12th November 2008

Debut Novel by Screenwriter Tom Rob Smith: Child 44

posted in Secret Service, Soviet Union, Stalin, mystery, suspense, thriller |

Child 44 / Tom Rob SmithLeo Demidov is a loyal agent of the State Security Force (MGB) in Stalinist Russia. His job is to round up and interrogate enemies of the State, and he takes pride in these activities because “It is better to let ten innocent men suffer than to let one spy escape.”  His worldview is jolted when key facts about a young boy’s disappearance and murder are fabricated by frightened villagers to avoid contact with the MGB, and an innocent man is tortured to prove an ideological point. These events cause him to “go dark,” racing to solve a string of child murder cases. In a State where, officially, no crime exists, such activity is a tacit contradiction of State policy, and subject to punishment reserved for the worst offenders – death, if the person is lucky.

I really enjoyed this book.  This is screenwriter Tom Rob Smith’s debut novel and it scored rave reviews with many readers for its strong plot and authentic period detail.  I tend to read books that are plot-driven, and Child 44 offers well-drawn characters and plenty of vivid action. If you came to the reference desk last month and thought I looked exhausted, you probably saw me in the two or three days immediately after I brought this book home and sat up half the night reading.

Find out more about the author in a brief interview in New York Magazine.  Learn how Rob prepared to write Child 44 in an interview with The Guardian.

-review by Macee Damon, reference & cataloging librarian

Is it Available?

Click here to find out Child 44 is on the shelf.

Read What Others Are Saying!

Child 44 has been reviewed in both The New York Times (read) and The Guardian (read).

Other Recommended Books

If you’ve already read Child 44 and are looking for more books like it, you may also enjoy these other titles available here at the library (just click the link for availability!):

  • Gorky Park / Martin Smith Cruz (catalog)
  • The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956; an experiment in literary investigation / Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn (catalog)
  • One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich / Alexander Solzhenitsyn (catalog)
  • the spy novels of John Le Carre (catalog)

More Buzz

Coming to the big screen in 2010, Child 44 will be directed by Ridley Scott with screenplay by Richard Price.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Secret Service, Soviet Union, Stalin, mystery, suspense, thriller. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are currently 2 responses to “Debut Novel by Screenwriter Tom Rob Smith: Child 44”

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  1. 1 On January 20th, 2009, Colleen said:

    I flew through this book. The writing and the story are so strong and compelling that it was difficult to put down. I’d highly recommend it!

  2. 2 On March 29th, 2009, admin said:

    Update: the sequel to Child 44 is on order for our Popular Reading collection. Look for “The Secret Speech” in May!

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