Selected Product:
| Child 44
Hardcover
Author: Tom Rob Smith
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: 2008-04-29
ISBN-10: 0446402389
ISBN-13: 9780446402385
List Price: $24.99
Average Customer Rating:
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Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
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 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.
really good story writer
| Customer Rating: | | this was a superbly written novel of a true tale of mayhem.....bought a copy for a friend since i wanted to keep my own........would like to read more from this author in future! |
Child 44
| Customer Rating:  | I had a tough time getting into this book, but I got hooked.
The end was a little pollyanna-ish but in all I enjoyed the book. It was recommended by a friend as one she couldn't put down.
I can't say that, but it was worth reading. |
Great debut novel!
| Customer Rating: | Child 44 is very well written and proposes a very intriguing story that weaves between the ins and outs of the Soviet era political and judicial system and the several killings of a serial killer. I thought that the author was very thorough with his research and painted a perfect picture of the life people in the USSR lived in the late 40's and early 50's. The story is well written, and some might be confused that the author spends so much time developing Leo's character in his work in the MGB, but in order to successfully conclude the story, it is clear to me that he had to, in order for the reader to understand the concept of a State rule, which mean that once the State decides on a course of action, whether right or wrong, whether true or false, it stands.
I truly enjoyed this book. It was not only educational, but was also very entertaining. A recommend read. |
Editor, Please!
| Customer Rating: | There's about 250 pages of a good mystery novel stuck in the mud of this interminable 450 page book. First of all, it is clear that Tom Rob Smith can write well and tell a story. But my God, let's edit the fat and padding out of this book. And you can seriously start with the endless, mind-numbingly tedious imposition of his marraige and wife, which add absolutely nothing to the main story. And Mr. Smith, for future reference, a little atmospheric Stalinist detail goes a long, long way. As do a character's interior monologues.
This novel is essentially untouched by an editor's hands, or else a decision was made that readers would put up with plodding through all the added, unnecessary pages in search of more details about the actual mystery. |
Child 44 Stew
| Customer Rating: | Begin with a rich, flavorful broth (beef, chicken, or, for those on a budget, cat) detailing Stalin-era Russia. Immediately add one MGB officer torn between duty to the State (who mandates there are no such thing as murderers) and an innate duty to find the serial killer who "doesn't exist".
Slowly stir in:
One estranged wife
44 creepy child murders (diced)
One deranged child murderer
One cat (the skinnier the better)
Let simmer. Skim often for clues. and cat hair.
This stark look at communist Russia was an absolute delight to read. I have never learned so much from a book nor been so immersed in a time period.
Tom Smith nails all the details, from cannibalism to unapologetically bleak violence to Leo's internal struggle as he realizes that Stalin's regime and the "worker's paradise" is fundamentally flawed.
From the first sentence--"Since Maria had decided to die her cat would have to fend for itself", I was hooked.
If Smith had chosen to simply write a historical novel, I would be impressed. With the addition of a mystery/thriller, using communist Russia as a stunning backdrop to darker deeds, he creates a literary work of art.
There are no glaring plot holes, the book moves along at a good speed, there are great plot twists, and Smith's writing is elegant, to say the least.
I was particularly impressed with the fact that I didn't see the ending coming from miles away. I pieced it together bit by bit, but I was still (occasionally) taken by surprise-big points to Smith!
This one rates a 8/10.
I look forward to Ridley Scott's interpretation. |
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