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Porfiry Rostnikov #6
The Man Who Walked Like a Bear
Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov and his colleagues battle against a conspiracy to assassinate a politburo member, a bomb scare at Lenin's tomb, and abounding corruption
261 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
92 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
About the author
Stuart M. Kaminsky
159 books216 followersStuart M. Kaminsky wrote 50 published novels, 5 biographies, 4 textbooks and 35 short stories. He also has screenwriting credits on four produced films including ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, ENEMY TERRITORY, A WOMAN IN THE WIND and HIDDEN FEARS. He was a past president of the Mystery Writers of America and was nominated for six prestigious Edgar Allen Poe Awards including one for his short story “Snow” in 1999. He won an Edgar for his novel A COLD RED SUNRISE, which was also awarded the Prix De Roman D’Aventure of France. He was nominated for both a Shamus Award and a McCavity Readers Choice Award.
Kaminsky wrote several popular series including those featuring Lew Fonesca, Abraham Lieberman, Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, and Toby Peters. He also wrote two original "Rockford Files " novels. He was the 50th annual recipient of the Grandmaster 2006 for Lifetime Achievement from the Mystery Writers of America.
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2007.
His nonfiction books including BASIC FILMMAKING, WRITING FOR TELEVISION, AMERICAN FILM GENRES, and biographies of GARY COOPER, CLINT EASTWOOD, JOHN HUSTON and DON SIEGEL. BEHIND THE MYSTERY was published by Hot House Press in 2005 and nominated by Mystery Writers of America for Best Critical/Biographical book in 2006.
Kaminsky held a B.S. in Journalism and an M.A. in English from The University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Speech from Northwestern University where he taught for 16 years before becoming a Professor at Florida State. where he headed the Graduate Conservatory in Film and Television Production. He left Florida State in 1994 to pursue full-time writing.
Kaminsky and his wife, Enid Perll, moved to St. Louis, Missouri in March 2009 to await a liver transplant to treat the hepatitis he contracted as an army medic in the late 1950s in France. He suffered a stroke two days after their arrival in St. Louis, which made him ineligible for a transplant. He died on October 9, 2009.
Kaminsky wrote several popular series including those featuring Lew Fonesca, Abraham Lieberman, Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, and Toby Peters. He also wrote two original "Rockford Files " novels. He was the 50th annual recipient of the Grandmaster 2006 for Lifetime Achievement from the Mystery Writers of America.
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2007.
His nonfiction books including BASIC FILMMAKING, WRITING FOR TELEVISION, AMERICAN FILM GENRES, and biographies of GARY COOPER, CLINT EASTWOOD, JOHN HUSTON and DON SIEGEL. BEHIND THE MYSTERY was published by Hot House Press in 2005 and nominated by Mystery Writers of America for Best Critical/Biographical book in 2006.
Kaminsky held a B.S. in Journalism and an M.A. in English from The University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Speech from Northwestern University where he taught for 16 years before becoming a Professor at Florida State. where he headed the Graduate Conservatory in Film and Television Production. He left Florida State in 1994 to pursue full-time writing.
Kaminsky and his wife, Enid Perll, moved to St. Louis, Missouri in March 2009 to await a liver transplant to treat the hepatitis he contracted as an army medic in the late 1950s in France. He suffered a stroke two days after their arrival in St. Louis, which made him ineligible for a transplant. He died on October 9, 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 22, 2021
Remarkable!
While Inspector Rostnikov was visiting his wife in the hospital, after her surgery on her head, a very large, a very hairy, a very naked man, burst into her room, showing great distress.
Inspector Rostnikov is intuitively sure that more than what he sees, is amiss. So he gathers his crew of Emil Karpo and Sasha Tkach and they begin to investigate, as they should.
So glad you are here to enjoy another episode of Moscow in the 80’s with Gorbachev and perestroika, and terrorism and separatists, and KGB and conspiracies.
Now let’s gather around and anticipate that Rostnikov, and his crew, will do whatever needs to be done, to determine whether a crime has been committed and by whom.
In the meantime, I am definitely going to give this book five stars ✨✨✨✨✨
While Inspector Rostnikov was visiting his wife in the hospital, after her surgery on her head, a very large, a very hairy, a very naked man, burst into her room, showing great distress.
