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Independence Square

Arkady Renko in Ukraine
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( 3,656 ratings, 371 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Independence Square by Martin Cruz Smith is a compelling crime and thriller novel that revolves around Arkady Renko, who finds himself in the heart of political unrest in Ukraine. As he navigates the chaotic environment, Renko is drawn into a complex investigation filled with danger and intrigue. Against a backdrop of social revolution, he must untangle a web of mysteries to uncover the truth.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy a gripping tale of espionage and political intrigue set against the volatile backdrop of post-Soviet Russia. With richly drawn characters and a plot that masterfully blends suspense with historical context, it offers a thrilling journey through power struggles and personal redemption. If you appreciate stories that combine mystery with a poignant exploration of socio-political themes, this one might captivate your interest.

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From the ‘master of the international thriller’ (New York Times), comes a new Arkady Renko novel.
 

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
PRE-ORDER HOTEL UKRAINE, THE BRAND NEW ARKADY RENKO NOVEL FROM MARTIN CRUZ SMITH, COMING SUMMER 2025!

‘Martin Cruz Smith does more on a page than most writers manage in a chapter. He is unique and irreplaceable’ MICK HERRON, author of Slow Horses

ARKADY RENKO IS BACK . . .

Confined to a desk job by his superiors to keep him out of the way, Arkady Renko is more disillusioned with the general state of Russia than ever. But, despite everything, he has hope. People want change, and politician Leonid Lebedev could be the man to do it.

Tasked by a father with finding his missing daughter, a staunch Lebedev supporter and member of the Forum, Renko is thrown into the heart of a dangerous conspiracy when another member of the Forum is found murdered – Alex, a close friend of his own son.

The night before his murder, Alex sent Arkady a cryptic message, simply containing three pictures of Russian writers. The link between the pictures is there, if only he could see it.

But Arkady has just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and the disease is taking its toll. This time, he must fight more than the impenetrable Russian regime to get answers – he will also need to fight himself.

PRAISE FOR MARTIN CRUZ SMITH:

‘Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary’ Guardian

‘One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe’ Val McDermid

‘Martin Cruz Smith writes with an immediacy, depth and lightness of touch that is rare in its combination, and impossible to resist . . . Independence Square is no exception, and further crystallises Cruz Smith as one of the finest writers of our age’ Charlotte Philby

‘The undisputed master of the political crime thriller’ Abir Mukherjee

'A moving portrayal of struggle against political and personal tides' New York Times

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Independence Square by Martin Cruz Smith is praised for its atmospheric writing and engaging plot. Reviewers commend Smith's skill in weaving a suspenseful narrative that combines elements of political intrigue and historical detail. The character development, particularly of the protagonist, is noted for being both compelling and complex, contributing to a thoroughly gripping crime thriller.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781398510456

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 October 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Simon & Schuster Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Martin Cruz Smith’s novels include Gorky Park, Stallion Gate, Nightwing, Polar Star, Stalin’s Ghost, Rose, December 6, Tatiana, The Girl from Venice, The Siberian Dilemma, and Independence Square. He is a two-time winner of the Hammett Prize, a recipient of the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award and Britain’s Golden Dagger Award, and a winner of the Premio Piemonte Giallo Internazionale. He lives in California.

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  • Hotel Ukraine
    Arkady Renko returns in this tense political thriller about what it means to fight for truth and justice in today’s Russia, from one of the undisputed masters of the genre. When Arkady Renko is charged with investigating the murder of Alexei Volkov – a wealthy Russian businessman and the son of Moscow’s mayor – he knows he has to tread...
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  • Independence Square
    PRE-ORDER THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM MARTIN CRUZ SMITH, COMING 2025! ‘The later Renko novels are stark, spare and beautiful, like trees in winter. Martin Cruz Smith does more on a page than most writers manage in a chapter. He is unique and irreplaceable’ — MICK HERRON Independence Square: ARKADY RENKO IS BACK... Renko has been confined to a desk...
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  • Gorky Park
    The Arkady Renko book that started it all: the #1 bestseller Gorky Park, an espionage classic that begins the series, by Martin Cruz Smith, "the master of the international thriller" (The New York Times). It begins with a triple murder in a Moscow amusement centre: three corpses found frozen in the snow, faces and fingers missing. Chief homicide investigator Arkady...
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  • Gorky Park
    ‘Forty years ago, Gorky Park established a new high-water mark for the thriller. It has yet to be surpassed’ Mick Herron ‘One of the greatest detective novels of the 1980s’ Adrian McKinty Some Crimes Refuse to Be Forgotten It begins with a triple murder in a Moscow amusement park: three corpses found frozen in the snow, faces and fingers missing....
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  • The Siberian Dilemma
    Martin Cruz Smith’s deftness of touch, lightness of humour and depth of knowledge are on display as ever in The Siberian Dilemma Observer 'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin’ Independent Investigator Arkady Renko, described as ‘one of the most compelling figures in modern fiction’ by USA Today, finds himself travelling deep into Siberia when journalist Tatiana...
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  • Tatiana
    In his groundbreaking Gorky Park, Martin Cruz Smith created one of the iconic investigators of contemporary fiction, Arkady Renko. In Tatiana, Smith delivers his most ambitious and politically daring novel since. When the brilliant and fearless young reporter Tatiana Petrovna falls to her death from a sixth-floor window in Moscow in the same week that notorious mob billionaire Grisha Grigorenko...
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  • The Girl From Venice
    Venice, 1945. The war may be waning, but the city known as La Serenissima is still occupied, and the people of Italy fear the power of the Third Reich. One night, under a canopy of stars, a fisherman named Cenzo finds a young woman’s body floating in the lagoon and soon discovers that she is still alive and in trouble....
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  • Stalin's Ghost
    Don't miss the latest in the Arkady Renko series, The Siberian Dilemma, by Martin Cruz Smith, a novelist 'that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' (Val McDermid) 'Martin Cruz Smith makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent Once the Chief Investigator of the Moscow Militsiya, Arkady Renko is now...
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