Investigator Renko Arkady returns in book seven of the series in ‘Three Stations’. Arkady’s push for the facts behind a young woman’s murder is set against the backdrop of the Russian oligarch’s vast wealth and power. Renko remains just as subversive against Putin’s new elite as he was against his previous Communist bosses, with deadpan humor and an eye for the ironic. Smith adds a biting social commentary on the expanding lower classes unchecked exploitation by the oligarchy as a return to the feudal system of Russia’s terrible past. While not the strongest criminal plot line of the series, it does have fascinating reflections on the resilient nature of a people and city (and a detective) who have survived a nearly unbelievable history of extremes.

-- Bethany R. --