Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
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Child 44 is a novel of Stalinist Russia. Leo Demidov works for the state police. There are no local police because Communism has gotten rid of all crime except for treasonous acts against the state. Demidov begins to believe that he might be dealing with a serial killer of children. However, to even suggest such a thing would be treasonous. Therefore, he must work underground to find the answers to his questions.
This book is not fast-paced. The focus is on the characters. Smith wants you to get a real feeling for what it was like for people brought in by Demidov and others who worked the state. When the wheel turns on Demidov and suddenly he is brought in for questioning you can feel the noose tightening on his character.
A wonderful debut that I suspect will make many “best of” lists for 2008.