I am a voracious crime fiction reader and have read several books, thanks to the Toronto Public Library.
Since the last 3-4 years, I started looking out for crime fiction from various countries; Learning about a country and it's culture is most enjoyable if I learn by absorbing it from crime fiction books set in that country! Also I don't ever forget when my learning is so full of thrills and excitement.
I have made lists of books from various countries in my blog. This article has a list of crime fiction books set in Russia which I have read and enjoyed.
Stuart Kaminsky : He is one of my favorite authors. The 16 books below are by him.
I adore the characters in this series especially Rostnikov. I admire the fact that the inspector is so honest, though he's living such a difficult life and surrounded by corruption. He is living just above poverty level, yet has no anger about his lot. I always think of India and Indian police, who are such a contrast to him. In India, the people I have come across are ashamed of shabbiness and poverty; yet they are not ashamed of corruption!A person who is earning little through honest hard work and cannot afford smart clothes in India feels ashamed of his shabby clothes; the guy who takes hefty bribes and can afford a lavish lifestyle is not ashamed of his corruption but proud of 'looking great'! This drives me insane with anger but all I can do is swallow my anger and shut up!
Rostnikov's lack of anger and his calmness in the face of frustrating circumstances; his absolute disinterest in accolades, his dealings with his boss, the space he gives the people working under him and the fact that he took in the two little girls and their grandmother into his home, despite his limited means are his many admirable features. I know he's a fictional character but I also have had the privilege of knowing people like him!
I had placed 3 fictional characters on thrones in the past but now I am considering adding him to the throne!( The 3 are Atticus Finch, James Green (Sudden series of westerns) and Modesty Blaise)
Inspector Rostnikov series
Martin Cruz Smith is another favorite of mine. However his first book is the best and the last two are not really so great. They seem a bit shallow but I read them anyway as I am a fan. I think he developed a neurological problem while writing the last book and I really admire him for finishing the book in spite of his problems!
The books are
Child 44
The secret speech
Agent 6
I finished reading "Agent 6", the last book of the triology authored by Tom Rob Smith today. It was fast paced and I read it till one am i.e. until I finished it. This is the most exciting book I read recently and I had waited for this book (on a waitlist at Toronto Public Library) for almost 6 months!
I recommend this trilogy to anyone interested in fast paced, well written set of three books, set in Stalin Russia, communist Russia in later times and in Soviet occupied Afghanistan.
Reading this book, I started thinking about China, the last of the communist countries left in the world today. I wonder, when China's communist party will be toppled...if it is ever going to be toppled at all.
Since the last 3-4 years, I started looking out for crime fiction from various countries; Learning about a country and it's culture is most enjoyable if I learn by absorbing it from crime fiction books set in that country! Also I don't ever forget when my learning is so full of thrills and excitement.
I have made lists of books from various countries in my blog. This article has a list of crime fiction books set in Russia which I have read and enjoyed.
Stuart Kaminsky : He is one of my favorite authors. The 16 books below are by him.
I adore the characters in this series especially Rostnikov. I admire the fact that the inspector is so honest, though he's living such a difficult life and surrounded by corruption. He is living just above poverty level, yet has no anger about his lot. I always think of India and Indian police, who are such a contrast to him. In India, the people I have come across are ashamed of shabbiness and poverty; yet they are not ashamed of corruption!A person who is earning little through honest hard work and cannot afford smart clothes in India feels ashamed of his shabby clothes; the guy who takes hefty bribes and can afford a lavish lifestyle is not ashamed of his corruption but proud of 'looking great'! This drives me insane with anger but all I can do is swallow my anger and shut up!
Rostnikov's lack of anger and his calmness in the face of frustrating circumstances; his absolute disinterest in accolades, his dealings with his boss, the space he gives the people working under him and the fact that he took in the two little girls and their grandmother into his home, despite his limited means are his many admirable features. I know he's a fictional character but I also have had the privilege of knowing people like him!
