Martin Cruz Smith, the author known for his series of suspense novels featuring Russian detective Arkady Renko, died on July 11, Simon & Schuster announced in a news release. The publisher did not give his age, but the Associated Press reports that he was 82.
Smith, a Pennsylvania native, was educated at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a journalist before making his literary debut in 1970 with the novel The Indians Won, a speculative fiction novel that was last year republished by the University of New Mexico Press.
He wrote several Western and spy novels before publishing Gorky Park in 1981. The novel, which was adapted into a 1983 film starring William Hurt and Joanna Pacula, introduced readers to Renko, who would go on to feature in 10 more novels, including Polar Star, Havana Bay, Stalin’s Ghost, and, most recently, Hotel Ukraine, published last week. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called the novel “a rewarding read and a fine finale for the Smith-Renko team.”
Simon & Schuster says that Smith was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1995 but did not publicly disclose it until 2013. He wrote about Renko’s struggle with the same disease in Independence Square and Hotel Ukraine.
In a statement, Smith’s wife, Emily Smith, called the author “a beloved husband, father and grandfather; an adventurer, traveler and researcher; and a man of deep humanity, humor and insight. He felt that he was the luckiest man alive.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
