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe'' Val McDermid ‘Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it’ Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation ‘Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream'' Mail on Sunday ''Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary'' Guardian ''Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph'' Sunday Times ‘Martin Cruz Smith’s Renko novels are superb’ William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier

* Don''t miss the latest in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA, by Martin Cruz Smith, a novelist ''that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe'' (Val McDermid) * ''Martin Cruz Smith makes tension rise through the page like a shark''s fin’ Independent Once the Chief Investigator of the Moscow Militsiya, Arkady Renko is now a pariah of the Prosecutor''s Office and has been reduced to investigating reports of late-night subway riders seeing the ghost of Joseph Stalin. Part political hocus-pocus, part wishful thinking - even the illusion of the bloody dictator has a higher approval rating than Renko. After being left by his lover for a more popular and successful detective, Renko''s investigation becomes a jealousy-fuelled quest leading to the barren fields of Tver, where millions of soldiers fought, and lost their lives. Here, scavengers collect bones, weapons and paraphernalia off the remains of those slain, but there''s more to be found than bullets and boots. Praise for Martin Cruz Smith: ''The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity – a literary triumph'' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child ‘Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream'' Mail on Sunday ''Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary'' Guardian ''Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph'' Sunday Times ''A wonderful surprise of a novel’ William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier

Don''t miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, ‘the master of the international thriller’ (New York Times) – available to order now! ''One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe'' Val McDermid ''Makes tension rise through the page like a shark''s fin’ Independent *** Not all secrets can stay buried. It''s 1872 and mining engineer John Blair wants nothing more than to return to Africa. So when his commissioner asks him to investigate a disappearance in the English coal mining town of Wigan, he jumps on the opportunity in the hopes that a successful undertaking will help fund his next trip. But in a town where the very rich and the very poor live and work side by side, Blair''s presence is mistrusted by many. And when he falls in love with Rose, a beautiful ''pit girl'', things start to turn deadly. In a place where life is brutish, short and covered in coal dust, Blair must solve a mystery that will force him to confront his own heart of darkness . . . Praise for Martin Cruz Smith ''The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity – a literary triumph'' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child ''One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe'' Val McDermid ‘Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it’ Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation ‘Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream'' Mail on Sunday ''Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary'' Guardian ''Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph'' Sunday Times ‘Martin Cruz Smith’s Renko novels are superb’ William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier

A NEW YORK ANTIQUE DEALER IS PERSUADED BY AN EMINENT ECCLESIASTIC TO ENSURE THAT THE HUNGARIAN ROYAL CROWN IS NOT STOLEN FROM ST. PATRICK''S CATHEDRAL.

Stalin''s Ghost Investigator Arkady Renko, the pariah of the Moscow prosecutor''s office, has been assigned the thankless job of investigating a new phenomenon: late-night subway riders report seeing the ghost of Joseph Stalin. The illusion seems part political hocus-pocus and also part wishful thinking, for among many Russians Stalin is again popular; the bloody dictator can boast a two-to-one approval rating. Decidedly better than that of Renko, whose lover, Eva, has left him for Detective Nikolai Isakov, a charismatic veteran of the civil war in Chechnya, a hero of the far right and, Renko suspects, a killer for hire. The cases entwine, and Renko''s quests become a personal inquiry fueled by jealousy. Wolves Eat Dogs The death of one of Russia''s new billionaires leads Arkady Renko to Chernobyl and the Zone of Exclusion—closed to the world since 1986''s nuclear disaster. It is still aglow with radioactivity, now inhabited only by the militia, shady scavengers, a few reckless scientists, and some elderly peasants who refuse to relocate. Renko''s journey to this ghostly netherworld, the crimes he uncovers there, and the secrets they reveal about the New Russia make for an unforgettable adventure. Three Stations In Three Stations, Renko’s skills are put to their most severe test. Though he has been technically suspended from the prosecutor’s office for once again turning up unpleasant truths, he strives to solve a last case: the death of an elegant young woman whose body is found in a construction trailer on the perimeter of Moscow’s main rail hub. It looks like a simple drug overdose to everyone—except to Renko, whose examination of the crime scene turns up some inexplicable clues, most notably an invitation to Russia’s premier charity ball. Thus a sordid death becomes interwoven with the lifestyles of Moscow’s rich and famous, many of whom are clinging to their cash in the face of Putin’s crackdown on the very oligarchs who placed him in power.

