My rating:

add to my books

Havana Bay (Arkady Renko #4)

by Martin Cruz Smith

3.65 · rating details · 990 ratings · 87 reviews

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 r...more

Paperback, 340 pages

Published May 20th 2008 by Ballantine Books (first published January 1st 1999)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,337)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 21, 2011

Vanessa rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

I'm not expert but I read a fair amount of international mysteries, partly because it's learning world history and geography the sluggard's way. The male protagonists are inevitably divorced or widowed, haunted by the past and world weary. And while I like several series (Wallander and Rebus for example), my very favorite is Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko. He leaps off the page like a real person. I can predict his reactions like someone I've known for years and I adore his utterly deadpan Sov...moreI'm not expert but I read a fair amount of international mysteries, partly because it's learning world history and geography the sluggard's way. The male protagonists are inevitably divorced or widowed, haunted by the past and world weary. And while I like several series (Wallander and Rebus for example), my very favorite is Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko. He leaps off the page like a real person. I can predict his reactions like someone I've known for years and I adore his utterly deadpan Soviet humor. Cruz Smith's writing is of literary fiction quality and his descriptions of locales are precise and vivid-I now feel like I've seen and smelled Havana. And his unique talent for getting into the mindset of citizens of various crumbling Socialist republics is the best crash course in political science you'll ever take. This is the fourth book in the series and is my favorite so far. Love, love, love this writer.

I prefer Renko when he is gloomy and I suppose the author does as well because in the interval between the third book, Red Square and this one he has married his longtime love Irina only to see her die in a random Russian hospital clusterfuck. He has come to Havana to collect the body of his old frenemy Pribluda, whom the locals claim has died in a fishing accident when a body matching his description washes up in the bay. The local authorities claim he is a spy and are neither planning to investigate further nor happy to have a meddling Russian investigator in the mix. Renko meanwhile isn't sure that this really is his friend or that an old-school comrade like Pribluda would be caught fishing in an inner-tube Cuban style in the first place. Renko has also come to Havana intending to kill himself out of grief over Irina's death but fortunately his plans abruptly get changed and he gets sucked into the mystery of Pribluda's final hours. From there, he devotes himself to the task with his usual tenacity and gift for making enemies. What ensues is a tale of sugar cane, American expats, El Comandante, Santeria, sex tourism, rhino abuse, Cuban ballerinas and a Havana detective named Ofelia Osorio who is every bit as well-rounded and brilliant a character as Renko. If you can hear me Mr. Smith, mas Ofelia por favor.

I learned so much about Havana's history and the hard times that hit Cuba following the Soviet collapse-what Cubans officially call the Special Period. Meanwhile, one Soviet character blames the Soviet economy's collapse on keeping Cuba's "floating circus" alive. The story is a typical labyrinthine Cruz Smith tale and I can't say for sure that I understand exactly why everything happened as it did. But I don't care. While other reviewers complain that story ends abruptly-and it does-this is fitting as it's an abrupt conclusion for Renko too. Perfection. (less)

like 1 like

· see review

Dec 01, 2011

Susan rated it

· review of another edition

I began this book with a certain amount of trepidation because, although I'd tried several times, I was never able to get into Gorky Park, Smith's most famous book. But Havana Bay hooked me right from the first page. The series protagonist, Russian agent Arkady Renko, has been sent to Havana to identify the body of a Russian pulled out of Havana Bay. Renko speaks no Spanish and must rely on an interpreter. The Cuban detective heading the investigation is an alluring though cranky woman. Why?
...more

· see review

Mar 17, 2011

Beth rated it

· review of another edition

Martin Cruz Smith is a new author for me, and I didn't realize that HAVANA BAY is part of a series of books about a Russian prosecutor's investigator, Renko Arkady. The series begins with the book GORKY PARK and, as I understand, all the books in the series are in Russia (or the Soviet Union) except HAVANA BAY.

