An accomplished mystery that blends organically with its chosen setting, Child 44 is a genuinely gripping read.
My buddy-reader and I have our own littAn accomplished mystery that blends organically with its chosen setting, Child 44 is a genuinely gripping read.
My buddy-reader and I have our own little TBR, and this has been on it for at least a year. We finally started it in January of 2022 and were having amazing discussions about it... mainly because it's one of the few books where we haven't been grumpy about skill and style. Child 44 is well crafted, no debate, and that left us wide open to focus on the story itself.
But then Russia loudly took center stage as current real-life villains, and suddenly this historical suspense novel set in Stalin's Soviet Union felt like...too much. Not bad, just a doubling down of atrocity that made it hard to escape the realities of our world right now. So, we took a step back and moved on to rabidly judging the skill and style of Sanderson and set Child 44 aside.
I picked at it off and on, by myself, until the mystery got its feet under it and started gaining momentum.
There's been a string of children killed across a region, and MGB agent LEO Demidov begins making connections between the incidents. In a country where the state has decreed that its citizens are happy and murder doesn't exist, trying to catch a killer is more dangerous than you know.
Smith uses the setting expertly, highlighting the atmosphere of oppression, fear, and distrust while Leo must face his crisis of conscience. During a time when people had to turn on neighbours and even family to ensure their own survival, the book is an exciting exploration of which moral lines are uncrossable.
Also fascinating was the examination of Leo and Raisa's marriage and how it evolves.
There are a few logic leaps in the investigation, and the somewhat broadcasted 'twist' was far-fetched without a bit more supporting set-up, but overall this was really good. Well written, fast-moving, but with enough attention to the human side of things. I'd recommend this widely....more
Michelle F
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