"Child 44" is a thriller novel by Tom Rob Smith, first published in 2008. The story is set in the Soviet Union in the 1950s and follows the life of Leo Demidov, a former MGB agent who is now working as a homicide detective. When a child is found murdered, Demidov is tasked with finding the killer, but his investigation is hindered by a government that denies the existence of crime and insists that there can be no murders in a socialist state. As Demidov digs deeper, he realizes that there may be a serial killer at large, and that he himself may be in danger for pursuing the truth. Along the way, he is aided by his wife, Raisa, and by his former adversary, Vasili, as they work to uncover the dark secrets of the Soviet regime. The novel is a gripping and suspenseful page-turner that also offers a sobering look at the oppressive and paranoid world of Stalinist Russia.
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