I had placed 3 fictional characters on thrones in the past but now I am considering adding him to the throne!( The 3 are Atticus Finch, James Green (Sudden series of westerns) and Modesty Blaise)
Inspector Rostnikov series
- Rostnikov's Corpse (1981)
(also published as Death of a Dissident) - Black Knight in Red Square (1983)
- Red Chameleon (1985)
- A Fine Red Rain (1987)
- A Cold Red Sunrise (1988)
- The Man Who Walked Like a Bear (1990)
- Rostnikov's Vacation (1991)
- Death of a Russian Priest (1992)
- Hard Currency (1995)
- Blood and Rubles (1996)
- Tarnished Icons (1997)
- The Dog Who Bit a Policeman (1998)
- Fall of a Cosmonaut (2000)
- Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express (2001)
- People Who Walk in Darkness (2008)
- A Whisper to the Living (2010)
Martin Cruz Smith is another favorite of mine. However his first book is the best and the last two are not really so great. They seem a bit shallow but I read them anyway as I am a fan. I think he developed a neurological problem while writing the last book and I really admire him for finishing the book in spite of his problems!
Arkady Renko series
- Gorky Park 1981
- Polar Star 1989
- Red Square 1992
- Havana Bay 1999
- Wolves eat Dogs 2004
- Stalin's Ghost 2007
- Three Stations 2010
- Tatiana 2013
- The Siberian dilemma (Nov 2019)
- Independence square (2023)
The books are
Child 44
The secret speech
Agent 6
I finished reading "Agent 6", the last book of the triology authored by Tom Rob Smith today. It was fast paced and I read it till one am i.e. until I finished it. This is the most exciting book I read recently and I had waited for this book (on a waitlist at Toronto Public Library) for almost 6 months!
I recommend this trilogy to anyone interested in fast paced, well written set of three books, set in Stalin Russia, communist Russia in later times and in Soviet occupied Afghanistan.
Reading this book, I started thinking about China, the last of the communist countries left in the world today. I wonder, when China's communist party will be toppled...if it is ever going to be toppled at all.
><><><<><><><><><><><
I discovered on July 1, 2021, a new author, writing a detective novel set in time of Stalin that is Ben Creed. It's apparently two authors that is Chris Rickaby and Barney Thompson whose pseudonym is Ben Creed. They have written City of ghosts, set in Leningrad of 1951.
This is supposed to be the first of a trilogy and published in Oct 2020. The second book is A traitor's heart to be published on October 28, 2021 This is unfortunately not in the Toronto public library. I am looking forward to getting my hands on this book and reading.
><><><><><
IN TPL AND TO READ BEFORE 2021
Discovered that Toronto Public Library has two books with a female police officer in Russia as the chief protagonist in Russia! (this is the first book ever I will be reading with a female lead in Russian crime fiction!)
The author is Abson G.D.
The two books are
Motherland
Black Wolf
Another author I discovered is Sam Eastland and his books (in TPL) are
The red coffin 2011
Eye of the red tsar 2012
The red moth 2013
Siberian red 2012
The beast in the red forest 2013
Beast in the red forest 2014
Red icon 2015
Berlin Red 2016
The elegant lie 2019
Dan Smith's Red winter (NOT in TPL)
The distinguished assassin by Nick Taussig
Kolymsky heights by Lionel Davidson (can get at TPL)
Knight without armour by James Hilton (1933!)
The Yermakov transfer by Derek Lambert(1974)
Icon by Fredrick Forsyth in 1997
An involuntary spy by Kenneth G Eade in 2013
Sad detective by Viktor Astafyev in 1986 (published in a magazine)
Skeleton key by Anthony Horowitz (book for teens maybe)
Archangel by Sharon Shinn in 1998
Moscow rules by Daniel Silva in 2008
Snow wolf by Glenn Meade in 1996
I don't know why the word red is preponderant in the above list of books!
Looking forward to getting my hands on these books asap!
