Quick Book Reviews Blog

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. 

In the previous novel by Tom Rob Smith, Child 44 , we were presented with an unbelievably strict and authoritarian Soviet Union where the government and law enforcement agencies reigned supreme. Thankfully however, even dictators are human and can succumb to death, which is precisely what happened in the second part of the trilogy, The Secret Speech .  The year is 1956, and with Stalin’s death some sizable reforms are expected to arrive to the Soviet Union, with his successor, Khrushchev, promising things to be different from now on… and oh boy, he couldn't be more right. With the iron fist having considerably loosened its grasp, many have seen an opportunity to truly live and blossom.

Even though Stalin ’s Soviet Union may not have lasted a very long time, at least in comparison to other political regimes, it hasn't failed to leave quite a sizable mark on our history, mostly due to the genocide of dozens of millions of people.  Despite the fact that it was a tyrannical reign which broke the lives of countless people, it remains a somewhat fascinating look at what life would really be like should be we be subjected to the iron-fisted and law-driven rule of madman. In Child 44 , Tom Rob Smith explores life in this setting through Leo Demidov, a war hero and security officer who strongly believes in the rule of law and in Stalin’s righteousness.