From the archives: Martin Cruz Smith on writing mysteries

Martin Cruz Smith, creator of such bestsellers as “Gorky Park” and “Polar Star,” died on July 11, 2025, at age 82. On this “Sunday Morning” profile that aired Oct. 20, 2002, Smith talked with correspondent Anthony Mason about how he continued writing mysteries that includes Moscow detective Arkady Renko, regardless of being blacklisted by the Soviet Union. He additionally mentioned the “boring” facets of writing, and the analysis he performed in Japan for his novel “December 6,” set in Tokyo on the eve of the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor.