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| Child 44 | 
| Author: Tom Rob Smith
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy Used: $7.99
You Save: $17.00 (68%)
New (48) Collectible (5) from $10.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  110 reviews
Sales Rank: 1694
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.5
ISBN: 0446402389
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
EAN: 9780446402385
ASIN: 0446402389
Publication Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Editor, Please! August 29, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
There's about 250 pages of a good mystery novel stuck in the mud of this interminable 450 page book. First of all, it is clear that Tom Rob Smith can write well and tell a story. But my God, let's edit the fat and padding out of this book. And you can seriously start with the endless, mind-numbingly tedious imposition of his marraige and wife, which add absolutely nothing to the main story. And Mr. Smith, for future reference, a little atmospheric Stalinist detail goes a long, long way. As do a character's interior monologues.
This novel is essentially untouched by an editor's hands, or else a decision was made that readers would put up with plodding through all the added, unnecessary pages in search of more details about the actual mystery.
 Child 44 Stew August 28, 2008
Begin with a rich, flavorful broth (beef, chicken, or, for those on a budget, cat) detailing Stalin-era Russia. Immediately add one MGB officer torn between duty to the State (who mandates there are no such thing as murderers) and an innate duty to find the serial killer who "doesn't exist".
Slowly stir in:
One estranged wife
44 creepy child murders (diced)
One deranged child murderer
One cat (the skinnier the better)
Let simmer. Skim often for clues. and cat hair.
This stark look at communist Russia was an absolute delight to read. I have never learned so much from a book nor been so immersed in a time period.
Tom Smith nails all the details, from cannibalism to unapologetically bleak violence to Leo's internal struggle as he realizes that Stalin's regime and the "worker's paradise" is fundamentally flawed.
From the first sentence--"Since Maria had decided to die her cat would have to fend for itself", I was hooked.
If Smith had chosen to simply write a historical novel, I would be impressed. With the addition of a mystery/thriller, using communist Russia as a stunning backdrop to darker deeds, he creates a literary work of art.
There are no glaring plot holes, the book moves along at a good speed, there are great plot twists, and Smith's writing is elegant, to say the least.
I was particularly impressed with the fact that I didn't see the ending coming from miles away. I pieced it together bit by bit, but I was still (occasionally) taken by surprise-big points to Smith!
This one rates a 8/10.
I look forward to Ridley Scott's interpretation.
Mysterious Russia August 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Set during 1950s Soviet Russia, Child 44 grimly depicts the reality faced by Russian citizens under the rule of Stalin. I was sometimes disturbed by the scenes, but appreciate the research and historical accuracy Smith integrates into his narrative. I felt I was granted an insider's view of this time in Russia's history and the struggles of its people.
Tom Rob Smith has created a wonderful first novel. His ability to weave seemingly disparate elements into a cohesive narrative is impressive. I kept reading simply because I wanted to know how it was all going to come together. I would recommend this to any mystery fan. Of all the recent books of this genre I have read, this is by far the best.
 COMPULSIVELY READABLE WITH A PROPULSIVE NARRATIVE August 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Inspired by the real-life crimes of the infamous Russian serial killer dubbed the "Butcher of Rostov," first-time novelist Tom Rob Smith has crafted a taut, compulsively readable thriller with a propulsive narrative that more than makes up the novel's occasional stylistic and technical shortcomings. In Stalinist Russia, MGB officer Leo Demidov risks everything -- cushy job, beautiful wife, family and life -- to track down the culprit behind a gruesome series of explicitly detailed murders. It turns out that Demidov's biggest enemy is the Soviet system itself and Smith does a thorough job of creating a world where "paranoia was an essential asset." The Kafka-esque absurdities pile up; one of the most delicious is that Demidov's superiors refuse to even acknowledge that a crime has been committed. To be sure, some of the twists and revelations that follow are clumsy or abrupt and Smith has a habit of presenting everything in as sensationalistic a manner as possible without bothering to follow through on the emotional implications for his characters. Nonetheless, this is a top-rate thriller that is ultimately and unexpectedly a touching story about, in the words of one character, putting "trust in the goodness of strangers" in a time and place where everyone is compromised.
 Russian Post WWII Thriller Electrifies! August 14, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
CHILD 44 is one of the very best thrillers released this year. Interwoven stories of Russian domestic spying, psychological analysis, and family and interpersonal relations play out across the country as a plodding true believer wakes up to the crimes going on around him. He tries to make amends by solving a series of crimes that the authorities do not want solved because they will make the "system" look bad. Tom Rob Smith is an amazingly good writer and must have had some terrific editors. When you finish this book, you will, like the rest of us, await the next one. We have a new talent in the field.
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