Tom Rob Smith has followed up his award-winning debut, "Child 44", with an even deeper work that rivals the best in the genre of classic Russian literature.

Whereby "Child 44" had a child serial killer manhunt at it's center, "The Secret Speech" is all about family.  Specifically, the family of Leo and Raisa Demidov who are now living with their two adopted daughters - young girls orphaned during an act of brutality in "Child 44" where their parents were murdered by one of Leo's miliatary comrades.

The Secret Speech is actually a speech written by Breshnev condeming the actions of his predecessor, Josef Stalin.  However, certain factions that were victimized by the Stalin regime will not go away quietly and are seeking revenge upon those who committed horrible acts in the guise of the supporting "the State".  One of those individuals is Leo Demidov, now leading the first ever Homicide Investigative unit in the new Russia and shortly thereafter finding himself and his new family unit targeted by a mad woman who plans to personally mete out justice against all those who did her wrong during the past regime.

Smith has created a work that now surpasses Martin Cruz Smith's 'Arkady Renko' series and steps firmly into territory previously reigined by great Russian novelists like Dosteyevsky.  "The Secret Speech" definitely qualifies as must reading for any lovers of political/military history with his depiction of the new Russian state at the onset of what would soon become the Cold War.