Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

Child 44

Tom Rob Smith

A State security agent hunts a serial killer in 1950's Stalinist Russia. But which is the bigger monster - a remorseless child murderer or the society which refuses to acknowledge his existence? A not very thrilling thriller becomes a powerful story as the pace accelerates and the tension builds. This was so not my kind of book, but in the end I couldn't put it down.

Extract
Leo fell silent. Anyone could regret their actions once the tables had been turned. He understood, more clearly than ever, that his only chance of redemption had slipped through his fingers. The killer would continue to kill, concealed not by any masterful brilliance but by his country's refusal to admit that such a man even existed, wrapping him in perfect immunity.
Parallels
  • Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith
  • Death of a Murderer by Rupert Thomson