A propulsive, relentless page-turner.
A terrifying evocation of a paranoid world where no one can be trusted.
A surprising, unexpected story of love and family, of hope and resilience.
Child 44 is a thriller unlike any you have ever read.
“There is no crime.”
Stalin’s Soviet Union strives to be a paradise for its workers, providing for all of their needs. One of its fundamental pillars is … for all of their needs. One of its fundamental pillars is that its citizens live free from the fear of ordinary crime and criminals.
But in this society, millions do live in fear… of the State. Death is a whisper away. The mere suspicion of ideological disloyalty-owning a book from the decadent West, the wrong word at the wrong time-sends millions of innocents into the Gulags or to their executions. Defending the system from its citizens is the MGB, the State Security Force. And no MGB officer is more courageous, conscientious, or idealistic than Leo Demidov.
A war hero with a beautiful wife, Leo lives in relative luxury in Moscow, even providing a decent apartment for his parents. His only ambition has been to serve his country. For this greater good, he has arrested and interrogated.
Then the impossible happens. A different kind of criminal — a murderer — is on the loose, killing at will. At the same time, Leo finds himself demoted and denounced by his enemies, his world turned upside down, and every belief he’s ever held shattered. The only way to save his life and the lives of his family is to uncover this criminal. But in a society that is officially paradise, it’s a crime against the State to suggest that a murderer-much less a serial killer-is in their midst. Exiled from his home, with only his wife, Raisa, remaining at his side, Leo must confront the vast resources and reach of the MBG to find and stop a criminal that the State won’t admit even exists.
Tom Rob Smith graduated from Cambridge in 2001 and lives in London. Child 44 is his first novel.
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This is one of my favorite crime fiction books that I’ve read in recent years, and maybe ever. It’s vivid, unrelentingly miserable (and sometimes worse), and utterly fascinating. I haven’t read a lot about living in the Soviet Union, so Tom Rob Smith made a big impression on me with this one. The fictional killer is, I think, supposed to be based …
Tom Rob Smith has written a crime thriller that at once makes you cringe while turning pages radipidly to find out what happens next. I read this book a long while ago, and I intend to read it again as soon as I finish the thiller I’m reading now! The setting is Soviet Russia, a fascinating time period that I’m researching now for a new book that …
1953 was a frightening time to be a Russian citizen. Fear guided every move and every word spoken as the all-powerful State impinged upon every aspect of life. It was easier being a secret police officer if you spent your time arresting people who strayed out of line; that’s until you go off grid. Leo Demidov believes in the system until he …
Experience the fear and bleakness of living in Stalin’s Russia in this forbidden hunt for a serial killer in a country where the authorities claimed crime no longer existed.
Not a fan
Describes grim post-war Soviet Union brilliantly. If you are expecting a by-the-numbers story about a serial killer, this is not that book. Fantastic character development, brilliant descriptions, a great hook (a war hero turned loyal policeman forced to challenge his belief in the state line that the crime of murder doesn’t exist), and knockout …
Great novel. Wish he would write more novels and less for TV!
TRS is inspirational with this novel set in the darkness of the Soviet Union. Great characters and plot. A must-read.