Rostnikov's Vacation

Once again, Kaminsky has written a very fine detective story with all of the warts and smells of the decaying Soviet system. As always there are three stories here (with two or three minor ones). Porfiry is ordered (by the Grey Wolfhound) to take his wife on vacation to the Crimea (Yalta). While there he meets an acquain- tence from the GRU (military intelligence) who has a secret to tell him but is murdered first. Sasha is on a stakeout trying to nab a group that has been robbing Jews of their computers. They rob the Jews and then beat them up. So Sasha goes undercover as a Jewish computer analyst to try and catch them. (You would have to be a ex-Russian or Soviet Jew to understand the robbers logic, but take my word for it, to them it makes sense.) Meanwhile, Karpo is busy looking for the murderer of a German businessman. A bartender gives him the name of a woman who knows who the killer is (it's her boyfriend). After following her to her apartment one evening, while waiting to see if the boyfriend shows up, she comes flying out of her sixth story window and lands naked on top of a car. Standing at the broken window is a man with glowing eyes, and spiked orange hair, screaming down at her. Two of the three cases end up being tangential to each other while the other turns into a lesson in Russian sociology and long term national antagonisms.

It hasn't taken me very long to become an avid fan of Stuart Kaminsky's Porfiry Rostnikov series of mysteries. My latest read is Rostnikov's Vacation. The Soviet Government was big on sending workers on vacation. As the book begins, the Soviet regime is hanging on for dear life in the midst of economic reforms. Things appear very fishy when many high-ranking officials in the police and KGB are all ordered on vacation at the same time. Yalta was a big vacation spot for senior officials, and Rostnikov and wife Sarah are spending their vacation there. But there are not many left "minding the store" in Moscow. A colleague of Rostnikov's (also on vacation in Yalta) turns up murdered, so Rostnikov's vacation becomes a working one. He soon discovers that this colleague has uncovered a plot to kill Gorbachev and make it appear as it if was done by the CIA. There are also a number of interesting subplots. Associates Emil Karpo and Sasha Tkach are involved in cases of their own. Tkach has gone undercover in an effort to apprehend a group of criminals who are preying on Jewish computer technicians. Karpo is on the trail of a drug-crazed Russian murderer and his American cohort. Both cases are extremely dangerous, and pose a serious threat to the two detectives. One aspect of the plot I didn't like is that it became a little confusing at times. While the KGB is usually a lurking presence in Rostnikov's life, this time, at least one agent appears to be on Rostnikov's side. What I especially enjoyed about Rostnikov's Vacation are the descriptions of life in the Soviet Union during the fall of communism. Historically, Russians have faced tremendous hardships. This period in Russian history was especially unsettling for the people of Russia. Money was scarce, food and goods were hard to find, and many people went months without receiving a paycheck. Survival was difficult. Yet, Russians have always learned to put a positive spin on life. Kaminsky is engaging enough that I am determined to read this entire series. I have already started The Dog Who Bit a Policeman.

Perhaps this story requires a little "willing suspension of disbelief" as to the story line more than some of the others of this series, but the characters are drawn with Kaminsky's usual excellence. No reader will be disappointed!

It's Yalta, and it's not a peace conference between heads of state! Following orders from headquarters, Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov is taking a vacation in this resort city. (Some say, it's because they want him out of Moscow for a while!) With his wife, he is all set to take some needed rest and recuperation. But this is a Stuart Kaminsky work and his fictionalized inspector is not about to be left alone in peace and quiet. In no time, naturally, he is involved in another murder--a fellow policeman is killed in less than honorable circumstances. So, Rostnikov's dreams of beach-side relaxation, of making sure his convalescent wife follows the doctors' orders, and of reading his favorite novels (American Ed McBain!), are put on hold. The circumstances, indeed, are harbingers of what is happening in Moscow as the Iron Curtain is rapidly being packed away. The USSR is falling apart! Meanwhile, back in the capital, Rostnikov's pair of assistants, Emil ("The Vampire") and Sasha Tkach, are investigating crimes dealing with computers and psychos! "Rostnikov's Vacation" is yet another installment in a very exciting series set in the USSR. The eighth in the series, readers have come to recognize--and respect--Kaminsky's penchant for detail, for finely-tuned characterization, and for thrilling resolutions. The major fault in Kaminsky's work is that he doesn't produce his Rostnikov stories fast [email protected]