Cold War fiction

Growing up in the 70s and 80s when the cold war and arms race was in full steam, I remember being frightened about the idea that America could be threatened by communist Russia. I've always been fascinated by Russian history during the twentieth century. So much changed for Russian people during those 100 years. One of my favorite fiction books ever is Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith. Published in 1981 (and set in the same time period), Gorky Park's protagonist is the homicide detective Arkady Renko.

I recently discovered another author who writes compelling fiction set in Russia. If you like Martin Cruz Smith, read Tom Rob Smith's two books Child 44 and his newest, The Secret Speech. Smith's books are set in the 1950s, during the shaky political times before and after Stalin's death. The main character named Leo Demidov is a flawed MGB agent. Readers get good feel for the social climate of those times, wrapped in a good thriller story.