Three Stations by Martin Cruz Smith (2010 Fiction)

This is one of three recent books by Smith which I have read. The others were December 6th and Stallion Gate. He conjures up detailed worlds filled with accurately etched characters. The characters are whirled along inevitable and irresistible plot lines which correspond to real life situations. Moscow in 2010 (Three Stations), Tokyo in 1941 (December 6th ), and Los Alamos in 1945 (Stallion Gate) are brought to life and populated with fascinating people, a mixture of historical and fictional.

Three Stations is a heart-wrenching story of a stolen baby, born to a child prostitute. Smith’s lead protagonist is Arkady Renko, a flawed police detective. The setting is Moscow’s version of San Francisco’s Tenderloin, an urban jungle filled with vice and evil, and yet redeemed by flashes of love and loyalty. The community of children has unforgettable qualities, reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, but more diverse and hopeful. The adult world is uniquely Russian but compelling, ranging through billionaires, ballet dancers, and thugs. The stolen baby’s fate runs parallel to a serial killer, but Renko perseveres, and justice is done. Three Stations is eventually heart-warming rather than
wrenching.

Reviewed by Martin Waldron