“Agent 6” by Tom Rob Smith – Digging Up Skeletons

The previous two entries in the Child 44 trilogy by Tom Rob Smith were each unique in their own rights, and now that everything has been fully-fleshed out and developed, the time has come for our beloved Leo Demidov to set out on an epic journey of vengeance in the name of his family, who met a very tragic end after being lured to New York City under the pretense of being invited to a "Peace Tour". 

With absolutely nothing left to lose, Leo Demidov sets out with the determination of a juggernaut to find out the truth about the conspiracy he and his family found themselves in neck-deep. Being denied the request to formally investigate his family’s murder, Demidov understands that it’s up to him to find out what happened. 

And so, he sets out on a three-decade journey which takes him across the world, from the cruel mountains of Afghanistan all the way to the dark and seedy New York alleys, Leo goes through it all in search for the one person who can shed light on all that has been happening: Agent 6.

Unlike the previous two novels, this one doesn’t really spend much time dwelling on the Soviet way of life. Naturally, there is still more than enough of that to go around, but it’s far from being a focus this time around. No, we are instead presented with a breathtaking epic tale which spans across three decades (that’s not an exaggeration by any means).

This time around though, Leo Demidov is truly a changed man in the sense that his inner debates about political regimes and whether the laws he followed and justice were one and the same no longer matter to him: he lost all he could hope to care for in his family, turning him into a person who truly fears nothing anymore, apart from dying before finding the truth. And correct if I’m wrong, but isn't it always fascinating to see how far people can go when there is absolutely nothing holding them back anymore?

One aspect of this book which I found absolutely fascinating was Agent 6’s ever-growing presence. By that I mean that even though we don’t see much of the character (at least when compared to Demidov), he still manages to kind of steal the show. With every detail we learn about him he becomes increasingly mysterious, if that makes any sense (the more you look into something, the more questions arise, and the less you know), and consequently, starts to take up an increasingly important role in the book. 

I think it can very well be compared to Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (1979), played by Marlon Brando. Even though he had very little screen time, Brando’s character was the central focus of the story and the mystery surrounding him captivated the viewer’s attention unlike anything else.

All in all, this is definitely a worthy conclusion to the trilogy, providing us with mystery, murder, violence, conspiracy, as well as countless thrills, twists and turns. If you have read the previous two entries and are wondering as to whether you should spend your time on this, I recommend that you close your eyes to any reviews, and simply get the book, read it and enjoy it for what it is: an epic ride that doesn’t let up until the end. 

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Tom Rob Smith Tom Rob Smith is an English writer who graduated in 2001 from St John's College in Cambridge. He then received the Harper Wood Studentship for English Poetry and Literature, and once his studies were completed he became a writer and script editor. In 2008 he published his first novel, Child 44 on the morose subject of the demented Andre Chikatilo, an effort which earned him the 2008 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for best thriller of the year.