[VCU]⋙ PDF Gratis Child 44 The Child 44 Trilogy Tom Rob Smith 9780446402392 Books

Child 44 The Child 44 Trilogy Tom Rob Smith 9780446402392 Books

Download As PDF : Child 44 The Child 44 Trilogy Tom Rob Smith 9780446402392 Books

Child 44 The Child 44 Trilogy Tom Rob Smith 9780446402392 Books

I first saw the movie based on Child 44. Intrigued, I wanted to read the book. So glad I did--great story, lots of suspense, a real page turner. I enjoy historical fiction, because I want to learn something new as I'm enjoying a story. I was born before Stalin's death and grew up during the Cold War, a very fearful time I well remember as a child. Most students of history know about the horrid days of Stalin's USSR--but to really understand the terror, it takes a book that tells a story of realistic characters that flesh out what those times were really like. Child 44 is a book that does that well. I'll be purchasing the other two books in the series, knowing that the era of Nikita Khrushchev has begun at the end of Child 44. Highly recommend!!!


Tags : Child 44 (The Child 44 Trilogy) [Tom Rob Smith] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <B>A relentless page-turner.</B><BR><B>A terrifying evocation of a paranoid world where no one can be trusted.</B><BR><B>A surprising,Tom Rob Smith,Child 44 (The Child 44 Trilogy),Grand Central Publishing,0446402397,Secret service;Soviet Union;Fiction.,Soviet Union;History;1925-1953;Fiction.,Suspense fiction.,1925-1953,ENGLISH HISTORICAL FICTION,ENGLISH MYSTERY & SUSPENSE FICTION,Fiction,Fiction - Espionage Thriller,Fiction Historical,Fiction Thrillers General,Fiction-Thriller,Former European Soviet States,General Adult,History,MASS MARKET,Secret service,Soviet Union,Suspense fiction,Thrillers - General,United States

Child 44 The Child 44 Trilogy Tom Rob Smith 9780446402392 Books Reviews

I know I write a lot of positive reviews. I rarely write a review if I didn’t like a book, or didn’t finish it. If the story entertained me, and the writing was decent, I’ll give a book at least three stars, sometimes four. Rarely, however, do I come across a book like this one eloquently written, fascinating, expertly paced, with a well-researched setting, and believably flawed, yet heroic characters. I picked this book up because the library’s mystery book club is reading it for February’s meeting. I looked at the number of pages, and figured I’d better start it early in the month, so I could finish it in time. Then I raced through it. Finished it in about three days. I read a hundred pages at a whack, at least, sometimes more.
The setting is a story in itself newly communist Russia under Stalin’s rule (1930’s through 50’s). The government proclaimed that the crime rate was exceptionally low, so it had to be. The police decide that a child’s death is accidental, even though his mouth has been filled with something resembling dirt, and his stomach has been surgically removed. The father is MGB (Moscow police), and he insists his four-year-old son, Arkady, was murdered, but the other officers close the case, labeling it an accidental death. The child was playing by the railroad tracks and must have been hit by a train. “Efficiency was far more important than the truth.”
Leo, a detective, and the main character, goes along to get along. He understands and complies with the code. The job of detecting consists of chasing down a suspect and torturing him into confessing.
Due to the state’s insistence that there is an exceptionally low crime rate, and the efficiency with which any crimes are solved and criminals punished, several child murders are “solved”, and not connected. Arkady’s is an accident, another murder is blamed on a disabled teenager, another on a homosexual. People are rounded up, and either imprisoned or executed.
There’s a serial killer on the loose, and he’s murdering children at an alarming rate. Even if the state wasn’t in denial about his rampage, these cases would be difficult to solve in a world with no technology, but the fact that law enforcement is not allowed to use common sense and even rudimentary detection techniques makes the apprehension of this killer impossible. Until…
Enter Leo and his wife, Raisa, an elementary school teacher. That’s all I’m going to write about the plot, except that it’s ingenious and captivating. I already ordered the other two books in the trilogy.
This book perfectly captures the paranoia and propaganda of counties controlled by communist parties, such as Russia and PR China.

I was surprised by the many similarities of these two countries. Even today, I still hear people say that they missed Chairman Mao's time, because of the low crime rate. What a joke!

I was born after all of the dark days of China and was raised by my grandparents. So many surviving stories told by my grandparents during their struggle under the controls of Mao's China. For instance, the stories about being unable to trust anyone, including your direct family members. My grandma had been asked to denounce my grandfather directly by the communist party officer after my grandfather was arrested for the crime of being an anti revolutionary. His name was cleared a few years before I was born which was in 70's.

If you want to understand the emotional struggles of these times, read the book.

If you want to read a good thriller about a serial killer, read this book as well.

Highly recommend!
Child 44 is a book I never would have picked up on my own. It's this month's book club selection. When I began reading it, I had no knowledge of what I might be getting into or even what the book was about. The first chapter turned my stomach, painting a picture of starvation, bitter cold and fear in 1933 Russia. Honestly, I thought I was headed for a twisted version of The Hunger Games.

But I hung in there. The story fast forwards twenty years. Leo is a rising star in the MGB, the state security force. He's assigned to look into the death of child, whose family insists he was murdered. The communist state brushes the child's death off as an accident. Leo is a war hero, who loves his country, is loyal and follows the state party line. His wife Raisa, is a teacher who goes along with the state as a way to survive. When Leo discovers that a serial killer is on the loose, he and Raisa go against the state and set out to find the criminal.

Child 44 is full of twists and turns. It's a page turner, so be prepared. What struck me the most however, is the range of emotion that this story could evoke. The evil torture of the government on its citizens disgusted me. The cunning of a killer toward children made me cringe. And the tenderness of the love story between Leo and Raisa, brought tears to my eyes.

What a book can make me feel is the gauge I use to rate a story. After the first ten pages, I never thought I could make it through this book. Since it's so rare that I don't finish a book, I kept going. Child 44 is a wonderfully written thriller. The story's "Ah Hah" moment is perfectly placed, releasing some of the tension, but not revealing all the answers the reader is anxious to learn. Mr. Smith's writing style is superb. The subject matter, Stalinist Russia, is a tough one especially for someone like me, who has always lived in a free society. Child 44 opened my eyes to the reality of life in a communist state in the 1950's.

And that's what I love about book club. I'm forced to go outside my comfort zone and learn something new, which is a good thing.
I first saw the movie based on Child 44. Intrigued, I wanted to read the book. So glad I did--great story, lots of suspense, a real page turner. I enjoy historical fiction, because I want to learn something new as I'm enjoying a story. I was born before Stalin's death and grew up during the Cold War, a very fearful time I well remember as a child. Most students of history know about the horrid days of Stalin's USSR--but to really understand the terror, it takes a book that tells a story of realistic characters that flesh out what those times were really like. Child 44 is a book that does that well. I'll be purchasing the other two books in the series, knowing that the era of Nikita Khrushchev has begun at the end of Child 44. Highly recommend!!!