During the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin crime did not exist, so the discovery of the mutilated body of a child is officially covered up. Lev Demidov, a Russian war hero and security officer, believes the official lie, even when the son of a co-worker is found murdered on a railroad track. Demoted to the provinces through the machinations of an envious subordinate, Demidov comes across another murder committed in the same brutal way. The hunt for the serial killer of at least 44 children ends in with a strange revelation.
The prose is flat but the description of life under Stalin is interesting. On publication, the book received much critical praise in the UK, and was one of 13 books longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. (The White Tiger by Avavind Adiga won.) Smith’s second and latest book, The Secret Speech, also features Lev Demidov. I've decided pass on the newer one.
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