Did You Win?

Just over a week ago, we announced a contest to win free copies of the forthcoming thriller Volk’s Shadow, Brent Ghelfi’s follow-up to Volk’s Game (2007). The rules were simple: Contestants were asked to e-mail us with the title, author, and a brief description of their favorite Russia-set crime novel or suspenser. Although participation was somewhat less than we’d hoped it would be, we did receive a couple of dozen entries, and from those we’ve now chosen, at random, the five winners. They are:

• Patti Abbott of Grosse Pointe, Michigan
• Kristen Andrews of Windermere, Florida
• Alan Cranis of Los Angeles, California
• Cory Highfield of Florence, Kentucky
• Connie McGinnis of Metropolis, Illinois

Not surprisingly, considering that it’s probably the most familiar novel in this field, more contestants chose Martin Cruz Smith’s Gorky Park (1981) than any other Russia-backdropped work. McGinnis called that ground-breaking book “one of the best mysteries ever. It succeeds in making the foreign familiar with its complex story and introduction to the unforgettable [police detective] Arkady Renko.” Adds Abbott: “It was successful on so many levels: creating a wonderful protagonist who would stand the test of time (witness him in Stalin’s Ghost 25 years later). Smith explained so well how crimes were handled in the then-glasnost Soviet Union to the West. The atmosphere is terrific and the crime is both complex and compelling. Even the lesser characters come to life. A tough act to follow.”

However, there were some other novels suggested. Brian Garfield’s Kolchak’s Gold (1974), for instance. And two more installments from Smith’s signature Renko series, Polar Star (1989) and Wolves Eat Dogs (2004), the latter having been one of January Magazine’s favorite books of 2004. (With all of these people reading the Renko novels, is it any wonder that the laconic Moscow detective showed up prominently on Rara-Avis’ list of the “the top 100 hard-boiled characters of the 20th Century”?) In addition, Highfield pitched in a couple of estimable but not as widely read titles: Stuart M. Kaminsky’s Death of a Dissident from 1981 (“Kaminsky’s first in a series highlighting Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov. An excellent series that is set in Moscow. Inspector Rostnikov not only has to worry about the criminals in Russia, but also the bureaucracy in the police department and the KGB. I like the book because it is similar to [Ed] McBain’s 87th Precinct series.”); and Steve Berry’s 2004 novel, The Romanov Prophecy (“It was appealing to me because the story ties in the story of the Romanovs in the past to a story that takes place in Moscow today.”).

Congratulations to all of the winners. You should soon each receive in the mail an advance reading copy of Volk’s Shadow from publisher Henry Holt & Company.

In the meantime, does anybody else have suggestions of Russia-set mysteries or thrillers that the rest of us ought to read, too?