Stalin-Era Russian Murder Mystery Is An Instant Classic!
http://www.book-views.com/articles/125/1/Stalin-Era-Russian-Murder-Mystery-Is-An-Instant-Classic/Page1.html
Ray Palen
Ray Palen is an amateur actor, book/film reviewer and runs a successful Theatre group on Long Island with his wife. An avid reader who regularly reads up to 3 books per week, Ray has been published on multiple on-line and national print publications. He lives with his wife, Debbie, in Suffolk County, Long Island, NY. By Ray Palen
Published on 08/7/2009
Tom Rob Smith's first novel, "Child 44", is the finest Russian-based murder mystery since Martin Cruz Smith's classic, "Gorky Park".
"Child 44" - Tom Rob Smith
Tom Rob Smith's award-winning 1st novel, "Child 44", is an instant classic and the best Russian-based murder mystery since Martin Cruz Smith's "Gorky Park".
It is 1953, near the end of the Stalin-era, and MGB Officer Leo Demidov is tasked with investigating the discovery of a dead boy found by the railroad tracks. Not only was the body naked and brutalized, it happened to also be the son of another MGB officer. Acting as a good citizen during the ultra-paranoid Stalin-era, Demidov confronts the boys' father and family to convince them it was a horrible accident. When an eyewitness comes forward with claims of seeing the boy in the company of a strange man, Demidov and his team begin to investigate. They apprehend and question a man they suspect of the crime - who eventually dies in their custody. THe MGB seeks to quickly brush the matter under the carpet --- but Leo begins to have different ideas and begins a personal investigation into a string of child murders that will threaten his and his entire families existence in Stalinesque Russia.
The novel is impossible to put down and Tom Rob Smith will keep readers guessing throughout. He also employs an intersting "non-punctuation" style where all of the spoken dialogue is depicted by italics rather than standard quotation marks. This is not the only unique thing about Smith's writing style as any and all awards he receives for this outstanding first effort are justly deserved. I look forward to reading more in the Leo Demidov series.
It is 1953, near the end of the Stalin-era, and MGB Officer Leo Demidov is tasked with investigating the discovery of a dead boy found by the railroad tracks. Not only was the body naked and brutalized, it happened to also be the son of another MGB officer. Acting as a good citizen during the ultra-paranoid Stalin-era, Demidov confronts the boys' father and family to convince them it was a horrible accident. When an eyewitness comes forward with claims of seeing the boy in the company of a strange man, Demidov and his team begin to investigate. They apprehend and question a man they suspect of the crime - who eventually dies in their custody. THe MGB seeks to quickly brush the matter under the carpet --- but Leo begins to have different ideas and begins a personal investigation into a string of child murders that will threaten his and his entire families existence in Stalinesque Russia.
The novel is impossible to put down and Tom Rob Smith will keep readers guessing throughout. He also employs an intersting "non-punctuation" style where all of the spoken dialogue is depicted by italics rather than standard quotation marks. This is not the only unique thing about Smith's writing style as any and all awards he receives for this outstanding first effort are justly deserved. I look forward to reading more in the Leo Demidov series.