Inspector Rostnikov is intuitively sure that more than what he sees, is amiss. So he gathers his crew of Emil Karpo and Sasha Tkach and they begin to investigate, as they should.
So glad you are here to enjoy another episode of Moscow in the 80’s with Gorbachev and perestroika, and terrorism and separatists, and KGB and conspiracies.
Now let’s gather around and anticipate that Rostnikov, and his crew, will do whatever needs to be done, to determine whether a crime has been committed and by whom.
In the meantime, I am definitely going to give this book five stars ✨✨✨✨✨
May 16, 2024
Always a pleasure to spend time with Inspector Rostnikov and his team. Great story, great characters, and a nice look at Russian life in the early days after the breakup. Highly recommend any of the Stuart Kaminsky books.
November 3, 2014
A frequent patron recommended Stuart Kaminsky to me, and this title from 1999 sounded most intriguing. Well-plotted Russian police procedural.
October 31, 2025
A good Inspector Rostnikov story full of deceit, corruption and Russian characters.
July 2, 2021
I purchased this book a couple of months ago during a Kindle sale, and when I was searching for something different after my latest library reads, I thought I'd give this one a go. It was darker than I anticipated, and unfortunately plonked me down in the middle of a series, but it was a very satisfying read nonetheless.
Our main character, Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, is visiting his wife in the hospital when suddenly a huge, ungainly man bursts into her room, making for the window. Porfiry Petrovich manages to calm him, but not before the man whispers about the devil taking over his shoe factory. This, of course, piques Porfiry's interest, and he decides to make a few discreet inquiries, especially after the man is bundled out of his wife's room and taken to the psychiatric ward.
Of course, Inspector Rostnikov, being a loyal Soviet comrade, isn't really in charge of the way he conducts his investigations. He's stepped on a few too many important toes, and been relegated to the MVD, the unit that handles petty crimes. As such, he and his team (Sasha, a young detective; Emil Kapro, a cold but thorough detective who is subject to migraines, and Zelech, who is sort of the moron of the bunch) are kept busy. A mother comes in to report that she's overheard her son making plans to assassinate a member of the Politburo, and the city bus system reports that one of its vehicles - and the driver - have gone missing. The team investigates each of these mysteries, and finds roots that run deep into intrigue, politics, and terrorism.
This is a fairly heavy story (par for the course for a crime novel), but Porfiry Petrovich is a nicely balanced character. He's played the game for the majority of his life; at 57, it takes a lot to fool him. He understands the tangled web of Soviet politics and what people will do to get ahead in their careers. His scenes with his wife (in hospital recovering from brain surgery) provide a foil for the darkness of the crimes he's investigating. The ending was especially beautiful.
I also liked the other members of his team: Sasha, the sweet young man who's at a crossroads in his life - newly married with a baby, ready to get out from under his mother's unbearable thumb but having a hard time cutting the apron strings; Emil Kapro, the complete opposite, a man who is confounded by the idea of emotions and how they can interfere in his work as an investigator. I'm really curious about his background, and also his future as the series progresses, as he takes some big steps towards thawing and embracing his humanity. (He's the Sesshoumaru character, can you tell? LOL.)
Even though this is the sixth book in the series, it wasn't hard to pick up on the characters or their world, with enough hints sprinkled throughout to make the important moments shine. It's very much a game of chess, especially in the moment in time when the Soviet Union is edging towards its end.
I'm glad this book caught my eye during that sale, and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series.
Our main character, Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, is visiting his wife in the hospital when suddenly a huge, ungainly man bursts into her room, making for the window. Porfiry Petrovich manages to calm him, but not before the man whispers about the devil taking over his shoe factory. This, of course, piques Porfiry's interest, and he decides to make a few discreet inquiries, especially after the man is bundled out of his wife's room and taken to the psychiatric ward.
Of course, Inspector Rostnikov, being a loyal Soviet comrade, isn't really in charge of the way he conducts his investigations. He's stepped on a few too many important toes, and been relegated to the MVD, the unit that handles petty crimes. As such, he and his team (Sasha, a young detective; Emil Kapro, a cold but thorough detective who is subject to migraines, and Zelech, who is sort of the moron of the bunch) are kept busy. A mother comes in to report that she's overheard her son making plans to assassinate a member of the Politburo, and the city bus system reports that one of its vehicles - and the driver - have gone missing. The team investigates each of these mysteries, and finds roots that run deep into intrigue, politics, and terrorism.
This is a fairly heavy story (par for the course for a crime novel), but Porfiry Petrovich is a nicely balanced character. He's played the game for the majority of his life; at 57, it takes a lot to fool him. He understands the tangled web of Soviet politics and what people will do to get ahead in their careers. His scenes with his wife (in hospital recovering from brain surgery) provide a foil for the darkness of the crimes he's investigating. The ending was especially beautiful.
I also liked the other members of his team: Sasha, the sweet young man who's at a crossroads in his life - newly married with a baby, ready to get out from under his mother's unbearable thumb but having a hard time cutting the apron strings; Emil Kapro, the complete opposite, a man who is confounded by the idea of emotions and how they can interfere in his work as an investigator. I'm really curious about his background, and also his future as the series progresses, as he takes some big steps towards thawing and embracing his humanity. (He's the Sesshoumaru character, can you tell? LOL.)
Even though this is the sixth book in the series, it wasn't hard to pick up on the characters or their world, with enough hints sprinkled throughout to make the important moments shine. It's very much a game of chess, especially in the moment in time when the Soviet Union is edging towards its end.
I'm glad this book caught my eye during that sale, and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series.
December 26, 2019
If you are reading this novel without reading the first 5 Chapters of the Porfiry Rostinikov series you will probably be confused, lost, bored and unsatisfied. I say this is the 6th Chapter because I believe each one of Staurt Kaminskiy's series should be viewed as one long novel. Kaminsky amazes me how with each book he fleshes out the character and the meaning of his "Long Novel." I started by reading the Abe Lieberman series which had me hooked on Kaminsky. Like this series some of the books or chapters on Lieberman were sometimes slow but added important information to aid in the completion of the series or the "Lieberman book.
Next I read the Lew Fonesca series. The first couple almost bored me to tears but before the series or the "Fonesca Book" had finally ended way to soon, I had found another great book of 6 chapters. The Lew Fonesca Series.
I read a couple of the Rostnikov mysteries out of order when I was trying to replace my fondness of the first two series I had read. I should have known I was making a mistake. In fact this novel was one I read out of Order. How was it the first time. Well, I didn't remember I read it at all until I looked a my reading list. Isn't that sad? You must read each series as you would read a novel. One chapter at a time. So I recently started with The first book of the series and now I am ready for chapter 7. I can't wait.
Then maybe I will start the Toby Peters series. I have read one or two out of order. Yeah I admit I am hardheaded!
Next I read the Lew Fonesca series. The first couple almost bored me to tears but before the series or the "Fonesca Book" had finally ended way to soon, I had found another great book of 6 chapters. The Lew Fonesca Series.
I read a couple of the Rostnikov mysteries out of order when I was trying to replace my fondness of the first two series I had read. I should have known I was making a mistake. In fact this novel was one I read out of Order. How was it the first time. Well, I didn't remember I read it at all until I looked a my reading list. Isn't that sad? You must read each series as you would read a novel. One chapter at a time. So I recently started with The first book of the series and now I am ready for chapter 7. I can't wait.
Then maybe I will start the Toby Peters series. I have read one or two out of order. Yeah I admit I am hardheaded!
August 29, 2022
Award-winning Chicago-based mystery author Stuart Kaminsky wrote sixteen police procedurals featuring an honest Russian detective named Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov. The first of these novels, Death of a Dissident, appeared in 1981 and depicted life in the Soviet Union under Leonid Brezhnev. Subsequent entries in the series came out every couple of years until 2010, with the publication of A Whisper to the Living. Then, the Soviet Union had long since receded into history. The Man Who Walked Like a Bear, the sixth book, highlights the fast-changing conditions in 1989 as the USSR teeters on the brink of disintegration. Like the earlier novels in the series, it’s an intricately plotted mystery tale that serves as a historical signpost which casts light on the decline and fall of the Soviet empire.
