Polar Star cover art

Polar Star

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Polar Star

By: Martin Cruz Smith
Narrated by: Frank Muller
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

 Don't miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, ‘the master of the international thriller’ (New York Times) – available to order now!

AN ARKADY RENKO NOVEL: #2

'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid

'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin’ Independent
***
Arkady Renko, former Chief Investigator of the Moscow Town Prosecutor's Office, made too many enemies and lost the favour of his party. After a self-imposed exile in Siberia, Renko toils on the 'slime line' of a factory ship in the Bering Sea. But when an adventurous Georgian woman comes up with the day's catch, the signs of murder are undeniable. Up against the Soviet bureaucracy in a complex international web, Renko must again become the obsessed, dedicated cop he once was. And in doing so, he discovers much more than he bargained for . . .

Praise for Martin Cruz Smith

'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity – a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child

'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid

‘Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it’ Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation

‘Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday

'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian

'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times

‘Martin Cruz Smith’s Renko novels are superb’ William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier©1989 Martin Cruz Smith (P)2019 Simon & Schuster, Inc Suspense Thriller & Suspense Russia Fiction Soviet Union

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Circle of Bones cover art
The Big Both Ways cover art
Cool Blue Tomb cover art
Cruising For Murder cover art
The Holy Thief cover art
The Precipice cover art
Spartacus: The Gladiator cover art
Spartacus: Rebellion cover art
The Mermaid Latitudes cover art
Rebus cover art
Black Sunday cover art
Amongst My Enemies cover art
Pacific Vortex! cover art
Crocodile on the Sandbank cover art
The Orphan Master's Son cover art
All stars
Most relevant
I loved it, it's like the hunt for red october meets murder om the orient express. Just listen, you don't even need to have read/listened to Gorky Park. But it helps.

Gripping, suspenseful, bleak,

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Cruz Smith is the king of metaphor in the crime/thriller genre. Beautiful writing, characters with depth, twisting plots, and headed by the dark-humoured Arkady.

I first read these books as a teenager and enjoying the audio versions whilst driving. I highly recommend following the two main characters - Arkady Renko and his homeland - through the series. It’s wonderful how Renko’s life mirrors the history of the USSR and Russia

My favourite Renko story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have waited so long for these Renko books ! Thank u audible very happy listener

Polar star

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The series continues in its excellence of story telling and writing. A change of setting, contained and dangerous both from the protagonists and the geography, creates a strong sense of place and a sense of tension that has the effect of wanting to read the book in one sitting. i am a fan of this writer, and this book does not disappoint in any way.

Arkady survives!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An Arcady Renko novel is always a joy but this one for my money is one of if not the best. Martin Cruz Smith one of the few truly great writers of my generation, gives himself the pallet of the Baring Sea and the polar ice cap to provide the backdrop, an ensemble of outstanding characters to populate it and a dense intriguing plot to support it. Then to top it all the publishers use the great Frank Muller to narrate it. A work of true and enduring class.

Class

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews