The Dog Who Bit a Policeman

by Stuart M. Kaminsky Narrated by John Mclain

Overview

Moscow's gone to the dogs in the "imaginative" Edgar Award-winning crime series about a conscientious Russian cop (The New York Times Book Review).



With packs of stray wild canines roaming Moscow, it was inevitable that enterprising criminals would find a way to get rich. As dogfighting became big business, the Mafia got involved, and venues upgraded from alleys and garages to private arenas with padded seats. Police Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov has assigned Sasha Tkach and Elena Timofeyeva to go undercover and bust up a dogfighting ring. But the only ones more vicious than the dogs are the ones who profit from them.



Speaking of fighting in the streets, an international drug cartel has chosen Moscow as its next port of call. One man stands in their way-a young Russian mobster whose brutality is matched only by his madness. In a gang war of this magnitude, no civilian is safe. It's up to Rostnikov and the Office of Special Investigation to prevent a full-scale bloodbath.



"As usual, Kaminsky manages to make the postlapsarian fracas strangely engrossing. His major characters are vivid and varied . . . Good storytelling in yet another of a distinguished series." -Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

One of the most prolific mystery writers working today, Kaminsky is also one of the best, as he demonstrates in this 12th installment of his deliciously mordant series about Moscow cop Porfiry Rostnikov. Rostnikov, a weight-lifting, one-legged inspector, is a sharp and caring policeman, as well as the perfect tour guide to a changingi.e., disintegratingRussia. Now working in the Office of Special Investigation under a corrupt but efficient boss known as the Yak, Rostnikov has been promoted and promised full support "if one or more of the varied criminal organizations and the confused state bureaucracy attempted to impede the performance of his duties." To this point, the Yak has held on to the allegiance of Rostnikov and his staff, which includes a mad pathologist who talks to cadavers; an obsessive detective called Emil Karpo, "the Vampire," who spends "all his waking hours relentlessly pursuing criminals from both the past and present"; and Rostnikov's son Iosef, a failed actor/playwright and veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan. While Rostnikov and Karpo try to head off a war between two Mafia leaders, Iosef and his partner are looking into the latest disappearance of a popular, Yeltsin-esque politician with a drinking problem. Another pair of detectives pose as Ukrainian high-rollers to infiltrate a burgeoning business in illegal dogfightshence the title for this beautifully researched and energetically written story. Kaminsky won an 'Edgar' for "A Cold Red Sunrise", the fourth book in the series. This effort is even better. FYI: Kaminsky also writes the Toby Peters series and the Abe Lieberman books. (PW best book of 1998)

Library Journal

The inordinately versatile and prolific Kaminsky (author of the the Toby Peters and Abe Lieberman mysteries) returns with the 11th Inspector Rostnikov novel, which stunningly and effortlessly interweaves three crimes, all set amidst corrupt, Mafia-ridden contemporary Moscow: the disappearance of a politician, the serial murder of members of two rival gangs, and an illegal, big-money dogfight ring. Detective/philosopher Rostnikov and his quirky team rank among the best the genre offers.

School Library Journal

YA-Kaminsky's stories featuring Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, Senior Investigator in Russia's Office of Special Investigation, continue to offer glimpses of life and murder in contemporary Moscow. Beginning with the undercover investigation of an illegal ring of dogfights sponsored by several units of Moscow's Mafia gangs, Kaminsky adds several other plot lines that branch off into smaller and more personal stories. Iosef, Rostnikov's son, attempts to solve the murders of two hit men. Rostnikov's wife battles with a brain tumor and Sasha Tkach, one of Rostnikov's agents, and his wife have marital problems. Additional characters contribute to the difficulties, reflecting on the complexity of life and its interconnections. The shared major theme of all the subplots is the age-old fight of good versus evil, as Rostnikov and his staff struggle to control the illegal activities in Moscow. Kaminsky delivers both the geographic and environmental descriptions of the city as well as detailed accounts of what life must be like for residents of the former U.S.S.R. Teens interested in political science and Russia and who enjoy fast-paced action will find them all here.-Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176392234
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	09/14/2021
Series:	Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov Series , #12
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos