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Review: Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

Updated: Feb 20, 2020


Set in Stalinist Russia, Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44 is an ingenious and thrilling mystery novel, full of suspense that will have you unable to put the book down.


War hero and MGB officer Leo Demidov’s world is turned upside down when he uncovers evidence of a killer at large, in a country ruled by a regime that claims there is no such thing as crime. Now he must go against Stalin’s terrifying rule and risk both his life and his wife’s to save the lives of others and confront his past.


After reading this novel it was easy to understand how it has sold over 1.5 million copies, and just how much time and effort Smith put in while writing this astounding novel.


When I was in high school I studied the Bolshevik consolidation of power and Stalin’s rise, which is what initially sparked my interest in Russia and their history, leading me to do independent study on these topics. So when I was given Child 44as a present I was ecstatic, and also able to admire the realism of Stalinist Russia that Smith has captured and the extensive research done to create such a high quality and remarkable novel.


Tom Rob Smith has perfectly captured the fear, terror and injustice that the people of Russia lived with, allowing the readers to empathise and form a bond with the characters.


Added to this is the suspense and uncertainty that Rob has managed to maintain throughout the entire novel that has you constantly guessing ‘who dunnit’, making this a stand out novel which I would recommend to lovers of mystery or historical novels.



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