Arkady has come to Cuba because his friend has gone missing there. When Arkady arrives, he is shown an unrecognizable body that was found drifting in an inner tube in Havana B...more

· see review

Dec 23, 2010

Bree T rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: crime, library-reads, series

Havana Bay is the fourth novel in Martin Cruz Smith’s Arkady Renko novels. The first, Gorky Park, is a well known book that was made into a well known film. I haven’t read any of the previous Arkady Renko novels (they’re set in Russia, this book is set in Cuba, which is why I chose it) but I quickly realised you don’t exactly need to. I didn’t ever really feel like I was ‘missing out’ or that I didn’t know what was going on because I hadn’t read any of the previous 3 books. This may’ve been hel...moreHavana Bay is the fourth novel in Martin Cruz Smith’s Arkady Renko novels. The first, Gorky Park, is a well known book that was made into a well known film. I haven’t read any of the previous Arkady Renko novels (they’re set in Russia, this book is set in Cuba, which is why I chose it) but I quickly realised you don’t exactly need to. I didn’t ever really feel like I was ‘missing out’ or that I didn’t know what was going on because I hadn’t read any of the previous 3 books. This may’ve been helped by the fact that this one was set quite far away from Russia and therefore any people who appeared in the previous books didn’t appear in this one.

In the beginning of the novel, Russian investigator Arkady Renko has received a letter about a friend of his, a Russian diplomat stationed in Cuba, possibly being in trouble. When Renko arrives in Cuba, he is standing by when Cuban authorities pull a body out of the water. Because the body has been in the water some time (about 2wks I think) identification is not an easy process. Based on some very vague terms, the body is declared to be that of his friend’s but Arkady isn’t entirely convinced. He thinks it was very odd for a Russian to be out fishing in the bay at night (inside a large inflatable tube-type thing) and is wondering if there isn’t something else going on. Although due to fly out that night, Arkady’s plans take a sharp swerve when the interpreter who has been translating for him and showing him around, tries to kill him.

Interestingly enough, when Arkady was attacked he was preparing to end his own life with a syringe filled with air that he stole from the coroner’s lab that day while watching the autopsy done on the body that was pulled from the water. He uses the syringe to defend himself instead, perhaps indicating that he wasn’t quite ready to die despite his extreme depression over the death of his wife due to an incompetent nurse. Now rather, Arkady finds himself determined to stay in Cuba and find out exactly what is going on – he was due to fly out of Cuba in less than a couple of hours, so why are people trying to kill him? What exactly was his friend investigating during his time in Cuba? Arkady starts his own investigation, complicated by aggression and distrust of Russians from the local authorities, attempts on his life (numerous), an attraction to a female Cuban police officer and a score of other locals, including two from the FBI most wanted list.

Arkady is depressed, dearly missing his wife and grieving over the injustice and preventability of her death when he arrives in Cuba. This makes him darkly brooding and also carrying a lack of respect for his own life, until someone else tries to take it from him. Thankfully this is all explained very coherently and you’re not really left wondering why Arkady is wandering around all woe is me and you get the depth of his grief and love for Irina, all without even ever seeing her in this novel. The attack on him kick starts him into living again, as he realises that things are afoot here that go much deeper than just a Russian spy (and not a very good one at that) apparently having a heart attack and dying out at sea while doing a spot of night fishing. Arkady starts investigating with the help of Cuban detective Ofelia Osorio, who starts to shadow him for ‘protection’ after he is nearly killed and then half beaten to death all in the space of 24 hours. Arkady knows that one of the other Cuban police officers, Sargent Luna, is in the goings on up to his neck but it’s going to be hard to prove.

And the goings on are numerous. I’ve never read a novel set in Cuba before and this one was quite a nice introduction to both the culture and the political state. Russians in Cuba weren’t exactly appreciated anymore after relations between the two countries soured and a huge part of the plot revolves around Cuba trying to renegotiate contracts with Russia for Russia to buy their sugar. Russia are refusing to pay the new prices so an apparently independent company from Panama has been called in to mediate, which was what Arkady’s friend from Russia was in the country investigating. The novel does a brilliant job I think of showcasing Cuba for all it is – richly cultured, simplistic (although perhaps not by choice) and mixing in the seedy tourists that come to romance the young girls, who offer themselves for a few American dollars. On one hand it’s painted as a paradise – the beach, friendly locals, fresh seafood, good weather, cheap and on the other it’s painted as a slum – poverty and corruption everywhere you look and attempts to sneak in some good old fashioned capitalism!