><><><><><><><
Red sparrow by Jason Mathews published in 2013 is a book which has received rave reviews and also been made into a movie. It's the first in a trilogy.
Palace of treason is the second in the trilogy published in 2015
The Kremlin's candidate is the third in the trilogy published in 2018
Alex Dryden has written these books set in Russia or related to Russia
Red to Black
Moscow Sting
The blind spy
Michael Hetzer is another author whose book The Forbidden Zone I read.
Set in the USSR, 1983. It is set mostly in Siberia and is about the search for his twin brother by a Russian scientist, who is loved and aided by an American woman and pursued by the ruthless Russian KGB. The story ranges from time of the World War to the times of the cold war between the USSR & USA.
Hope this author writes more books set in Russia. His readers will love them.
The last red August by Alexi Malashenko
This book was okay. It could have been much more gripping. The style of writing is not to my liking but I did finish it...I would not have finished if it was really bad.
Petrovka 38 by Julian Semyonov :Bought this book at Value village in Feb 2016 for 4.00$. It's available in TPL but not for issue. The blurb on the cover says 'the first thriller out of Russia', meaning that no other thrillers were written before this...I wonder if this is really true. I am enjoying it but not as much as the Kaminsky series. This author has written other books too but they are not available in the TPL.
Another crime fiction, a collection of stories edited by Otto Penzler is 'The greatest Russian stories of crime and suspense' published in 2010 but has stories ranging from those written in 1872. Some of the stories in this book are by Leo Tolstoy, Gogol, Maxim Gorky and Chekov.
................
Below are crime fiction from Russia which I bought on Amazon and enjoyed reading.
Red sparrow by Jason Mathews published in 2013 is a book which has received rave reviews and also been made into a movie. It's the first in a trilogy.
Palace of treason is the second in the trilogy published in 2015
The Kremlin's candidate is the third in the trilogy published in 2018
Alex Dryden has written these books set in Russia or related to Russia
Red to Black
Moscow Sting
The blind spy
Michael Hetzer is another author whose book The Forbidden Zone I read.
Set in the USSR, 1983. It is set mostly in Siberia and is about the search for his twin brother by a Russian scientist, who is loved and aided by an American woman and pursued by the ruthless Russian KGB. The story ranges from time of the World War to the times of the cold war between the USSR & USA.
Hope this author writes more books set in Russia. His readers will love them.
I hope there are more such books, set in Siberia. Vicarious chills are better than actual chills dont you think !
Reading in September 2020, a crime novel, 'Madness treads lightly' set in Russia (and Siberia figures in it) by Polina Dashkova. I think this is the first female writer of crime fiction from Russia that I am reading. When reading this book, I was struck by a thought: the Russian fictional characters by one of my favorite authors, the American, Stuart M Kaminsky are so different from the characters in this book created by a Russian author. I now believe these differences are because the characters created by the American author are great but maybe the author, who has never lived in Russia, missed the negative effects of growing up in the communist, authoritarian and corrupt Russian towns and so his characters are 'more positive' or 'less negative' than they should be. Of course, I love his books and adore his characters but now after reading Dashkova's book, I wonder if Kaminsky's characters are too good to be true and their personalities are not the byproducts of growing up in Russia. Kaminsky could not figure out, how personalities would be if they had been exposed to the Russian culture, politics, corruption as he has never been to Russia.
I still love Kaminsky's books as they give me immense joy. However, after reading Dashkova's book, I feel, one cannot turn out to be as good as the characters in Kaminsky's books, if one grew up in Russia.
The last red August by Alexi Malashenko
This book was okay. It could have been much more gripping. The style of writing is not to my liking but I did finish it...I would not have finished if it was really bad.
Petrovka 38 by Julian Semyonov :Bought this book at Value village in Feb 2016 for 4.00$. It's available in TPL but not for issue. The blurb on the cover says 'the first thriller out of Russia', meaning that no other thrillers were written before this...I wonder if this is really true. I am enjoying it but not as much as the Kaminsky series. This author has written other books too but they are not available in the TPL.
