Child 44 Leo Demidov Series, Book 1

In Tom Rob Smith’s gripping thriller, the biggest threat to Leo Demidov is not the serial killer he is hunting but the State he is fighting to protect.In Stalin’s Soviet Union, the State executes disloyal citizens at will. Now a different kind of deadly threat, a child murderer, is on the loose. But in a society that is officially paradise, it’s a crime to suggest that a criminal, let alone a serial killer, is at large. Secret police officer Leo finds himself demoted and denounced by his enemies, his world turned upside down. The only way for him to save himself and his family is to catch a serial killer the State won’t even admit exists."Skillfully drawing on the only totalitarian milieu more frightening than the Nazis, Smith opens the book in a village of starving kulaks, where two young brothers set out in the snow to trap the last local cat that hasn’t been eaten... Nerve-wracking pace and atmosphere camouflage wild coincidences." - Kirkus Reviews"This is a truly remarkable debut novel. Child 44 is a rare blend of great insight, excellent writing, and a refreshingly original story. Favorable comparisons to Gorky Park are inevitable, but Child 44 is in a class of its own." - Nelson DeMille.Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44 was, for its time, an unusual Booker Prize choice. Based on the true case of a Soviet child murderer, readers could treat the book as a thriller or as something more ambitious. Child 44 was the first part of a trilogy, followed by The Secret Speech (2009) and Agent 6 (2011). Before writing fiction, Smith had a job in Phnom Penh working for the BBC, scripting storylines for Cambodia’s first soap opera. More recently, he was series creator for both the BBC’s London Spy and MotherFatherSon. DON'T MISS THE NEW TOM ROB SMITH NOVEL, COLD PEOPLE , OUT NOW! OVER 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD MOSCOW, 1953. Under Stalin's terrifying regime, families live in fear. When the all-powerful State claims there is no such thing as crime, who dares disagree? AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER IN OVER 30 LANGUAGES An ambitious secret police officer, Leo Demidov believes he's helping to build the perfect society. But when he uncovers evidence of a killer at large – a threat the state won't admit exists – Demidov must risk everything, including the lives of those he loves, in order to expose the truth. A THRILLER UNLIKE ANY YOU HAVE EVER READ But what if the danger isn't from the killer he is trying to catch, but from the country he is fighting to protect? Nominated for seventeen international awards and inspired by a real-life investigation , CHILD 44 is a relentless story of love, hope and bravery in a totalitarian world. From the screenwriter of the acclaimed television series, THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY. An amazingly assured and exciting debut set in Soviet Russia, 1953. Child 44 has wonderfully realised sense of all-pervading fear and the desperateness of a chilling race against time. In Stalin's Soviet Union, crime does not exist. But still millions live in fear. The mere suspicion of disloyalty to the State, the wrong word at the wrong time, can send an innocent person to his execution. Officer Leo Demidov, an idealistic war hero, believes he's building a perfect society. But after witnessing the interrogation of an innocent man, his loyalty begins to waver, and when ordered to investigate his own wife, Raisa, Leo is forced to choose where his heart truly lies. Then the impossible happens. A murderer is on the loose, killing at will, and every belief Leo has ever held is shattered. Denounced by his enemies and exiled from home, with only Raisa by his side, he must risk everything to find a criminal that the State won't admit even exists. On the run, Leo soon... ϡ쯦랠 CRIME & MYSTERY. In Stalin's Soviet Union, crime does not exist. But still millions live in fear. The mere suspicion of disloyalty to the State, the wrong word at the wrong time, can send an innocent person to his execution. Idealistic officer Leo Demidov believes he's building a perfect society. But after witnessing the interrogation of an innocent man, his loyalty begins to waver, and when ordered to investigate his own wife, Raisa, Leo is forced to choose where his heart truly lies. Then the impossible happens. A murderer is on the loose, killing at will, and every belief Leo has ever held is shattered. Denounced by his enemies and exiled from home, with only Raisa by his side, he must risk everything to find a criminal that the State won't admit even exists. On the run, Leo soon discovers the danger isn't from the killer he is trying to catch, but from the country he is trying to protect Now A Major Movie, Directed By Daniel Espinosa And Starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace And Gary Oldman. For Fans Of Robert Harris, John Le Carre And Martin Cruz Smith Comes A Gripping Thriller Set In Moscow, 1953. Under Stalin's Terrifying Regime Families Live In Fear. When The All-powerful State Claims There Is No Such Thing As Crime, Who Dares Disagree? An Ambitious Secret Police Officer, Leo Demidov Has Spent His Career Arresting Anyone Who Steps Out Of Line. Suddenly His World Is Turned Upside Down When He Uncovers Evidence Of A Killer At Large. Now, With Only His Wife At His Side, Leo Must Risk Both Their Lives To Save The Lives Of Others. Inspired By A Real-life Investigation, Child 44is A Relentless Story Of Love, Hope And Bravery In A Totalitarian World. It Is A Thriller Unlike Any You Have Ever Read. MGB officer Leo is a man who never questions the Party Line. He arrests whomever he is told to arrest. He dismisses the horrific death of a young boy because he is told to, because he believes the Party stance that there can be no murder in Communist Russia. Leo is the perfect soldier of the regime. But suddenly his confidence that everything he does serves a great good is shaken. He is forced to watch a man he knows to be innocent be brutally tortured. And then he is told to arrest his own wife. Leo understands how the State works: Trust and check, but check particularly on those we trust. He faces a stark choice: his wife or his life. And still the killings of children continue ... Handlingen foregår i Russland på begynnelsen av 1900-tallet. Vi følger to sultne små gutter på jakt etter en husløs katt som de kanskje kan fange og spise. I stedet blir de forgiftet av en mann som også er ute etter mat, og en av guttene forsvinner. 20 år senere blir en offiser i det hemmelige politiet avslørt for forræderi av en kollega. Under flukten snubler han borti en serie med barnemord, og setter sin egen sikkerhet i fare for å komme til bunns i saken Set in the Soviet Union in 1953, Tom Rob Smith's debut novel is both a thriller and a harrowing portrayal of the terror inflicted upon people by their own governments. An officer of the Ministry of State Security risks everything - even becoming an enemy of the state - to find a killer The multimillion-copy international bestseller is now a major movie starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and Gary Oldman