{"product_id":"0743276736-stalins_ghost_an_arkady_renko_novel","title":"Stalin's Ghost: An Arkady Renko Novel","description":"\n\n\u003cp\u003eInvestigator Arkady Renko, the pariah of the Moscow prosecutor's office, has been assigned the thankless job of investigating a new phenomenon: late-night subway riders report seeing the ghost of Joseph Stalin on the platform of the Chistye Prudy Metro station. The illusion seems part political hocus-pocus and also part wishful thinking, for among many Russians Stalin is again popular; the bloody dictator can boast a two-to-one approval rating. Decidedly better than that of Renko, whose lover, Eva, has left him for Detective Nikolai Isakov, a charismatic veteran of the civil war in Chechnya, a hero of the far right and, Renko suspects, a killer for hire. The cases entwine, and Renko's quests become a personal inquiry fueled by jealousy. \u003cbr\u003e The investigation leads to the fields of Tver outside of Moscow, where once a million soldiers fought. There, amidst the detritus, Renko must confront the ghost of his own father, a favorite general of Stalin's. In these barren fields, patriots and shady entrepreneurs -- the Red Diggers and Black Diggers -- collect the bones, weapons and personal effects of slain World War II soldiers, and find that even among the dead there are surprises. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\nThe Washington Post - Patrick Anderson\n\u003cp\u003eToday's Russia, as Smith pictures it, is a madhouse -- poor Renko is the only sane man in sight. The Soviet Union, under communism, was awful but predictable. The new Russia confronts Renko with a bewildering mix of capitalism, corruption, mob violence, political consultants, policemen who are hired killers, feminism, Chechen terrorists and, most incredibly, nostalgia for Joe Stalin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eCategories:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMystery, Thriller \u0026amp; Suspense\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThrillers \u0026amp; Suspense\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSupernatural\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eGhosts\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n","brand":"Gallery Books","offers":[{"title":"Used - Good","offer_id":47082001957054,"sku":"0743276736-4","price":14.76,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0640\/9689\/5166\/files\/61o3hGfWFDL.jpg?v=1778680273","url":"https:\/\/shop.sustainablebooks.com\/products\/0743276736-stalins_ghost_an_arkady_renko_novel","provider":"Sustainable Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}