Staljinov duh

The story takes place in Moscow in 2005, where Renko, a melancholic and lonely investigator in the prosecutor's office, is assigned to investigate alleged apparitions of Stalin's ghost on subway platforms. In parallel, bodies from the Chechen wars turn up in morgues, and the case of the contract killing of an abusive husband leads Renko to his colleagues - former Black Berets Nikolai Isakov and Marat Urman, now investigators with political ambitions and mafia connections.

Renko, obsessed with justice in the midst of a system that sells it, faces threats: shootings, attacks and attempts to cover up war crimes. His relationship with doctor Eva Kazka, Isakov's former love, brings personal tensions, while he is supported by his cynical partner Viktor and a young chess genius Zhenya, with advice from the old chess master Platonov. The investigation leads from Moscow to Tver, where mass graves from World War II reveal deep scars, including Renko's family history under Stalin.

Smith masterfully blends noir suspense with Russian atmosphere – snow, chess and vodka – dissecting themes: the brutality of the new Russia, police and military involvement in crimes, nostalgia for Stalin amidst poverty and violence, the horrors of the Chechen conflict, the revival of propaganda and the clash of personal justice with a collapsing system. The novel, full of vivid characters and sharp dialogue, bites at taboos, reminding us that the ghosts of the past still rule.