I remember seeing the movie (1983) some time ago, and recently, someone gave me the book, so I thought I would give it a read. The premise is interesting: the movie adaptation was released right around the height of the Cold War, so it met with some interest at the time, but the book dates to a few years earlier. It is indeed dated, but perhaps that's what makes it so intriguing, as it describes something of a lost world (probably gratefully so, for the people who experienced it). It recounts the tale of a grisly triple murder in Gorky Park, where three bodies are discovered with their identities obscured, and the efforts of a jaded but determined militia detective to solve the crime. I was in Russia (only just) in the summer of 1993, as a teenager, so it's difficult for me to remember whether the portrait presented here was actually what life was like in the Soviet Union at the time the book was published, but it must have made an impression, because it was banned there shortly following publication. Nor was I aware that there was an entire series around this character until I started looking at some of its history.
The book has some fine qualities, but there are some flaws, too. The main protagonists are somewhat excessively stereotypical, in my opinion: they seem largely cookie-cutter caricatures of what Americans believed most Soviets to be, from the cynical police inspector to the crooked and arrogant KGB major at odds with him (and, apparently, everyone else), to the assorted cast of characters that aren't nearly as well-developed as well as they could be. The descriptions of the settings are much more vivid, however, which is the greatest attribute of the book, in fact. With a few exceptions and outright errors, the detailed portrait painted by the author allows the reader a window unto this vanished world, which seems now almost an alternate universe.
Some might find the plot's voluminous twists and turns engaging, but it borders on excessively elaborate, with everyone somehow connected to everyone else; fine storytelling, but not terribly realistic in a novel which otherwise really strives to be. I also agree with some of the reviewers here who have stated that the pace is definitely slow. I appreciate that Smith takes his time in weaving his tale, but the story seemed to lag at some stages, so it was difficult to remain interested. Overall, it was definitely worth reading, but I'm not sure that I would read the others in the series.
The book has some fine qualities, but there are some flaws, too. The main protagonists are somewhat excessively stereotypical, in my opinion: they seem largely cookie-cutter caricatures of what Americans believed most Soviets to be, from the cynical police inspector to the crooked and arrogant KGB major at odds with him (and, apparently, everyone else), to the assorted cast of characters that aren't nearly as well-developed as well as they could be. The descriptions of the settings are much more vivid, however, which is the greatest attribute of the book, in fact. With a few exceptions and outright errors, the detailed portrait painted by the author allows the reader a window unto this vanished world, which seems now almost an alternate universe.
Some might find the plot's voluminous twists and turns engaging, but it borders on excessively elaborate, with everyone somehow connected to everyone else; fine storytelling, but not terribly realistic in a novel which otherwise really strives to be. I also agree with some of the reviewers here who have stated that the pace is definitely slow. I appreciate that Smith takes his time in weaving his tale, but the story seemed to lag at some stages, so it was difficult to remain interested. Overall, it was definitely worth reading, but I'm not sure that I would read the others in the series.
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