Reggie Nadelson

Reggie Nadelson (est. birth 1948 in New York City) - a contemporary American journalist, filmmaker, and novelist, primarily known for her “Artie Cohen” mystery series. The series centers on Artie Cohen (Artemy Maximovich Ostalsky), a Moscow-born detective who emigrated to the United States and works for the NYPD. His Jewishness is often tied to his secular Russian roots and his struggle to balance his past in the Soviet Union with his life in America.

• Cultural Setting: Many novels are set in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Brighton Beach (often called “Little Odessa”), which are known for their high concentration of Russian-Jewish immigrants.
• Thematic Focus: The series frequently explores the “wild ride” of Russian immigrant enclaves, dealing with the trauma of the past, the complexities of the diaspora, and the intersection of Jewish heritage with secular modern life.
• Secular Perspective: While the series contains “minimal Jewish content” in terms of religious observance, it deeply examines secular Jewish culture. Nadelson herself comes from a secular Jewish family and has reported on this culture for the BBC.  [Google/AI]

Nadelson, Reggie [Artie Cohen #1], (Red Hot Blues [also Red Mercury Blues]) [hc, Minotaur Books, 1998] 978-0312181666 [pb, Minotaur Books, 1998] 978-0312291969 [Artie is a tough but introspective NYPD detective who emigrated from Moscow as a teenager with his Jewish family, later served in the Israeli army, and eventually settled in New York. His Russian language, cultural knowledge, and personal history make him uniquely suited to investigating crimes connected with the former Soviet Union.

The novel opens dramatically when General Gennadi Ustinov, a former KGB officer, is assassinated during a live television interview in New York. Ustinov had been a close friend of Artie’s father in Moscow, giving the investigation an intensely personal dimension. As Artie follows the trail, he is drawn into the world of Brighton Beach’s Russian émigré community, where organized crime, corrupt businessmen, and remnants of Soviet intelligence networks intermingle.

The investigation centers on rumors of “red mercury,” a mysterious and possibly mythical substance believed to have applications in compact nuclear weapons. Whether the substance actually exists matters less than the fact that criminals, intelligence operatives, and arms traffickers are willing to kill to obtain it. Artie’s pursuit uncovers a network of nuclear smuggling extending from Brooklyn to post-Soviet Moscow, exposing the lawlessness and corruption that followed the collapse of the USSR.

Forced to return to Moscow for the first time since his family’s emigration, Artie confronts memories of his childhood, the fate of friends who remained behind, and the complicated emotions of exile. His journey becomes both a murder investigation and a search for personal identity, as he grapples with questions of loyalty, nationality, and belonging. Along the way he develops a romantic relationship, suffers personal losses, and ultimately uncovers the truth behind the conspiracy. [Google Books]

Nadelson, Reggie [Artie Cohen #2], (Hot Poppies [hc, St. Martin’s Press, 1999]) 978-0312199869 [pb, Faber & Faber, 2002] 978-0571191963

Nadelson, Reggie [Artie Cohen #3], (Bloody London [hc, Minotaur, 1999]) 978-0312243722 [pb, Faber & Faber, 1999] 978-0571201389

Nadelson, Reggie [Artie Cohen #4], (Sex Dolls, also published as Skin Trade)) [pb, Faber & Faber, 2002] 978-0571192144

Nadelson, Reggie [Artie Cohen #5], (Disturbed Earth [Walker Books, 2005]) 978-0802733832 [pb, Bloomsbury USA, 2007] 978-0802715456

Nadelson, Reggie [Artie Cohen #6], (Red Hook [hc, Walker Books, 2006]) 978-0802715340 [pb, Walker Books, 2007] 978-0802716385

Nadelson, Reggie [Artie Cohen #7], (Fresh Kills [hc, Walker Books, 2007]) 978-0802715999 [pb, William Heinemann, 2006] 978-0434011933

Nadelson, Reggie [Artie Cohen #8], (Londongrad [hc, Walker Books, 2009]) 978-0802717528 [pb, Atlantic Books, 2009] 978-1843548331

Nadelson, Reggie [Artie Cohen #9], (Blood Count [hc, Atlantic Books, 2010] 978-1843548355 [pb, Atlantic Books, 2010]) 978-1843548379

Nadelson, Reggie [Other], (Comrade Rockstar [hc, Chatto & Windus, 1991]) 978-0701134723 [pb, Arrow (Rand), 2004] B01K3JRURS

Nadelson, Reggie [Other], (Somebody Else [hc, Faber & Faber, 2003]) 978-0571209392 [pb, Faber & Faber, 2004] 978-0571217526