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Martin Cruz Smith (né Martin William Smith) was born in Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, and the center of the Greater Reading Area....
, in 1942. He originally wrote under the name Martin Smith only to discover there were other writers with the same name. His agent Knox Burger asked Smith to add a third name and Smith chose Cruz, the shortest name in his family. Privately, he is known as 'Bill'.

Smith was educated at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is America's first university and is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States....
, and received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin language Artium Baccalaureus, is an Undergraduate education bachelor's degree awarded for either a course or a program in either the liberal arts, the sciences or both....
 in Creative Writing in 1964.






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Martin Cruz Smith (né Martin William Smith) was born in Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, and the center of the Greater Reading Area....
, in 1942. He originally wrote under the name Martin Smith only to discover there were other writers with the same name. His agent Knox Burger asked Smith to add a third name and Smith chose Cruz, the shortest name in his family. Privately, he is known as 'Bill'.

Smith was educated at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is America's first university and is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States....
, and received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin language Artium Baccalaureus, is an Undergraduate education bachelor's degree awarded for either a course or a program in either the liberal arts, the sciences or both....
 in Creative Writing in 1964. From 1965 to 1969 he worked as a journalist
Journalist

A journalist is a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues, and people while striving for viewpoints that aren't biased....
, and began writing
Writing

Writing is the representation of language in a textual Media through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and the recording of language via a non-textual medium such as Magnetic tape sound recording....
 fiction
Fiction

Fiction is an imaginative form of narrative, one of the four basic rhetorical modes. Although the word fiction is derived from the Latin fingo, fingere, finxi, fictum, "to form, create", works of fiction need not be entirely imaginary and may include real people, places, and events....
 in the early 1970s. His first mystery
Mystery fiction

Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term that is often used as a synonym of detective fiction — in other words a novel or short story in which a detective solves a crime....
, featuring a Gypsy art dealer
Art dealer

An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art....
 in New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 named Roman Grey, Gypsy in Amber
Gypsy in Amber

Gypsy in Amber was Martin Cruz Smith's first mystery novel.It features Romano Grey, the gypsy antique expert, who is pulled into a murder investigation when one of his friends dies in an automobile accident and is suspected of the murder of a girl whose body is found at the scene of the accident sliced up into six pieces....
 (1971), was nominated for an Edgar Award
Edgar Award

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. They honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film and theatre published or produced in the past year....
. Nightwing
Nightwing (novel)

Nightwing is a Thriller , a novel by Martin Cruz Smith. It was made into a movie....
 was his breakthrough novel and was made into a movie
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
.

Smith is best known for his novels featuring the Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
n Investigator Arkady Renko
Arkady Renko

Arkady Renko is a fictional detective who is the central character of six novels by the United States of America writer Martin Cruz Smith.In Gorky Park , the first novel, he is a chief investigator for the Soviet Union Militsiya in Moscow, where he is in charge of homicide investigations....
. In 1981, Smith wrote Gorky Park
Gorky Park (novel)

Gorky Park is a 1981 Crime fiction novel written by Martin Cruz Smith set in the Soviet Union. It follows Arkady Renko, a chief investigator for the Militsiya, who is assigned to a case involving three Dead bodys found in Gorky Park , an amusement park in Moscow, who have had their faces and fingertips cut off by the murderer to prevent i...
, which was called the "thriller of the '80s" by Time Magazine. It became a bestseller
Bestseller

A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains....
 and won a Gold Dagger Award
Gold Dagger

The Gold Dagger Award was an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association for best crime novel of the year.For its first five years, it was known as the Crossed Red Herring Award....
 from the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Crime Writers' Association
Crime Writers' Association

The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Robert Richardson and claims 450 members....
. Renko has appeared in five other novels by Smith, Polar Star
Polar Star (novel)

Polar Star is a 1989 Crime fiction by Martin Cruz Smith, set in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. It is a sequel to Gorky Park and features former militsiya investigator Arkady Renko....
, Red Square
Red Square (novel)

Red Square is a Crime by Martin Cruz Smith, set in the Soviet Union in the year 1991. It is a sequel to Gorky Park and Polar Star and features Investigator Arkady Renko....
, Havana Bay
Havana Bay (novel)

Havana Bay is a Crime by Martin Cruz Smith, set in Cuba. It is the fourth novel to feature Investigator Arkady Renko.Renko is depressed because his wife Irina is dead, the victim of an incompetent nurse and doctor, who give her ampicillin, which she was allergic to, and didn't give her an adrenalin shot in time to save her life....
, Wolves Eat Dogs
Wolves Eat Dogs

Wolves Eat Dogs is a Crime by Martin Cruz Smith, set in Russia and Ukraine in the year 1996. It is the fifth novel to feature Investigator Arkady Renko....
 and Stalin's Ghost
Stalin's Ghost

Stalin's Ghost is a Crime by Martin Cruz Smith set in Russia circa 2005. It is the sixth novel to feature Detective-Investigator Arkady Renko....
.

In the 1970s, Smith wrote two Slocum
Slocum (westerns)

Slocum Westerns are the longest running series of Westerns ever written, encompassing over 317 books, all of which are published under the pen name Jake Logan....
 adult action westerns, under the pen name Jake Logan. Smith also wrote a number of other paperback originals, including a series about a character named 'The Inquisitor', who can be described as a James Bond
James Bond

James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections....
-type agent employed by the Vatican
Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church....
.