On the whole I enjoyed this novel a lot but I felt that it was perhaps a fraction too long. At 447 pages, I think probably 80-100 could’ve been trimmed with no real detriment to the plot. A lot of the time Arkady was just kind of sitting around thinking about things, or he was spending an age doing something that takes no time at all. It painted him as slow and methodical, thoughtful and without the kind of rash behaviour I’m used to from protagonists in these sorts of novels, but it did drag the story out quite noticeably. I am quite intrigued by Arkady now though and I’m going to go back and get Gorky Park and start from the beginning. I do dislike reading a series out of order and I’ve done it twice recently for the Global Challenge either because a later book was all that was available, or earlier books didn’t fit in with what criteria I needed to fill. However, both times, it’s led to me discovering series that interest me, so I am grateful!(less)

· see review

Jul 20, 2011

Stephen Hayes rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction, our-books

I was looking for some light bedtime reading, and looked through our bookshelves and picked up some books that I wasn't sure if I had read or not, and then checked on my computer and found that I had read them, but they had proved to be rather forgettable. Then I picked up this book, which has been lying around for ages, but I hadn't read it.

It was quite an interesting read.

Russian investigator Arkady Renko goes to Cuba to find out what had happened to a dead Russian, a sug...more

· see review

May 23, 2011

Perry Whitford rated it

· review of another edition

After the 3rd edition in the series, Red Square, focused on the effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union and a burgeoning capitalism on the Moscow crime scene, this one sends Renko to the only legitimate communist country left, Cuba, to investigate the apparent murder of a former friend and KGB agent Sergei Pribluda.

As you might imagine he is not particularly popular, he has to overcome not just the local criminals but the local police too; and he uncovers something much larger in...more

· see review

Nov 10, 2011

JamesMarinero Marinero rated it

· review of another edition

Loved it! Cuba is a country I'd love to visit, and this describes the people and society in depth, together with its countryside and, of course, its cars. It's set when Fidel was in power (he's gone now), and eventually the lot of the people of Cuba will improve. Arkady (Gorky Park) is shipped out again into a morass of political shenanigans and a well plotted story. Recommended - it's one of the few books today which is still a good reflection of the society, principally because little has chan...more

· see review

Jan 10, 2011

Evelyn rated it

· review of another edition

I'd totally forgotten about Martin Cruz Smith's, doleful, taciturn, but always astute Russian detective Arkady Renko, even though years ago I'd read and enjoyed 'Gorky Park' an earlier book in this series. I found this installment at a rummage sale and picked it up because it was so inexpensive. It didn't disappoint. I like Smith's spare writing style (which keeps the reader guessing), and Renko's rich interior life. Moving this dark, appealing character to Cuba's hothouse environment in contras...more

· see review

Apr 05, 2008

Rossrn Nunamaker rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, detective-crime

Havana Bay by Martin Cruz Smith is the fourth in the six Arkady Renko books Smith has written, the most famous of which is Gorky Park.

Havana Bay took Renko from Russia to Cuba to identify the body of Pribulda. Pribulda was in Gorky Park tasked to kill Renko. As fate would have it the two struck up a relationship and when Pribulda's son refused to travel to identify the body of his father (he had a pizzeria to run after all) it is Renko who goes.

We soon learn that Renko's wife...moreHavana Bay by Martin Cruz Smith is the fourth in the six Arkady Renko books Smith has written, the most famous of which is Gorky Park.

Havana Bay took Renko from Russia to Cuba to identify the body of Pribulda. Pribulda was in Gorky Park tasked to kill Renko. As fate would have it the two struck up a relationship and when Pribulda's son refused to travel to identify the body of his father (he had a pizzeria to run after all) it is Renko who goes.

We soon learn that Renko's wife, Irina, with whom he was reunited in Red Square, was accidentally killed in a hospital. Renko had left her side for a moment and the medication she was known to be allergic to was injected. When he returned, she was dead and with her went Renko's hope and desire to live.

In Cuba, Renko was to simply identify the body of Pribulda and get right back on a plane with it back to Russia, but Renko, sensing the Cuban's distaste for all things Russia, including himself, refuses to acquiesce and confirm it is in fact Pribulda.

Of course identifying a body without digits or a face that was bloated from floating half in the water of Havana Bay for days would be tough for anyone to do, let alone a man who doesn't often accept things at face value.

The Russian Investigator, Renko, becomes so disliked, so fast that an attempt is made on his life that thwarts his own suicide attempt. As Renko quips and I paraphrase (sorry gave the book back already so I can't quote) had he have waited another minute the job would have been done. Renko also considers the difference between having the choice and someone else making that choice for you. The attempt on his life results in the death of his assailant and now Renko is investigated for murder.