Don''t miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, ‘the master of the international thriller’ (New York Times) – available to order now! AN ARKADY RENKO NOVEL: #8 ''One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe'' Val McDermid ''Makes tension rise through the page like a shark''s fin’ Independent *** When the brilliant and fearless young reporter Tatiana Petrovna falls to her death from a sixth-floor window in Moscow in the same week that notorious mob billionaire Grisha Grigorenko is shot in the back of the head, Renko finds himself on the trail of a mystery as complex and dangerous as modern Russia itself. The body of an elite government translator shows up on the sand dunes of Kalingrad: killed for nothing but a cryptic notebook filled with symbols. A frantic hunt begins to locate and decipher this notebook. In a fast-changing and lethal race to uncover what this translator knew, and how he planned to reveal it to the world, Renko makes a startling discovery that propels him deeper into Tatiana''s past - and, at the same time, paradoxically, into Russia''s future. Praise for Martin Cruz Smith ''The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity – a literary triumph'' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child ''One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe'' Val McDermid ‘Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it’ Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation ‘Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream'' Mail on Sunday ''Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary'' Guardian ''Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph'' Sunday Times ‘Martin Cruz Smith’s Renko novels are superb’ William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier

From “the master of the international thriller” (The New York Times) and the bestselling author of Tatiana and Gorky Park, Martin Cruz Smith’s first mystery novel—a classic crime whodunit with a shocking twist. One girl was dead, one girl was threatened, one girl was possessed. One girl was found horribly mutilated, the victim of a rite that no sane person believed could take place in the modern world. One girl lay trembling in her apartment, as the strange intruders forced open her bedroom door, and the waking nightmare began. And one girl discovered that her body and her soul were no longer her own.... A murder threatens to force the police into a confrontation with New York’s gypsy community. The cops are determined to pin the blame on a gypsy. But antique dealer Roman Grey knows there is more to the case than the convenient closing of a crime file, and he vows to bring the truly guilty to justice. You’ll never guess the secret of Gypsy in Amber.

PRE-ORDER THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM MARTIN CRUZ SMITH, COMING 2025! ‘The later Renko novels are stark, spare and beautiful, like trees in winter. Martin Cruz Smith does more on a page than most writers manage in a chapter. He is unique and irreplaceable’ MICK HERRON ARKADY RENKO IS BACK . . . Renko has been confined to a desk job by his superiors to keep him out of the way. Although he’s more disillusioned with policing and the general state of Russia than ever, he feels an odd sense of hope. A rebellion is bubbling in the country, with new values butting heads against old-school regimes. People want change and politician Leonid Lebedev could be the man to do it. When Karina, a staunch supporter of Lebedev and member of the Forum, goes missing, Renko is asked by her father to find her. Soon after his investigation begins, Alex, a close friend of Arkady’s son, is found dead. He was also a member of the Forum. The night before his murder, Alex sent Arkady a cryptic message, simply containing three pictures of Russian writers. The link between the pictures is there, if only Renko could see it. But Arkady has just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and the physical and psychological effects of the disease are taking their toll. This time, he must fight more than the impenetrable Russian regime to get answers – he will need to fight himself. PRAISE FOR MARTIN CRUZ SMITH: ‘Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary’ Guardian ‘One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe’ Val McDermid ‘Martin Cruz Smith writes with an immediacy, depth and lightness of touch that is rare in its combination, and impossible to resist . . . Independence Square is no exception, and further crystallises Cruz Smith as one of the finest writers of our age’ Charlotte Philby u200b ‘The undisputed master of the political crime thriller’ Abir Mukherjee ''A moving portrayal of struggle against political and personal tides'' New York Times ''Renko started off investigating murders in Soviet Russia, now it''s political corruption in Putin''s Russia. And it''s even more gripping than before'' Gareth Rubin ‘Cruz Smith’s most powerful and engaging novel since Gorky Park’ Paul Burke, CrimeTime FM