THREE DETECTIVES WITH PROBLEMS AT HOME
There’s always a lot going on in the Porfiry Rostnikov novels, and The Man Who Walked Like a Bear vividly exhibits the author’s practice. Inspector Rostnikov’s wife Sarah is recuperating in the hospital from a successful operation to excise a brain tumor. Emil Karpo, the cadaverous veteran detective known as the Vampire, has a punishing migraine but refuses to let it defeat him. He is determined to close some of the dozens of the department’s cold cases in his spare time. Young Sasha Tkach, another honest detective, is struggling to muster the courage to tell his meddlesome mother that she can’t move into his new apartment with him, his wife, and the baby. And those are just the highlights in the lives of Inspector Rostnikov and his two closest colleagues.
A CROWDED AGENDA FOR INSPECTOR ROSTNIKOV
Meanwhile, two madmen hijack a city bus, kidnapping the driver and forcing him to take them to a farm outside Moscow. The seventeen-year-old daughter of a leading member of the Politburo is plotting to kill him. And—yes—a giant who walks like a bear has just gone berserk in the hospital where Porfiry Petrovich is visiting his wife. As the inspector restrains him—Porfiry Petrovich is a champion weightlifter and is known as the Washtub—he whispers that a monster is eating the shoe factory where he works.
In other words, it’s just another day in the life of Colonel Snitkonoy’s investigators at the MVD traffic patrol, where Porfiry Petrovich has been working since his demotion for interfering with the work of the KGB.
INSIGHT INTO LIFE IN THE SOVIET UNION
The Man Who Walks Like a Bear works equally well as a police procedural and a portrait of Soviet life in the years immediately before the USSR collapsed. Kaminsky’s insight into the lives of Russian citizens shows clearly along the way.
** For example, Porfiry Petrovich muses as he interrogates a suspect: “it was almost impossible in the Soviet Union to be innocent of all crimes, since the definition of crime included intent. Someone could be guilty of thinking improperly. Yes, things had changed recently. People talked of demokratizatsiya, democratization, but those things could change back with a bullet, a quiet coup.”
** And a factory manager confides to the inspector: “We’re told by people in the city what to pay the workers, what to charge for the shoes and boots, and they don’t even know what our costs are. And we’re supposed to keep the workers happy. How do you keep a worker happy? How do you produce a good product if it doesn’t matter to anyone whether it’s good or not?”
** But not everyone looks darkly upon Soviet life, as Emil Karpo reveals. “Emil Karpo was a police inspector. He had his duty, and his duty was clear, as clear as the law. If others evaded the law, moved around it, teased its corners, corrupted it, it would not deter him from his duty. Compassion would lead to destruction. The law was all there was, the law and the State, which created the law. There was no morality, only law.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stuart M. Kaminsky wrote 56 mystery novels in four long-running series during his 75 years (1934-2009). He is also the author of 11 nonfiction books and numerous other works, including short stories and film scripts as well as two plays. Kaminsky grew up in Chicago and studied at local universities, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Illinois and a PhD in speech from Northwestern. He taught film studies for 22 years, 16 of them at Northwestern.
THREE DETECTIVES WITH PROBLEMS AT HOME
There’s always a lot going on in the Porfiry Rostnikov novels, and The Man Who Walked Like a Bear vividly exhibits the author’s practice. Inspector Rostnikov’s wife Sarah is recuperating in the hospital from a successful operation to excise a brain tumor. Emil Karpo, the cadaverous veteran detective known as the Vampire, has a punishing migraine but refuses to let it defeat him. He is determined to close some of the dozens of the department’s cold cases in his spare time. Young Sasha Tkach, another honest detective, is struggling to muster the courage to tell his meddlesome mother that she can’t move into his new apartment with him, his wife, and the baby. And those are just the highlights in the lives of Inspector Rostnikov and his two closest colleagues.