As he is investigated, Renko continues to pursue how Pribulda died, why, and who was behind it. During his investigations Renko sees the duality inherent in Cuba where people lead two lives, the one of the state and the one for survival. The land is frozen in the 1950s, the time of the revolution that brought Castro to power and resulted in boycots and embargoes by the US. The lack of goods meant cars were mostly those brought in before the Revolution and most buildings are decaying and falling apart, except for the few places tourists, businessmen really, visit bringing US currency.

Renko sees not only the underside of Cuba, but learns the extent to which Russia is blamed as the root of all of Cuba's problems for stopping its support of the island nation. This only makes his task that much more difficult. Renko befriends a policewoman Osoria and meets a range of others including a wheelchair bound cuban patriot turned mechanic and landlord Erasmo, several former national boxers, a refugee black panther, a US mafioso on the lamb, the few Russians who remain in diplomatic positions, and Chango a near life sized stuffed animal used in African based religious ceremonies. And I almost forgot Fidel himself makes an appearance.

At times Renko questions his own sanity, borders on paranoia, and through it all pursues the truth regardless of how near death it takes him.

I continue to enjoy these books.
(less)

· see review

Apr 03, 2010

Peter rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery

Martin Cruz Smith writes decent mystery/thrillers set in the Soviet Union/Russia featuring a tough, stubborn and relatively honest cop, Renko Arkady. This 1999 novel is a departure in that Arkady arrives in Havana to 'solve' the mystery of the death of an old comrade. It is filled with the allure of Cuba and the twisted relations between Russia and Cuba, a relationship that Smith captures well. Lots of twists and turns with some neat and some sad outcomes.

· see review

Oct 05, 2009

Tuck rated it

· review of another edition

my first arkady renko book. its good, with what i like, violence, outlawry, sex, exotic locations. arkady seemed to be moody (on the point of suicide) for "no reason", or not a reason reader really was aware of. i guess if i had started at "gorky park" it would make more sense. i like ken bruen better for its noir, i like john domini better for its smartness and philosophical musings and sex, i like denis johnson better for its outlaws. but i may read another martin cruz...more

like 1 like

· see review

Aug 22, 2009

Steven rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2007to2009, detective-and-crimes-stories

As with all of the books in this series, I could not put it down. Although I have no way of knowing if the impressions of Cuba imparted by this novel are accurate, the impressions were vivid and skillfully done. The only disappointment was the ending which seemed abrupt, poorly conceived, and not satisfying. I rate the book 4.5, but if the ending had been better, I would have given it a 5.

· see review

Feb 21, 2009

Heather rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-or-suspense, own-wi, recentfavorites

My favorite Renko book so far. Both darker and lighter than the first two. Interesting portrait of Cuba. Plot is surreal rather than gritty; requires major suspension of disbelief but that's sort of the point.

Kinda funny, though, how the man who goes into each book with nothing to lose manages to keep going through so many stories.

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 02, 2011

Dan Kearns rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-crime-noir-pulp, detective-in-a-series-subcategory

Aggggghh. Total failure of the Renko project. The brilliance of "Gorky Park" was fading, sure, but the previous two still had flashes of greatness, and the series arc of Arkady's moral journey was still flourishing. Here? The great baby boomer trope of "I'll just have sex with a new person, and it'll all be fine."

What a disappointment.

· see review

Dec 29, 2011

Tina rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This was another bit of a surprise for me. I began reading it and thought I would have to trudge though all the stuff about Cuba in the 1960s. It didn't take long for me to be captivated by Arkady and all the other characters in the book. Martin Cruz Smith, please keep Arkady books coming, I can't get enough!

· see review

Jul 26, 2011

Stuart rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery

The fourth Arkady Renko book, and one of the best. I just re-read it. Renko goes to Cuba in response to a call by an old colleague, and gets involved in what may be an investigation, or maybe not, depending on the Cuban police attitude, which generally is not good to Russians. And it gets better from there.

· see review

Apr 06, 2010

Kieran rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Set in Cuba, he gets the answers (what happened to the dead emabssy attaché) but not the girl (the Cuban cop, who he shagged but whom the brute cuban cop got in the end)!

Does not make me want to go to Cuba, and lately I have been finding out that Fidel and his ilk did more harm than good.

· see review

Oct 17, 2010

Larry added it · review of another edition

So I gave up on this book. I haven't done that in literally, years. I read Gorky Park long ago and figured I'd try this.

