Three Stations
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | Martin Cruz Smith |
| Products | Crime fiction novel |
Three Stations is a crime fiction work authored by Martin Cruz Smith, situated in Russia circa 2010. This novel represents the seventh entry in the series centered on Detective-Investigator Arkady Renko, arriving 29 years subsequent to the debut Renko story, Gorky Park.
Plot
The book's title alludes to the trio of Moscow's railway terminals—Leningrad, Kazansky, and Yaroslavl—which are positioned on Komsomolskaya Square, commonly referred to as Three Stations Square.
A young mother with a newborn reaches Three Stations, only to have her infant abducted. Zhenya, a youthful chess player and occasional protégé of Arkady Renko, emerges as her sole ally. Concurrently, Arkady probes into the dubious overdose death of a young sex worker at the station but encounters suspension from duty. A billionaire casino magnate facing financial difficulties extends a job offer to Arkady, although trust remains uncertain. The case grows increasingly intricate with the involvement of criminals, dwarfs, ballerinas, Central Asian individuals, and a group of homeless adolescent children.
Quotes from Three Stations
“Being detained for intoxication was challenging. Differentiating drunkenness from activities like sharing drinks with companions, celebrating joyous or sorrowful occasions, saint’s days, women’s days, feeling drowsy, leaning against walls, or relieving oneself on walls was complicated. It was difficult to appear genuinely intoxicated when the standard was so elevated.”
“At Three Stations, society’s disabled, marginalized, and typically unseen members congregated much like the Court of Miracles—except devoid of miracles.”
“Fumo ergo sum…”
“…death would compensate for a lifetime deprived of sleep.”
“…a devout Jew who strictly observed the Torah’s prohibition against using machinery during Shabbos… yet he fell asleep while watching a television documentary about Putin’s early life—Just Another Boy!—and awoke to the same program being rebroadcast. He had viewed it six times already. When Arkady switched off the television, it was akin to releasing a man from torture.”
“Someone must inform the Kremlin’s dimwits that we face an enraged crowd; however, this crowd consists of the wealthy. Peasants are difficult to mobilize, but the affluent harbor expectations.”