He made too many enemies. He lost his party membership. Once Moscow’s top criminal investigator, Arkady Renko now toils in obscurity on a Rus...
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Jan 18, 2010
Bettie
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Apr 20, 2010
Joyce
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2nd in the Arkady Renko series.[return][return]Renko, though he has actually done nothing wrong, is not in high repute in the militia after all, he did kill a prosecutor even if it was in self-defense. Stripped of his job and worse, Party card, Renko gets out of town to Siberia, where the militia will not make any real determined effort to get him. He signs on as a seaman 2nd class, lowest of the low, on a fish factory ship, the Polar Star, that is headed out to the Bering Sea to fish in
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Feb 07, 2012
Eric_W
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I’m not sure why I delayed getting to this title since I enjoyed Gorky Park so much, to which this book is a sequel of sorts. Of sorts, because it follows directly on the heels of Gorky, but the author in a few brief paragraphs lays out precisely why Arkady, formerly head investigator for the prosecutor’s office in Moscow is now working as a slimer on a factory ship in the Bering Sea.
It’s good. Those who don’t like what they view as excessive detail in Moby Dick probably won’t like More...
It’s good. Those who don’t like what they view as excessive detail in Moby Dick probably won’t like More...
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Jan 24, 2010
Johnny
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More than a decade ago, I attempted to read a mystery called Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith. I couldn’t stomach it. Though it had received rave reviews, it seemed to plod and creak toward very little. I tossed it in a box and, after several cross-country moves, I have no clue where it is. But before I gave up on Gorky Park, a selection from the Mystery Book Club arrived in my mailbox. I didn’t get home in time to return it and ended up with Polar Star, the sequel to Gorky Park, in hardbound. I
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May 21, 2011
Alan
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Polar Star is set in the microcosm of a Soviet fish-factory ship working the fog-shrouded waters of the Arctic Sea. The story begins as a member of the crew is dredged up in one of the fishing nets. Arkady Renko, a former detective exiled to the gulag as a reward for previous successes, is called up (unwillingly for all concerned) from the "slime line" to find a harmless explanation for the accident.
The book is satisfying as a classic murder mystery. It's even more interes More...
The book is satisfying as a classic murder mystery. It's even more interes More...
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Nov 20, 2011
Ken
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I'm picking Polar Star as my favorite in the Arkady Renko series. The first is Gorky Park and I recommend starting with it. Each is a self-contained mystery but the background of the protagonist adds considerably to the story.
In Plar Star, Arkady Renko is working on a fish-processing ship in the Bering Sea. This is his reward for solving a politically sensitive murder investigation in the previous Gorky Park. Renko was a Moscow police investigator during the Soviet regime. His de More...
In Plar Star, Arkady Renko is working on a fish-processing ship in the Bering Sea. This is his reward for solving a politically sensitive murder investigation in the previous Gorky Park. Renko was a Moscow police investigator during the Soviet regime. His de More...
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Apr 18, 2010
Antonia
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to start off: i thought it was marvellous. one hardly comes across crime novels of such good quality. i bought it because i remembered i had read Gorky Park some years ago and i really liked it.
the book follows arkady renko, who, after some investigation not quite satisfactory to the state, works on a soviet factory ship that works together with american boats on a joint venture.
one day a corpse comes up in the net of one of the factory ship's girls. as the only person on boar More...
the book follows arkady renko, who, after some investigation not quite satisfactory to the state, works on a soviet factory ship that works together with american boats on a joint venture.
one day a corpse comes up in the net of one of the factory ship's girls. as the only person on boar More...
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Jan 18, 2010
Kristin
rated it: 
This is the second book in the Arkady Renko series and I have to say I found it a bit slow. As mentioned above, the whole book takes place on a Soviet Factory ship in the Bearing Sea, where American ships bring their fish to be processed rather than returning to a factory on American soil. However, there are only so many people on said ship and Renko pursues this murder with an almost bulldoggish determination that at 384 pages becomes almost tedious. Smith does have one advantage that I admi
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Oct 26, 2010
John
rated it:
Smith really knows how to build a great mystery by making the setting of the story every bit as mysterious and captivating as the actual detective work being done. After Gorky Park--one of the best mystery/thriller novels ever--Smith could have easily rested on his laurels and delivered something a little more generic and by-the-numbers. Instead, he wrote a sequel that, though falling a little short of its predecessor in terms of plot, still stands out as a unique and innovative contribution t
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Nov 21, 2010
P.
rated it:
Russia of the late 80's: a factory ship plying the icy Bearing Sea, isolation and hardship, danger and death. Then ultimate cold, danger, and death. Combined with harsh living and working conditions, constant surveillance by the party representative, and a dose of international intrigue aka spying, which leads to more danger and death.