Mistake. Big Mistake. Not a single interesting character, merely the hint of an interesting plot.

And somehow, Smith manages to make Cuba - one of the most fascinating places in literature - sound dull.

· see review

Jul 23, 2011

David rated it

· review of another edition

Strong entry in the Arkady series with a seemingly realistic insider's view on contemporary Havana. Martin Cruz Smith does a good job of giving you a mystery where you know who did it fairly early, but have to go through many twists and turns to find out how and why.

· see review

Dec 07, 2010

Barb rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: arkady-renko, mystery, thriller

The death of an old comrade (haha) brings Arkady Renko to Cuba to identify the body. But of course it isn't that easy. What I love about Renko is that he's imperfect. He may walk away from a fight, but the guy is always getting his ass kicked. He's no Elliot Stabler, that's for sure.

· see review

Feb 03, 2011

Mirko rated it

· review of another edition

Un libro che ti trasporta nell'havana, e soprattuto per chi l'ha vista davvero, è proprio un bel viaggio... accompagnati da un ispettore russo ed un susseguirsi di vicende veramente coinvolgenti. Leggerlo è un piacere.

· see review

Apr 26, 2011

Brian rated it

· review of another edition

An excellent entry in the Arkady Renko series of novels, this one is enhanced by its being set in Havana. The local color was fascinating to me since I know so little about contemporary life there. And the mystery itself was well done.

On a political note, I'd love to know why, other than the political sway of Cuban emigres, we're still embargoing Cuba. It certainly makes us seem vindictive.

· see review

Jun 09, 2010

Jenneffer rated it

· review of another edition

A solidly good noir read. Not too much blood, guts, sex or violence. I liked the narrator's detached emotional status, as if fresh from grief. A good traveling book, for beach, bus or subway.

· see review

Feb 23, 2010

Paul rated it

· review of another edition

surprisingly intriguing. A suicidal Russian cop comes to Cuba to solve a murder and finds that the only thing the Cubans hate more than the US is Russia. Great geographical presence; a fun read.

· see review

Jul 06, 2009

Steven Kent rated it

· review of another edition

Martin Cruz Smith is one of modern novel writing's greatest talents, but with a flaw--his endings are sometimes weak. This magnificent mystery is case and point. Up until the end, it is AMAZING.

· see review

Jul 04, 2011

Geoffrey Bruce rated it

· review of another edition

Interesting but it was hard to get into. Every time I'd find it interesting it would drag out but Smith tends to somehow keep you hanging on.

· see review

Jan 28, 2010

Marty rated it

· review of another edition

The detective Renko continues to do things his own way. All the books in the series are excellent......this is among my most favorite of writers.

· see review

Dec 16, 2008

Shannon rated it

· review of another edition

A week in Havana at the end of the 20th century. I haven't read any other Martin Cruz Smith or Arkady Renko mysteries, but this was enjoyable.

· see review

Mar 29, 2009

Tina added it · review of another edition

Arkady is his usual maudlin self but seems a little more motivated in this book. I read it in a day and half while traveling.

· see review

Jun 30, 2011

Barbi rated it

· review of another edition

Not bad, but a disappointment after the previous (better) three books. Recommended only if you're already a fan of Arkady Renko.

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 44 45 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (26)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

45 users

Thriller

16 users

Mystery > Crime

9 users

Mystery > Detective

8 users

Cultural > Russia

5 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

4 users

Suspense

4 users

Adventure

4 users

Spy Thriller > Espionage

3 users

Novels

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Martin Cruz Smith

Martin Cruz Smith (né Martin William Smith) is an American novelist.

Smith was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, and received a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing in 1964. From 1965 to 1969 he worked as a journalist, and began writing fiction in the early 1970s. His first mystery, featuring a Gypsy art dealer in New York named Roman Grey, Gypsy in Amber (1971), was nominate...more

More about Martin Cruz Smith...

Books by Martin Cruz Smith

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About Bahia de la Habana

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Groups That Shelved Havana Bay

World Mysteries and Thril...

396 members

last activity 10. Februar, 04:31 Uhr

shelf: read

title link	preview: Havana Bay
avg rating	preview: Havana Bay Goodreads rating: 3.65 (990 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2265495.Havana_Bay?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320494125m/2265495.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2265495.Havana_Bay?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Havana Bay by Martin Cruz Smith[/url]

Havana Bay (Arkady Renko #4)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website