A CROWDED AGENDA FOR INSPECTOR ROSTNIKOV
Meanwhile, two madmen hijack a city bus, kidnapping the driver and forcing him to take them to a farm outside Moscow. The seventeen-year-old daughter of a leading member of the Politburo is plotting to kill him. And—yes—a giant who walks like a bear has just gone berserk in the hospital where Porfiry Petrovich is visiting his wife. As the inspector restrains him—Porfiry Petrovich is a champion weightlifter and is known as the Washtub—he whispers that a monster is eating the shoe factory where he works.
In other words, it’s just another day in the life of Colonel Snitkonoy’s investigators at the MVD traffic patrol, where Porfiry Petrovich has been working since his demotion for interfering with the work of the KGB.
INSIGHT INTO LIFE IN THE SOVIET UNION
The Man Who Walks Like a Bear works equally well as a police procedural and a portrait of Soviet life in the years immediately before the USSR collapsed. Kaminsky’s insight into the lives of Russian citizens shows clearly along the way.
** For example, Porfiry Petrovich muses as he interrogates a suspect: “it was almost impossible in the Soviet Union to be innocent of all crimes, since the definition of crime included intent. Someone could be guilty of thinking improperly. Yes, things had changed recently. People talked of demokratizatsiya, democratization, but those things could change back with a bullet, a quiet coup.”
** And a factory manager confides to the inspector: “We’re told by people in the city what to pay the workers, what to charge for the shoes and boots, and they don’t even know what our costs are. And we’re supposed to keep the workers happy. How do you keep a worker happy? How do you produce a good product if it doesn’t matter to anyone whether it’s good or not?”
** But not everyone looks darkly upon Soviet life, as Emil Karpo reveals. “Emil Karpo was a police inspector. He had his duty, and his duty was clear, as clear as the law. If others evaded the law, moved around it, teased its corners, corrupted it, it would not deter him from his duty. Compassion would lead to destruction. The law was all there was, the law and the State, which created the law. There was no morality, only law.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stuart M. Kaminsky wrote 56 mystery novels in four long-running series during his 75 years (1934-2009). He is also the author of 11 nonfiction books and numerous other works, including short stories and film scripts as well as two plays. Kaminsky grew up in Chicago and studied at local universities, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Illinois and a PhD in speech from Northwestern. He taught film studies for 22 years, 16 of them at Northwestern.
April 2, 2022
"The Man Who Walked Like a Bear" (how about that for a title?) gives Moscow's Inspector Rostnikov and his crew, young Sasha and the machine-like scarecrow Karpo, plenty to work on. Rostnikov, of the square body, brilliant mind, and limp, is up to the challenge and his team is as well.
The book opens with Rostnikov hospital-sitting at the bed of his wife, who has just undergone brain surgery. A naked giant man interrupts the tedium by careening into the room spouting nonsense about the devil visiting the factory where he works. Obviously an insane escapee from the mental ward, he's quickly subdued and led away. Rostnikov's interest is piqued, though, and he begins to poke around. In the meantime, a woman claims her son has talked about assaulting a Politburo member and a city bus is later hijacked. Rostnikov's team ends up semi-assigned (the KGB should have been involved, according to the Moscow rules....), he farms out the work, and trouble follows.
I really enjoy the episodic nature of this series. Each of the installments presents a few crimes and lets us readers learn a little more about the Inspector and his capable charges. Kaminsky uses each book to expose a bit more of what life in the old Soviet Union was like, the challenges faced by the typical family, the repressive political atmosphere, and the evil of the KGB all as seen through the eyes of a solid, experienced, dedicated investigator who just wants to do his job (and eventually leave the country).
The book opens with Rostnikov hospital-sitting at the bed of his wife, who has just undergone brain surgery. A naked giant man interrupts the tedium by careening into the room spouting nonsense about the devil visiting the factory where he works. Obviously an insane escapee from the mental ward, he's quickly subdued and led away. Rostnikov's interest is piqued, though, and he begins to poke around. In the meantime, a woman claims her son has talked about assaulting a Politburo member and a city bus is later hijacked. Rostnikov's team ends up semi-assigned (the KGB should have been involved, according to the Moscow rules....), he farms out the work, and trouble follows.