Unlike many thrillers, outside of a minor cold war intelligence skirmish, there is nothing at stake here of world importance. Renko does find himself in More...
Unlike many thrillers, outside of a minor cold war intelligence skirmish, there is nothing at stake here of world importance. Renko does find himself in More...
Sep 23, 2010
Vanessa
rated it:
I read Gorky Park many years ago and liked it but didn't really keep up with this author's output after that. As it turns out, he has continued to write novels about his detective Arkady Renko that followed the changes in and breakup of the Soviet Union. This is the second book in the series and I have discovered I'm a little obsessed with Renko now.
So, take Renko, who has fallen out of favor with the party after the events of the first book (where he was forced to kill his boss and More...
So, take Renko, who has fallen out of favor with the party after the events of the first book (where he was forced to kill his boss and More...
Dec 10, 2010
Dan
rated it: 
It is unfair for me to give this only 3 stars, when it's a rockem-sockem mystery thriller of the kind I really enjoy and deserves 4 stars under my normal system. But, it is CLEARLY inferior to "Gorky Park" in that it is only a thriller and does not aim higher. And, since I denied GP, ever so slightly, its 5th star, this one has to suffer unfairly. But the philosophical/religious imagination really is 95% absent here. Notably, It actually makes character development sense for it to be s
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Apr 01, 2011
Steve
rated it:
Generally, a pretty entertaining spy story. It's been a while since I read Gorky Park, so I don't remember a whole lot of the character of Arkady Renko in that book, but this book picks up where he has been hounded through the Soviet society until he is employed on the "slime line" of a fishing factory ship. He investigates the murder of a female worker and eventually uncovers drugs, espionage, etc. A little hard to follow, as a great many spy novels can be, but still has godd insig
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Aug 18, 2008
Marieke
rated it:
Every bit as good as I remembered. Highly recommended! I worship MCS for his grittily vivid scenes, lovable shady characters, and wonderfully surreal landscapes. (Not to mention his Russian soul!) If you haven't read Gorky Park, read that one first!
As usual, Arkady Renko is reluctant to begin a murder investigation--this time into the death of a popular young woman on board the Soviet fish-processing factory ship, the Polar Star.
As he discovers one shady operation afte More...
As usual, Arkady Renko is reluctant to begin a murder investigation--this time into the death of a popular young woman on board the Soviet fish-processing factory ship, the Polar Star.
As he discovers one shady operation afte More...
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Apr 05, 2008
Rossrn
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Polar Star was written in 1989 and featured detective Arkady Renko who first appeared in Smith's Gorky Park (published in 1981).
The book is set during the time of the Soviet Union, but near the end when there was some cooperation, though utter distrust, between the US and Soviets. While Gorky Park was primarily set in the city of Moscow, Polar Star is the name of a massive factory ship (fish processing) in the Bearing Strait.
The floating city is full of people with pasts who More...
The book is set during the time of the Soviet Union, but near the end when there was some cooperation, though utter distrust, between the US and Soviets. While Gorky Park was primarily set in the city of Moscow, Polar Star is the name of a massive factory ship (fish processing) in the Bearing Strait.
The floating city is full of people with pasts who More...
Jan 17, 2012
Nathan
rated it:
Disgraced Soviet policeman exiled to the Siberian fishing fleet comes across tale of murder, smuggling and espionage. Smith wrote this after Gorky PArk was filmed, so you can see that he was angling for another screen adaptation here, with a couple of far-fetched set piece scenes. Still, Renko is a great, cynical cop. It would be interesting to see him work alongside Akunin's Fandorin. Rated M for violence and coarse language. 3.5/5
May 04, 2010
Samantha
rated it:
Read this book.
In Polar Star, the second book in Cruz Smith's mystery series featuring leading man Arkady Renko, our hero finds himself on a Russian fishing trawler in the Bering Sea elbow deep in fish guts. Naturally, there is a murder on board and it's up to Renko to find the killer.
The story has all the trappings of a locked-room mystery. Cruz Smith communicates the surreal and isolated nature of maritime life and ends the book with an amazing cat-and-mouse chase acros More...
In Polar Star, the second book in Cruz Smith's mystery series featuring leading man Arkady Renko, our hero finds himself on a Russian fishing trawler in the Bering Sea elbow deep in fish guts. Naturally, there is a murder on board and it's up to Renko to find the killer.
The story has all the trappings of a locked-room mystery. Cruz Smith communicates the surreal and isolated nature of maritime life and ends the book with an amazing cat-and-mouse chase acros More...
Dec 15, 2008
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Nov 12, 2011
Roger
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Not only does Cruz write an entertaining novel, but he sets the story in and around the Aleutians. I used to work on a salmon processing ship in those islands, and I thought the author portrayed the setting well. The novel moves along at a relaxed pace as the down and out detective carries out his investigation of a grisly crime. If you crave adventure, you might also try The Golden Catch.
