Child 44

by Tom Rob Smith

Overview

In a country ruled by fear, no one is innocent.

Stalin's Soviet Union is an official paradise, where citizens live free from crime and fear only one thing: the all-powerful state. Defending this system is idealistic security officer Leo Demidov, a war hero who believes in the iron fist of the law. But when a murderer starts to kill at will and Leo dares to investigate, the State's obedient servant finds himself demoted and exiled. Now, with only his wife at his side, Leo must fight to uncover shocking truths about a killer-and a country where "crime" doesn't exist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780446572767
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	12/13/2011
Series:	The Child 44 Trilogy , #1
Pages:	480
Sales rank:	205,738
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.25(d)

About the Author

International #1 bestselling author Tom Rob Smith graduated from Cambridge University in 2001 and lives in London. His novels in the Child 44 trilogy were New York Times bestsellers and international publishing sensations. Among its many honors, Child 44 won the ITW 2009 Thriller Award for Best First Novel, The Strand Magazine 2008 Critics Award for Best First Novel, the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

Hometown:

London, England

Date of Birth:

February 19, 1979

Place of Birth:

London, England

Education:

St. John's College, Cambridge, 2001

Website:

http://www.tomrobsmith.com

What People are Saying About This

Nelson DeMille

This is a truly remarkable debut novel. CHILD 44 is a rare blend of great insight, excellent writing, and a refreshingly original story. Favorable comparisons to Gorky Park are inevitable, but CHILD 44 is in a class of its own.

Scott Turow

CHILD 44 is a remarkable debut novel-inventive, edgy, and relentlessly gripping from the first page to the last.

Robert Towne

Achingly suspenseful, full of feeling and of the twists and turns that one expects from le Carré at his best, CHILD 44 is a tale as fierce as any Russian wolf. It grabs you by the throat and never lets you go.

Lee Child

An amazing debut—rich, different, fully-formed, mature...and thrilling.

Editorial Reviews

"One of the rare pleasures of the book-reviewing trade is first hearing all sorts of advance hype about a novel and then finding out that every word was true."

Chicago Tribune

"Sensational...crackling...Smith's prose is propulsive...his real genius is his careful potting...an elaborate mystery."

Entertainment Weekly

"Sensational...crackling...Smith's prose is propulsive...his real genius is his careful potting...an elaborate mystery."—Entertainment Weekly

"One of the rare pleasures of the book-reviewing trade is first hearing all sorts of advance hype about a novel and then finding out that every word was true."—Chicago Tribune

From the Publisher

"Child 44 not only is one of the best mysteries of this year, but it is one of the most remarkable and original debuts in recent years. Set in post WWII Stalinist Russia, Child 44 works equally well as a hard-boiled novel, a political thriller, a regional mystery and an emotional, even romantic story about a couple rediscovering each other. It is at once gritty, chilling, depressing, hopeful and, above all, fascinating...Dennis Boutsikaris is the perfect reader for this story. Boutsikaris, who frequently shows up on Law & Order, captures the story's angst, nuances and accents."

Sun Sentinel

"An amazing debut—rich, different, fully-formed, mature...and thrilling."

Lee Child

"Achingly suspenseful, full of feeling and of the twists and turns that one expects from le Carré at his best, CHILD 44 is a tale as fierce as any Russian wolf. It grabs you by the throat and never lets you go."

Robert Towne

"CHILD 44 is a remarkable debut novel-inventive, edgy, and relentlessly gripping from the first page to the last."

Scott Turow

"Smith's pacing is relentless; readers wanting to put the book down for a brief rest may find themselves persevering regardless. Expect the same kind of critical acclaim for this compelling tale that greeted the publication of Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park (1981) more than 25 years ago...a very, very good read. Don't miss it."

Starred BOOKLIST

"This is a truly remarkable debut novel. CHILD 44 is a rare blend of great insight, excellent writing, and a refreshingly original story. Favorable comparisons to Gorky Park are inevitable, but CHILD 44 is in a class of its own."

Nelson Demille

Smith's pacing is relentless; readers wanting to put the book down for a brief rest may find themselves persevering regardless. Expect the same kind of critical acclaim for this compelling tale that greeted the publication of Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park (1981) more than 25 years ago...a very, very good read. Don't miss it.

Booklist