A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • Arkady Renko journeys to Havana to solve a murder with globe-spanning repercussions in this “irresistible” ( USA Today ) mystery from the bestselling author of Gorky Park “Martin Cruz Smith is the American literary equivalent of Britain’s master thriller writer, John le Carré.”— Minneapolis Star Tribune When the corpse of a Russian is hauled from the oily waters of Havana Bay, Arkady Renko comes to Cuba to identify the body. Looking for the killer, he discovers a city of faded loneliness, unexpected danger, and bewildering contradictions. His investigation introduces him to a beautiful Cuban policewoman; to the rituals of Santeria; to an American fugitive and a group of ruthless mercenaries. In this place where all things Russian are despised, where Hemingway fished and the KGB flourished, where the hint of music is always in the air, Arkady finds a trail of deceit that reaches halfway around the world—and a reason to relish his own life again. “Compelling . . . dazzling.” — The New York Times Book Review “Irresistible . . . plenty of twists . . . The climax is wonderfully paced. . . . [ Havana Bay sizzles] with an authenticity that is rare indeed.” — USA Today “If you are fond of thrillers, put Havana Bay at the top of your reading list. . . . Smith is the American literary equivalent of Britain’s master thriller writer, John le Carré. . . . An episode admirers of Smith’s Renko should not miss.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune “Ripe with the rhythms and tropical heat of modern-day Cuba . . . another fine entry in an enjoyable series of spy novels.” — The Wall Street Journal “A superbly written thriller.” — The Denver Post “Stylish, evocative.” — Chicago Sun-Times “A richly intricate mystery . . . There might be no other city in our time as simultaneously intoxicating and heartbreaking as Old Havana. . . . His earnest unsentimentality and calm tenaciousness on the hunt are what make Renko one of the most interesting detectives in modern fiction. What a clever stroke for Smith to dispatch him to Havana, where sentimentality and passion are in rare abundance.” — The New York Times Book Review “Arkady Renko is one of the memorable creations of Cold War fiction, as clever, guilt-ridden, and self-effacing as any George Smiley.” — Newsweek “Engaging . . . Havana Bay evokes the colors, rhythms, and crumbling grandeur of the steamy city while exploring the complexity and contradictions of post-Soviet Cuban life.” — San Francisco Chronicle “Worthwhile reading . . . As readers of the previous books well know, Mr. Smith has been extremely adept at summoning up the seedy, melancholy Russian milieu in which Arkady operates. In Havana Bay , he does something similar for post-Soviet Cuba.” — The New York Times Martin Cruz Smith ’s novels include Gorky Park , Stallion Gate , Polar Star , Stalin’s Ghost , Rose , December 6 , Tatiana, Havana Bay, Red Square, and The Girl from Venice . He is a two-time winner of the Hammett Prize, a recipient of Britain’s Golden Dagger Award, and a winner of the Premio Piemonte Giallo Internazionale. He passed away in 2025. A police boat directed a light toward tar-covered pilings and water, turning a black scene white. Havana was invisible across the bay, except for a single line of lamps along the seawall. Stars rode high, anchor lights rode low, otherwise the harbor was a still pool in the night. Soda cans, crab pots, fishing floats, mattresses, Styrofoam bearded with algae shifted as an investigation team of the Policía Nacional de la Revolución took flash shots. Arkady waited in a cashmere overcoat with a Captain Arcos, a barrel-chested little man who looked ironed into military fatigues, and his Sergeant Luna, large, black and angular. Detective Osorio was a small brown woman in PNR blue; she gave Arkady a studied glare. A Cuban named Rufo was the interpreter from the Russian embassy. "It's very simple," he translated the captain's words. "You see the body, identify the body and then go home." "Sounds simple." Arkady tried to be agreeable, although Arcos walked off as if any contact with Russians was contamination. Osorio combined the sharp features of an ingenue with the grave expression of a hangman. She spoke and Rufo explained, "The detective says this is the Cuban method, not the Russian method or the German method. The Cuban method. You will see." Arkady had seen little so far. He had just arrived at the airport in the dark when he was whisked away by Rufo. They were headed by taxi to the city when Rufo received a call on a cellular phone that diverted them to the bay. Already Arkady had a sense that he was unwelcome and unpopular. Rufo wore a loose Hawaiian shirt and a faint resemblance to the older, softer Muhammad Ali. "The detective says she hopes you don't mind learning the Cuban method." "I'm looking forward to it." Arkady was nothing if not a good guest. "Could you ask her when the body was discovere