Roger Weston, author of The Golden Catch
Roger Weston, author of The Golden Catch
Sep 06, 2011
Donald
rated it:
The sequel to Gorky Park, and in my opinion, the better novel! Arkady has been cast out of Moscow and has ended up on the Polar Star, a fishing "ship" where he works on the slime line. But when a woman named Zina is murdered, Arkady gets to investigate again. Then the action really begins! Most of which takes place on the Polar Star, with a quick detour to American on shore leave. I liked the pace of this thriller, the characters, and as always, Arkady. Great sequel!
Aug 29, 2011
Marcus
rated it:
This may very well be a perfect whodunnit- very original setting, fascinating characters and a slow-paced, but captivating plot with strong classic dark noir influences. Polar Star is the second book about Soviet criminal investigator Arkady Renko and it managed to propell him onto shared top spot in my list overy my favorite detectives, a place he now shares with Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch.
May 07, 2011
Patrick
rated it:
The obvious question with a five-star review is "what makes this book amazing?," and for me it was the way Martin Cruz Smith managed to write a novel so rich in detail about what for most of us is an alien world (i.e., the Bering Sea aboard a factory ship late in the Cold War between the United States and the then-Soviet Union). Arkady Renko, the hangdog investigator who has seen better days, seems utterly plausible and quintessentially Russian. Other characters -- both Russsians and A
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Feb 02, 2011
Antonio
rated it:
A delightful novel. Martin Cruz Smith's Renko is a lovely character, very human, and very smart as well. Smith makes a very interesting portrait of the live aboard a big fishing-factory ship. In there, the now fallen in disgrace Renko is motivated to find the killers of a young female worker in the ship. The branches and knots of the story are very interesting. A very good book.
Aug 27, 2010
Dreepa
rated it:
When I got it I didn't realize it was a followup to Gorky Park.
I had read Gorky Park years ago and liked it.
Arkady is now working on 'the slime line' in a floating fish factory.
A girl is found dead and he is called to investigate.
Arkady is just as sarcastic as he was as an officer.
The book is a bit dated as the USSR was in full force when it was written.
Good book. Fast paced. sarcastic!
I had read Gorky Park years ago and liked it.
Arkady is now working on 'the slime line' in a floating fish factory.
A girl is found dead and he is called to investigate.
Arkady is just as sarcastic as he was as an officer.
The book is a bit dated as the USSR was in full force when it was written.
Good book. Fast paced. sarcastic!
May 21, 2009
Eliotmayf
rated it:
I liked it alot. It really captures life on a ship at sea and working the slime line, which i have done.
It also seems to be pretty much spot on about daily living in the USSR. I now live in a former soviet country and the tales I hear, like exploding tv's are true. Also the suspense is fine. There is enough happening to keep you reading and not wanting to put it down.
It also seems to be pretty much spot on about daily living in the USSR. I now live in a former soviet country and the tales I hear, like exploding tv's are true. Also the suspense is fine. There is enough happening to keep you reading and not wanting to put it down.
Dec 29, 2011
Tina
rated it:
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I only got it because it was next in the Arkady Renko books and I had to find out how he got to Stalin's Ghost (the first of the series that I read). When I saw it took place on a fishing ship in a polar sea, I thought it would have to be boring. I was so wrong. This is an excellent section of Arkady's life.
Jun 02, 2011
Marc
rated it:
Crazy good!! Renko is as cold as the ice of the artic. What I love about him is that he goes on with no regard for his own career or safety. He is like Roland Deschain, oblivious to the world around him, uncaring even as to whether the world itself would be better if he stopped. There are still a few stories in this series that I haven't read and for that I am glad.
Nov 27, 2010
Barb
rated it:
It's like The Deadliest Catch meets Murder on the Orient Express. A Soviet factory ship processing tons of fish in the Bering Sea. A crew of 300, 50 of whom are women. And a dead body. Arkady Renko, the former Moscow homicide investigator, now forced to work on the slime line, is thrown into the investigation by the captain. I love Renko's cynical sense of humor.
Nov 09, 2010
Diane
rated it:
Somewhat suspenseful mystery set in the 1980s in the then Soviet Union about a murder on a Russian fishing ship in American waters. The book has a good plot, but it has too much technical language about fishing that detracts from the story. There are also too many minor characters who are not really integral to the plot, and really aren't that interesting.
Jun 11, 2011
Audra
rated it:
This is a book with great insight into the Cold War between the United States and Russia. It has an unexpected ending. As someone who was born at the end of the Cold War and my only knowledge was through history books, this was helpful in my understanding. Now that we have shows like Deadliest Catch, this was all the more real to me.
