Death of a Russian Priest [Hardcover]

Stuart M. Kaminsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 1992

When Inspector Rostnikov arrives in the town of Arkush with Emil Karpo, the policeman nicknamed the Vampire, he finds a community stunned by the murder of the outspoken Father Merhum. But it is the priest's cryptic last words that make Rostnikov wonder if this was indeed a political assassination or a murder with a motive closer to home.

Meanwhile, Rostnikov's other associates plunge into the seedy world of Moscow night life, following the cold trail of a missing girl and the bloody tracks of a cunning killer....


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Kaminsky moves closer to becoming the Ed McBain of Mother Russia with this tale of two felonies, as Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov--in his seventh outing (Rostnikov's Vacation, 1991, etc.)--investigates the murder of elderly, politically outspoken Father Vasili Merhum in the village of Arkush, while his deputy Sasha Tkach--newly and uncomfortably partnered with Elena Timofeyeva--competes with a stone killer to comb the hot-spots of Moscow searching for Amira Durahaman, daughter of the Syrian oil minister. The only link between the two cases--the fact that Colonel Lunacharski of the KGB, hot for a public- relations coup that will consolidate his conservative political position, is plotting to steal Rostnikov's credit for solving both of them--leads to a magically effective epilogue. The usual strengths of the series--ingenious plotting, solid police procedure, and Rostnikov's shrewdly perceptive presence--are joined here by casually effective glimpses of the old Soviet Union in chancy transition. It all adds up to Rostnikov's best outing since A Cold Red Sunrise (1988). -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

"Never miss a Kaminsky book, and be especially sure not to miss Death of a Russian Priest."

-- Tony Hillerman



"Stuart Kaminsky evokes Russian life like a born Muscovite...Don't miss this one. It's even better than his Edgar-winning A Cold Red Sunrise."

-- The Philadelphia Inquirer

"...The Ed McBain of Mother Russia."

-- Kirkus Reviews (starred)


From the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (July 7, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449907244
• ISBN-13: 978-0449907245
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #766,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Real, March 30, 2003

By 

Bagelchip "Bagelchip" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of a Russian Priest (Hardcover)

This is one of the series in the intermediate years between communism and post-communism. The emotional conflicts of the characters and how they are expressed are very real. Excellent!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kaminsky notches another Rostnikov victory!, May 3, 2000

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death of a Russian Priest (Mass Market Paperback)

Tony Hillerman says, "Never miss a Kaminsky book, and be especially sure not to miss `Death of a Russian Priest.'" With a recommendation like that, who needs to wait!

Stuart Kaminsky, himself an Edgar Award winner, proves once again that his Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov series in not one to miss. Set in Russia amid the rumblings and eventual fall of the Iron Curtain, the series captures convincingly the Russian atmosphere, politically, socially, criminally, and with such conviction, especially for an American writer who has not devoted his life to Russian studies.

In "Death of a Russian Priest," Inspector Rostnikov, accompanied by one of the few individuals he can fully trust, journeys to Arkush to investigate the murder of a local priest, an outspoken cleric and one whose death has shocked the local community.

Of course, as with all the Rostnikov books, nothing is as it seems and it takes the cunning, the skill, and the intellect of his team to bring all this together. He and Karpo, known as "the Vampire," are busy solving this murder while meanwhile back in Moscow, Sasha Tkach, Rostinok's handsome and randy and very married assistant, is involved in another investigation. Tkach has a new partner, Elena Timofeyeva (which opens up other complications!), and they are trying to find a missing girl and a cold-blooded killer. Kaminsky manages to tie these assignments together and quite satsifactorily by the book's conclusion. He, once again, has managed to provide humanity in an area where little is often found! Kaminsky's Russian tales are absorbing, and it is nail-biting waiting for the next episode.

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4.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite characters!, May 2, 2005

By 

Dave Schwinghammer "Dave Schwinghammer" (Little Falls, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death of a Russian Priest (Mass Market Paperback)

Stuart Kaminsky is a prolific writer to say the least. Not only does he write the Rostnikov series, he also does Toby Peters, Abe Lieberman, Lew Fonesca, and a couple of original Jim Rockford mysteries. He has won the Edgar Award for his fourth Rostnikov novel, A COLD, RED SUNSHINE.

Kaminsky dedicates this rendition of the Rostnikov series to Evan Hunter (Ed McBain) whose 87th Precinct novels he seems to emulate. Like the 87th precinct procedurals, each book is built around several cases. This one is an exception in that Karpo and Rostnikov are working together on the murder of a Russian orthodox priest, Vasili Merhum, and Tkach and Elena Timofeyeva are looking for an Arab girl who has gone missing.

Neither plot is all that compelling, but that's usually not the point in this original series. Kaminsky spends much more time on character development than on plot. In this one, Sasha Tkach is teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown; his wife is expecting a new baby he can't afford and he must learn to work with a new partner, plus put up with his meddling mother who has come to live with them while his wife is confined to bed. There also appears to be more than a little sexual tension between Sasha and Elena. Karpo, the fanatical communist, must learn to live without an ideology to slavishly follow, and he is drawn to the Russian Orthodox church. Rostinikov is being hounded by the remnants of the Russian KGB.

Rostnikov is one of my all-time favorite characters; the "Washtub" as he is affectionately called, works off stress by solving plumbing problems or by weightlifting while listening to Dinah Washington. Absolutely nothing seems to rattle the man, not even the ax-wielding psychopath who killed Vasili Merhum.

It's been almost four years since the last in the series, MURDER ON THE TRANS-SIBERIAN EXPRESS. In the bio I read, Kaminsky says he spends much more time researching his Rostnikov novels than the others, so maybe that's the reason. I think Putin has given him lots of ammunition; it's time to put those other guys on the shelf and take another trip to Moscow.