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Child 44

By Tom Rob Smith

(63)

| Paperback | 9781847391599

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Book Description

In Stalin's Soviet Union, crime does not exist. But still millions live in fear. The mere suspicion of disloyalty to the State, the wrong word at the wrong time, can send an innocent person to his execution. Officer Leo Demidov, an idealistic war hero, believes he's building a perfect society. But aContinue

In Stalin's Soviet Union, crime does not exist. But still millions live in fear. The mere suspicion of disloyalty to the State, the wrong word at the wrong time, can send an innocent person to his execution. Officer Leo Demidov, an idealistic war hero, believes he's building a perfect society. But after witnessing the interrogation of an innocent man, his loyalty begins to waver, and when ordered to investigate his own wife, Raisa, Leo is forced to choose where his heart truly lies. Then the impossible happens. A murderer is on the loose, killing at will, and every belief Leo has ever held is shattered. Denounced by his enemies and exiled from home, with only Raisa by his side, he must risk everything to find a criminal that the State won't admit even exists. On the run, Leo soon discovers the danger isn't from the killer he is trying to catch, but from the country he is trying to protect.

Critics

  • CHILD 44

    I heard rumours about this debut novel last year after I attended the London Book Fair as it was subject to a bidding war resulting in the work being sold to 22 countries, as well as film rights being secured by Ridley Scott. Filming has commenced wi ... (read full critics)

    shotsmag published on Wed, 29 Sep 2010

  • Secret history

    Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith 480pp, Simon & Schuster, £12.99 First things first: this is a compelling detective story that I read in the proverbial single sitting. The Soviet Union has been fertile ground for thriller writers, from Martin Cruz Smith's G ... (read full critics)

    guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

7 Reviews

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  • 2 people find this helpful

    I found it boring at the start, but after the first 50-80 pages the story gained momentum and I wanted to read more and more. Nothing, nobody is what they seem. Tension, terror, censure, torture... a good old iron-curtain story.

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    ary29 said on Apr 8, 2010 | Add your feedback

  • 2 people find this helpful

    Why! Why! Why!?!
    Why there is the new tendency to write a book as it was ALREADY the script for a movie?
    This was such a nice book.
    A nice story.
    A nice style.
    A nice writing.
    And hundred pages before the end... here come the movie!
    I am so disappointed I'm unsure ... (continue)

    Why! Why! Why!?!
    Why there is the new tendency to write a book as it was ALREADY the script for a movie?
    This was such a nice book.
    A nice story.
    A nice style.
    A nice writing.
    And hundred pages before the end... here come the movie!
    I am so disappointed I'm unsure I want to finish it.
    Actually I will finish it because there is one thing good from the beginning to the end in this book, and it's the fact that it's difficult (at least for me) to image how it will end...

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    Alice said on Sep 25, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

  • 1 person find this helpful

    The paranoid, cold and dark atmosphere of Stalinist Soviet Union is reflected very good in this novel. It is a thrilling read.
    The ending, however, suddenly turns into Hollywoodstyle that does not do the story much good.

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    Corstin said on Aug 25, 2009 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • factual fiction, and a bit of crime

    This book is gripping and well written. An enjoyable book, even if the similarities to Dan Brown style jump to the eye- let's call it factual fiction.
    The serial (child) killer thread (drawn on Chikatilo) and the absurd, terrifying reality of Stalinist Russia work pretty well; the end could have bee ... (continue)

    This book is gripping and well written. An enjoyable book, even if the similarities to Dan Brown style jump to the eye- let's call it factual fiction.
    The serial (child) killer thread (drawn on Chikatilo) and the absurd, terrifying reality of Stalinist Russia work pretty well; the end could have been done better.
    Note: who on earth would edit the dialogues in Italics?? And why is Tolkien's name spelt wrong in the interview at the end? These things remain mysteries to me.

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    Viollka said on Jan 15, 2011 | Add your feedback

  • *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

    not bad for a debut author. but i find the parts between leo and his wife to be boring and unnecessary. if only the author could have focused more on the mystery itself.

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    Vickywt said on Mar 28, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

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