I really enjoy the episodic nature of this series. Each of the installments presents a few crimes and lets us readers learn a little more about the Inspector and his capable charges. Kaminsky uses each book to expose a bit more of what life in the old Soviet Union was like, the challenges faced by the typical family, the repressive political atmosphere, and the evil of the KGB all as seen through the eyes of a solid, experienced, dedicated investigator who just wants to do his job (and eventually leave the country).
September 24, 2019
Another Fine Book in this series
It seems like only a short time ago that I discovered the Abe Lieberman novels by Stuart Kaminsky,and when I finished those I moved on to the Lew Fonesca’s and now the Porfiry Rostnikovs and the Toby Peters to follow. I am only sorry that I never told Mr. Kaminsky how much I have enjoyed his writing before he passed away. For anyone who has not tried him, I recommend his books and maybe they will bring you the enjoyment I get from reading them.
It seems like only a short time ago that I discovered the Abe Lieberman novels by Stuart Kaminsky,and when I finished those I moved on to the Lew Fonesca’s and now the Porfiry Rostnikovs and the Toby Peters to follow. I am only sorry that I never told Mr. Kaminsky how much I have enjoyed his writing before he passed away. For anyone who has not tried him, I recommend his books and maybe they will bring you the enjoyment I get from reading them.
March 15, 2023
I have not read the Rostnikov books in chronological order, so it always takes me a couple chapters to adjust to the current milieu. This one is sort of earlyish, and that’s probably for the better.
As usual for these Yeltsin/Gorbachev era police procedurals, the book has three sub-stories featuring the three main detectives: Rostnikov, Karpo and Sasha. There is more adventure and suspense than there is detection, but Stuart Kaminsky wraps it all up in a twist ending that is not only very satisfying, but clever and a bit amusing.
As usual for these Yeltsin/Gorbachev era police procedurals, the book has three sub-stories featuring the three main detectives: Rostnikov, Karpo and Sasha. There is more adventure and suspense than there is detection, but Stuart Kaminsky wraps it all up in a twist ending that is not only very satisfying, but clever and a bit amusing.
November 3, 2023
I've complained in the past about Kaminsky's lack of knowledge of the Russian language, but I see no evidence of that here.
There's a lot going on in this book - a planned terrorist attack, a missing bus and driver, a possible assassination, another missing person - the man from the title, and a series of petty thefts in a shoe factory. Oh, and Karpo is developing... feelings. How inconvenient. Everything is resolved, except possibly Karpo's feelings, by the end of the book, and the last couple paragraphs give a warm fuzzy feeling to end the story.
There's a lot going on in this book - a planned terrorist attack, a missing bus and driver, a possible assassination, another missing person - the man from the title, and a series of petty thefts in a shoe factory. Oh, and Karpo is developing... feelings. How inconvenient. Everything is resolved, except possibly Karpo's feelings, by the end of the book, and the last couple paragraphs give a warm fuzzy feeling to end the story.
July 20, 2022
Continuo a seguir as aventuras do Detetive Porfiry Petrovich, ainda não lhe decorei o patronímico, tenho de ir ver a cada nova crítica.
É um policial competente e dá um excelente olhar sobre a Rússia pós-comunista - a nunca esquecer que esse olhar é Americano, com as consequências que daí advêm
Os livros desta série têm nomes engraçados, o que os torna duplamente apelativos a meu ver.
É um policial competente e dá um excelente olhar sobre a Rússia pós-comunista - a nunca esquecer que esse olhar é Americano, com as consequências que daí advêm
Os livros desta série têm nomes engraçados, o que os torna duplamente apelativos a meu ver.
March 28, 2020
Brilliant writing with such emotive fully fleshed out cast
What's so wonderful about this series is that I find myself reading it for the characters I've come e to know and love, as well as for the stories that always make Moscow come alive as a place, and as a people
What's so wonderful about this series is that I find myself reading it for the characters I've come e to know and love, as well as for the stories that always make Moscow come alive as a place, and as a people
July 26, 2023
Engaging read with strong characters and a deep sense of place
For those who enjoyed Gorky Park and Arkady Renko, this book will be a delightful treat. Strong characters against a well delineated cultural background make for an engrossing read.
For those who enjoyed Gorky Park and Arkady Renko, this book will be a delightful treat. Strong characters against a well delineated cultural background make for an engrossing read.
September 10, 2024
Kaminsky has a way with words that strikes a chord in me. Rostnikov can't help pushing the buttons of the KGB and he does it with finesse. He crew is messed up bunch of misfits that mesh well. I'm always entertained.
December 10, 2025
Good mystery. I enjoy the different tone of a detective novel set in Russia. The "palace intrigue" carries a bit more sinister flavor than detective novels set in the west. Slightly reminiscent of John LeCarre.
December 22, 2017
Several mysteries within mysteries, and human stories within stories. Great fun. A very good read.
February 22, 2020
Good character development of series regulars, but somewhat patchy plot.
November 30, 2020
Different
A glimpse into the kremlin through the eyes of an insightful, wounded police investigator. Well worth the time and energy to read.
A glimpse into the kremlin through the eyes of an insightful, wounded police investigator. Well worth the time and energy to read.
September 24, 2021
This series is exceptional, and this book is probably the best.
March 29, 2024
A good story. well read
June 29, 2024
good read
August 23, 2024
The main characters in Kaminsky's books never fail to draw me in. Like the other novels in this series, The Man Who Walked Like a Bear is part mystery, part historical fiction, and part philosophy.
July 30, 2025
Characters and political intrigue continue to develop. Convincing and entertaining.
December 29, 2025
A good reread. I’m a big fan of foreign police procedurals. And I would put this up with the inspector Renko series.
August 1, 2013
As I have mentioned before having read later books in the Inspector Rostinkov series now I am meeting the determined policeman who had shed much, if not all, of his bitterness at being prevented from taking his family out of the Soviet Union. Instead he accepted his demotion and he will use his demotion and comrades who have now joined him from his previous posting to solve crimes, whether the KGB approves or not.
Or, maybe in this case the KGB does approve.
This is also probably the point where the tales veer from mystery to being more suspense oriented. and while Rostinkov's character continues its slow development, some things remain the same (his love of American mysteries and his weight lifting), Karpo and Sasha get some time to grow here. Karpo becomes more human, and possibly even is learning to accept that he has a life and wants beyond serving the state. Sasha meanwhile seems to be headed down a slope of causing disruption to his marriage.
Or, maybe in this case the KGB does approve.
This is also probably the point where the tales veer from mystery to being more suspense oriented. and while Rostinkov's character continues its slow development, some things remain the same (his love of American mysteries and his weight lifting), Karpo and Sasha get some time to grow here. Karpo becomes more human, and possibly even is learning to accept that he has a life and wants beyond serving the state. Sasha meanwhile seems to be headed down a slope of causing disruption to his marriage.
January 2, 2008
Not my favorite Rostnikov or Kaminsky book, but not my least favorite by a long shot. Some elements of the plot seemed kind of convoluted to me at the beginning, but that feeling abated as I went on. Like all the Rostnikov books I have read so far (a good number of them), it has a great pace: leisurely and deliberate, but never too slow. There's abundant character development, probably enough to make it accessible as a first book if one didn't want to start at the beginning for whatever reason. So, overall, it's not perfect, but it is a great, absorbing book.
July 18, 2011
A real departure from the traditional crime novel. The realities of the Soviet Union as a society going through birthing pains are a part of this book with the character struggling to do the right thing in a state that does not want to hear about the inhumanity of man, because it may tarnish the socialist ideal of society. A terrific story and a Rostnik is a character you want to read more about.
November 18, 2013
This was my first Kaminsky, listened to a sound recording and feel in love with his writing. His insights into life in Russia took me right there and left me thankful I live in the States. Have since read almost all of his other books and am always amazed how totally different the characters and his story creations and styles are. I will already miss looking forward to his next new book.
January 28, 2016
Rostnikov is so compassionate - it makes his struggle for justice in Russia much more challenging. Pg 62 - Andrei Morchov, who had been busy preparing a massive report on production drops resulting from ethnic unrest in the Ukraine, had been spending less time at the dacha and more time in his Moscow apartment and so it continues...Russia, the Ukraine, etc
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