Martin Cruz Smith now lives in San Rafael
San Rafael, California

San Rafael , is the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
 with his wife and three children.

Bibliography

  • The Indians Won (1970)
  • Gypsy in Amber
    Gypsy in Amber

    Gypsy in Amber was Martin Cruz Smith's first mystery novel.It features Romano Grey, the gypsy antique expert, who is pulled into a murder investigation when one of his friends dies in an automobile accident and is suspected of the murder of a girl whose body is found at the scene of the accident sliced up into six pieces....
     (1971)
  • Canto for a Gypsy (1972)
  • Analog Bullet (1972)
  • Inca Death Squad (1972) (As Nick Carter)
  • The Devil's Dozen (1973) (As Nick Carter)
  • The Devil in Kansas (1974) (The Inquisitor Series #1) (As Simon Quinn)
  • The Last Time I Saw Hell (1974) (The Inquisitor Series #2) (As Simon Quinn)
  • Nuplex Red (1974) (The Inquisitor Series #3) (As Simon Quinn)
  • His Eminence, Death (1974) (The Inquisitor Series #4) (As Simon Quinn)
  • The Midas Coffin (1975) (The Inquisitor Series #5) (As Simon Quinn)
  • The Human Factor (1975) (As Simon Quinn)
  • The Wilderness Family (1975) (As Martin Quinn)
  • Last Rites for the Vulture (1975) (The Inquisitor Series #6) (As Simon Quinn)
  • Nightwing
    Nightwing (novel)

    Nightwing is a Thriller , a novel by Martin Cruz Smith. It was made into a movie....
     (1977)
  • Ride for Revenge (A Slocum western) (as Jake Logan)
  • Gorky Park
    Gorky Park (novel)

    Gorky Park is a 1981 Crime fiction novel written by Martin Cruz Smith set in the Soviet Union. It follows Arkady Renko, a chief investigator for the Militsiya, who is assigned to a case involving three Dead bodys found in Gorky Park , an amusement park in Moscow, who have had their faces and fingertips cut off by the murderer to prevent i...
     (1981) (The Arkady Renko
    Arkady Renko

    Arkady Renko is a fictional detective who is the central character of six novels by the United States of America writer Martin Cruz Smith.In Gorky Park , the first novel, he is a chief investigator for the Soviet Union Militsiya in Moscow, where he is in charge of homicide investigations....
     Series #1)
  • Stallion Gate (1986)
  • Polar Star
    Polar Star (novel)

    Polar Star is a 1989 Crime fiction by Martin Cruz Smith, set in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. It is a sequel to Gorky Park and features former militsiya investigator Arkady Renko....
     (1989) (The Arkady Renko
    Arkady Renko

    Arkady Renko is a fictional detective who is the central character of six novels by the United States of America writer Martin Cruz Smith.In Gorky Park , the first novel, he is a chief investigator for the Soviet Union Militsiya in Moscow, where he is in charge of homicide investigations....
     Series #2)
  • Red Square
    Red Square (novel)

    Red Square is a Crime by Martin Cruz Smith, set in the Soviet Union in the year 1991. It is a sequel to Gorky Park and Polar Star and features Investigator Arkady Renko....
     (1992) (The Arkady Renko
    Arkady Renko

    Arkady Renko is a fictional detective who is the central character of six novels by the United States of America writer Martin Cruz Smith.In Gorky Park , the first novel, he is a chief investigator for the Soviet Union Militsiya in Moscow, where he is in charge of homicide investigations....
     Series #3)
  • Rose (1996)
  • Havana Bay
    Havana Bay (novel)

    Havana Bay is a Crime by Martin Cruz Smith, set in Cuba. It is the fourth novel to feature Investigator Arkady Renko.Renko is depressed because his wife Irina is dead, the victim of an incompetent nurse and doctor, who give her ampicillin, which she was allergic to, and didn't give her an adrenalin shot in time to save her life....
     (1999) (The Arkady Renko
    Arkady Renko

    Arkady Renko is a fictional detective who is the central character of six novels by the United States of America writer Martin Cruz Smith.In Gorky Park , the first novel, he is a chief investigator for the Soviet Union Militsiya in Moscow, where he is in charge of homicide investigations....
     Series #4)
  • December 6 (2002) (also published as Tokyo Station)
  • Wolves Eat Dogs
    Wolves Eat Dogs

    Wolves Eat Dogs is a Crime by Martin Cruz Smith, set in Russia and Ukraine in the year 1996. It is the fifth novel to feature Investigator Arkady Renko....
     (2004) (The Arkady Renko
    Arkady Renko

    Arkady Renko is a fictional detective who is the central character of six novels by the United States of America writer Martin Cruz Smith.In Gorky Park , the first novel, he is a chief investigator for the Soviet Union Militsiya in Moscow, where he is in charge of homicide investigations....
     Series #5)
  • Stalin's Ghost
    Stalin's Ghost

    Stalin's Ghost is a Crime by Martin Cruz Smith set in Russia circa 2005. It is the sixth novel to feature Detective-Investigator Arkady Renko....
     (2007) (The Arkady Renko
    Arkady Renko

    Arkady Renko is a fictional detective who is the central character of six novels by the United States of America writer Martin Cruz Smith.In Gorky Park , the first novel, he is a chief investigator for the Soviet Union Militsiya in Moscow, where he is in charge of homicide investigations....
     Series #6)


External links