Wolves Eat Dogs (Fiction-2004) and Three Stations (Fiction-2010) by Martin Cruz Smith

Martin Cruz Smith writes atmospheric thrillers. When you have read Wolves Eat Dogs (2004) you won't have to visit Chernobyl; you'll pronounce it "Chornobyl" and you won't ever be tempted to visit Fujishima. When you have read Three Stations (2010), you will have experienced Moscow, or at least Komsomol Square. Again, you will not be considering a tourist trip.

In these two books, Smith presents an engaging investigator, Arkady Renoko, a cast of titillating supporting characters, and gripping, original story lines. Serendipitously, I read Wolves Eat Dogs prior to Three Stations and so was rewarded with engrossing and unexpected character development. And what characters! A terminally ill doctor treating radioactive patients, a near mute boy chess genius scamming adults, a teen mother searching for her baby. Smith's attention to details of people and places could make these vignettes worthwhile independently of the main story lines.

His plots zig-zag along furiously. His people struggle with near desperation. His world is a convincing morass of unclear moral choices. Martin Cruz Smith is must-read, mesmerizing, unforgettable.

Reviewed by Martin Waldron