Tatiana by Martin Cruz Smith, review
With an amazing ability, the author creates a story about a side of Russia the majority of us will never see—and that’s probably a good thing. Moscow investigator Arkady Renko can’t believe the famous reporter, Tatiana Petrovna would commit suicide by jumping from her sixth floor apartment. Like a pitbull, he won’t let loose as he tries to find out the truth despite warnings and attempts on his life. Besides being a complicated mystery with many side trails and the most unusual characters, it’s a glimpse into horrific crimes, an unusual seaside city, corruption, bird watchers, and a strange puzzle in a translator’s book. Both fascinating and gritty, Tatiana kept me turning pages and I felt like I was getting an insider’s peek into a country I know little about. Simon and Schuster gave me this book.