Overview

• Smith passed away July 11 at a senior living community in San Rafael, Calif., surrounded by loved ones, publisher Simon & Schuster said.
• “Hotel Ukraine,” the 11th and concluding Renko installment, was published this week, weaving current events and global leaders into its Moscow-set mystery.
• He launched the Arkady Renko series with 1981’s “Gorky Park,” which topped The New York Times fiction bestseller list and was adapted into a film starring William Hurt.
• Smith’s decade of journalism, including a stint at the Associated Press, laid the foundation for his detailed research and authentic portrayal of Soviet and post-Soviet Russia.
• His honors include being named a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, winning the Hammett Prize for “Havana Bay” and receiving a Gold Dagger for “Gorky Park.”