Another crime fiction, a collection of stories edited by Otto Penzler is 'The greatest Russian stories of crime and suspense' published in 2010 but has stories ranging from those written in 1872. Some of the stories in this book are by Leo Tolstoy, Gogol, Maxim Gorky and Chekov.
................
Below are crime fiction from Russia which I bought on Amazon and enjoyed reading.
Alexei Bayer's
1)Murder at the dacha
2)The latchkey murders
3)Murder and the muse
4)The samovar murders I was shocked to see that these also not in the New York city public library...and the author lives in New York City...I know that just because he lives there, the books should be in the library, but still...
Elleston Trevor AKA Adam Hall's books...oops sorry..in 2018 april, I am discovering that the books are not based in Russia. I will remove them from this later.
The Berlin Memorandum AKA The Quiller memorandum(1965)
The 9th Directive (1966)
The Striker Portfolio (1968)
The Warsaw Document (1971)
The Tango Briefing (1973)
The Mandarin Cypher (1975)
The Kobra Manifesto (1976)
The Sinkiang Executive (1978)
The Scorpion Signal (1979)
The Peking Target (1981)
Quiller/Northlight (1985)
Quiller's Run (1988)
Quiller KGB (1989)
Quiller Barracuda (1990)
Quiller Bamboo (1991)
Quiller Solitaire (1992)
Quiller Meridian (1993)
Quiller Salamander (1994)
Quiller Balalaika (1996)
Julian Semyonov's Tass Is Authorized to Announce (Avon, N.Y., 1988)
Alexander Tarasov-Rodionov's Chocolate, ( London, 1933).
Mikhail. Chernyonok's, Losing Bet, (Dial Press,N.Y., 1984)
V.V. Lipatov's set of short stories entitled, A Village Detective (Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1970).
Nikolai Aleksandrov's Two Leaps Across a Chasm: A Russian Mystery (S & S Trade, 1992)
Alexei. Malashenko's The Last Red August (Scribner's Sons, N.Y., 1993) (Anthony Alcott translator)
Crime fiction from totalitarian countries-fictional countries and real:
I came across a highly rated set of books by Olen Steinhauer which are set in a 'east European' country; I believe that it means a communist or totalitarian country. That's why I am putting it in this list/article I am planning to read these books as they are highly praised in several reviews. The books are:
The bridge of sighs 2003
The confession 2004
36 Yalta boulevard 2005
Liberation Movements 2006
Victory Square 2007
Other books by Olen Steinhauer but not necessarily of communist countries include The tourist 2009
The nearest exit 2010
An American spy 2012
The Cairo affair 2014
All the old knives 2015
..........
Per Wahoo's Murder on the 31st floor is another crime fiction in totalitarian country
Alexander Tarasov-Rodionov's Chocolate, ( London, 1933).
Mikhail. Chernyonok's, Losing Bet, (Dial Press,N.Y., 1984)
V.V. Lipatov's set of short stories entitled, A Village Detective (Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1970).
Nikolai Aleksandrov's Two Leaps Across a Chasm: A Russian Mystery (S & S Trade, 1992)
Alexei. Malashenko's The Last Red August (Scribner's Sons, N.Y., 1993) (Anthony Alcott translator)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Crime fiction from totalitarian countries-fictional countries and real:
I came across a highly rated set of books by Olen Steinhauer which are set in a 'east European' country; I believe that it means a communist or totalitarian country. That's why I am putting it in this list/article I am planning to read these books as they are highly praised in several reviews. The books are:
The bridge of sighs 2003
The confession 2004
36 Yalta boulevard 2005
Liberation Movements 2006
Victory Square 2007
Other books by Olen Steinhauer but not necessarily of communist countries include The tourist 2009
The nearest exit 2010
An American spy 2012
The Cairo affair 2014
All the old knives 2015
..........
Per Wahoo's Murder on the 31st floor is another crime fiction in totalitarian country