From the award-winning, bestselling author of Gorky Park and Tatiana comes a breathtaking new novel about investigator Arkady Renko—“one of the most compelling figures in modern fiction” (USA TODAY)—who travels deep into Siberia to find missing journalist Tatiana Petrovna. Journalist Tatiana Petrovna is on the move. Arkady Renko, iconic Moscow investigator and Tatiana’s part-time lover, hasn’t seen her since she left on assignment over a month ago. When she doesn’t arrive on her scheduled train, he’s positive something is wrong. No one else thinks Renko should be worried—Tatiana is known to disappear during deep assignments—but he knows her enemies all too well and the criminal lengths they’ll go to keep her quiet. Renko embarks on a dangerous journey to find Tatiana and bring her back. From the banks of Lake Baikal to rundown Chita, Renko slowly learns that Tatiana has been profiling the rise of political dissident Mikhail Kuznetsov, a golden boy of modern oil wealth and the first to pose a true threat to Putin’s rule in over a decade. Though Kuznetsov seems like the perfect candidate to take on the corruption in Russian politics, his reputation becomes clouded when Boris Benz, his business partner and best friend, turns up dead. In a land of shamans and brutally cold nights, oligarchs wealthy on northern oil, and sea monsters that are said to prowl the deepest lake in the world, Renko needs all his wits about him to get Tatiana out alive. The Washington Post has said “Martin Cruz Smith is that rare phenomenon: a popular and well-regarded crime novelist who is also a writer of real distinction.” In the latest continuation of his unforgettable series, he brings us to the inside world of shadowy political figures and big wig oil oligarchs providing us with an authentic view of contemporary Russia, infused with his trademark wit.

Moscú, años ochenta. Los moscovitas carecen de libertad e intentan sobrevivir como pueden. La dirigencia, rica y corrupta, está decidida a erradicar cualquier clase de iniciativa individual. Arkady Renko es un investigador de la milicia moscovita, que se esfuerzapor hacer su trabajo a pesar de las intromisiones del KGB. La aparición de tres cadáveres, desfigurados y sin huellas dactilares, bajo la nieve del Parque Gorki supondrá un desafío para Renko, pues cualquier descubrimiento que incomode al gobierno significará elfin de la investigación. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION A triple murder in Moscow: corpses found frozen in the snow, faces and fingers missing. The chief homicide investigator is brilliant, sensitive, honest, and cynical about everything except his profession. To identify the victims and uncover the truth, he must battle the KGB, FBI, and NYPD.

Arkadi Renkos erster Fall Moskau, 1980: Im verschneiten Gorki Park werden zwei Männer und eine Frau erschossen aufgefunden. Die Identifizierung der Toten ist schwierig. Chefinspektor Arkadi Renko, ranghöchster Ermittler in der Sowjetmetropole, übernimmt den Fall – und ahnt noch nicht, in welche Lage ihn seine Ermittlungen zwingen werden. Denn je näher er der Wahrheit hinter den grausigen Morden kommt, desto heikler wird seine eigene Position. Was hat die geheimnisvolle Irina mit den Toten im Gorki Park zu tun? Obwohl Arkadi weiß, dass er seine Objektivität wahren muss, gibt er seinen Gefühlen nach und lässt sich auf eine Affäre mit Irina ein. Als er ihr schließlich zur Flucht außer Landes verhilft , riskiert er sogar seine eigene Karriere – und gelangt dabei selbst ins Ausland: Im Dschungel der New Yorker Großstadt wird der Jäger zum Gejagten.

Chief Homicide Investigator Arkady Renko''s investigation of three mutilated bodies reaches to the highest levels of the Communist hierarchy.