My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith follows the story of a simple Russian mad caught up in the times. He is a normal guy trying to make his way in Stalinist Russia where everyone is waiting to turn in the their neighbor, best friend or sister to the officials. People never come back and Leo is the reason why. Until one day, when the shoe is on the other foot. Wanted as a traitor, Leo and his wife set off to discover who is killing Russia’s children.
What I really loved about this story, is that it is more than mystery. The mystery is used to drive the plot but the life and experiences of the characters are center stage. We are drawn into Leo’s somewhat complicated marriage. We are made to see what like in Stalin’s Russia might have been like. We see Leo’s office politics and how they play out with life and death consequences. There are so many interesting things happening the story that the mystery is more of a background story.
I will say, the ending is a little over the top for me. If the ending, were a little different this would have been a 4 star read for me. Still, there are so many good things going for this book, I think you should take the time to read it!
The Booky Mom 