An out-of-my-genre incredible read. Serial child murders in Stalin's Utopia? Impossible. Enter the world of Leo Demidov - former State hero and well respected officer of the State Security Force. Demidov, enforcer of Government threats, cover-ups, intimidation, exile, and execution. Demidov, who ultimately loses everything he has worked for and risks losing his life as he tracks a serial killer (whose existence his department denies) along the railways of Russia, even as he is relentlessly pursued by a rival intent on destroying him. I came upon this book accidentally, and as soon as I began to peruse it I was hooked. A thrilling tale, wonderfully evocative of the period and politics of Stalin's terrifying regime, with brilliant plot twists and solid, memorable characters. Even as I ravenously read of the sordid murders, the government's denial, Demidov's persecution, and his breathtaking pursuit of the killer, I reveled in his choice to triumph over tyranny.

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.



Tom Rob Smith is a 28-year-old screenwriter. He graduated from Cambridge in 2001. CHILD 44 is his first novel.

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

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

"Achingly suspenseful, full of feeling and 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."

"CHILD 44 telegraphs the talent and class of its writer from its opening pages, transporting you back to the darkest days of postwar Soviet Russia with assured efficiency and ruthlessly drawing you into its richly atmospheric and engrossing tale."

"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 GorkyPark are inevitable, but CHILD 44 is in a class of its own."

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Distributor: Hachette Book Group USA
Publication Date: 04-29-2008
Pages: 448
Measurements: 9.25in X 6.25in X 1.25in X 1.45lb