What Have I Been Reading?

I just finished first-time author Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44.  I tried it several months ago but I had too many things going on in my life and I couldn’t push past the early awkwardness that we see often in fantastic books.  Beth read it recently and recommended it up and down so I went to the library and gave it a second try.  That was earlier this week.  Oooooh, was this good.  And I have it on good authority there’s a 2nd book!!

The story takes place in the Soviet Union, starting out in January of 1933 in the village of Chervoy.  This village is so poor the people are literally starving to death after having eaten all of their pets and any animal they can find in the woods.  One woman lets her cat go, hoping he will escape, because she can’t bare to eat him.

Pavel spots this cat and takes his brother Andrei with him in an attempt to trap it, kill it and give it to their mother so that they may eat.  They are successful in catching the cat but unbeknownst to Andrei, Pavel is approached by a strange man, knocked over the head, placed in a burlap sack and driven miles away.

The book next picks up 20 years later in Moscow.  Leo Demidov is a member of the MGB – The State Security force.  He is a war hero and holds a prestigious position with the MGB.  As a result he and his wife live in a very nice apartment, as do his parents.  He is asked to investigate the possible murder of a child, as his parents insist was the case.  The MGB, on the other hand, believe the 4-year-old boy simply ended up on the train tracks, was hit by the train and was dragged, killing him.  The father, who is a lesser figure of the MGB and a friend of Leo, points out that the child was found naked, on his back, mouth filled with dirt and his stomach cut out.   He also indicates there was a witness who saw his son walking with a man carrying some sort of satchel.

Unfortunately, not only does Leo have another case on his mind but when the State Security force says there is no case then there is nothing an officer can do, and the case of his friend’s son was closed.

As is also the way of the law for the MGB, once a citizen is found to be suspicious of any activity for whatever reason, that person is automatically found guilty.  Leo was investigating a man and found no evidence of wrong-doing, but when the man realized he was being followed he fled, knowing that regardless of whether or not he did anything he would be found guilty and jailed or executed.  Leo headed up the search and it was he who found the man but because he humiliated a lesser officer during the arrest, that officer managed to place suspicion on his wife Raisa, and Leo was assigned to investigate the matter.  When he refused to denounce her and the end of the investigation, Leo was demoted and he and Raisa were forced to move to another city where they lived in squalor, knowing that at any moment they could be arrested and executed for any reason the MGB came up with.

While in his new world, Leo learns about more child murders and with the help of his wife and his new superior officer, an investigation is undertaken.

That’s all I can say.  There’s so much more and I feel like I told too much!!  There are twists and turns and surprises and upsets until the very end of the book, up to the very last page.  Oh my friends, what a terrific can’t-put-down book!