Child 44
Child 44, Book 1
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Child 44
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Narrated by:
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Jamie Parker
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By:
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Tom Rob Smith
About this listen
AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER IN OVER 30 LANGUAGES
A THRILLER UNLIKE ANY YOU HAVE EVER READ
MOSCOW, 1953.
Under Stalin’s terrifying regime, families live in fear. When the all-powerful State claims there is no such thing as crime, who dares disagree?
An ambitious secret police officer, Leo Demidov believes he’s helping to build the perfect society. But when he uncovers evidence of a killer at large – a threat the state won’t admit exists – Demidov must risk everything, including the lives of those he loves, in order to expose the truth.
But what if the danger isn’t from the killer he is trying to catch, but from the country he is fighting to protect?
Nominated for seventeen international awards and inspired by a real-life investigation, CHILD 44 is a relentless story of love, hope and bravery in a totalitarian world. From the screenwriter of the acclaimed television series, THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY.©2008 Tom Rob Smith (P)2008 Simon & Schuster, UK
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What listeners say about Child 44
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jeffrey Healy
- 27-01-23
Fantastic thriller!
A very sobering insight into Stalinist Russia and how corruption penetrates every level of society.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Blue_23
- 28-08-23
More compelling, thought provoking than enjoyable
Authors want to capture their audience in their first lines, first chapter, and Tom Rob Smith certainly does that. The story opens in 1933. Two starving young children hunt, ensnare an emancipated cat for food, but they were not alone hunting for meat, the older brother is taken, such is the existence of families during the Ukraine famine.
Fast forward twenty years and a series of horrific child murders are taking place but as 'there is no crime' in this totalitarian society, there is no official investigation.
This is a bleak but compelling, all too believable portrayal of life under Starlin's grim regime where 'for the greater good' people live in fear of the state, where no-one is above suspicion, where presumption of guilt not innocence is the norm.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- cliffaw
- 14-02-23
Suffer Little Children
This made me think long and hard as to why I choose to listen to so many books featuring murder as their theme. I can't say i 'enjoyed' this book, very well written though it is, and it would be a strange person that claimed they were 'entertained' by it. There are so many 'victims' here and we are introduced to them personally before whatever trauma happens to befall them. This is a difficult listen and is not for the faint of heart.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-06-23
Excellent brutal human drama
I loved it. I came in cold knowing nothing about these books and downloaded the rest of his work straight after. Motors along without a second wasted and includes some of the best action scenes I’ve read in ages along with crime drama, soviet history exploration and general human drama. The idea of solving a crime when the soviet system means you can’t admit a crime can exist gives a really interesting twist to a neat and perfectly crafted crime thriller. Just buy it’s great
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-06-23
Loved it.
As I was listening to this book I wanted everybody I spoke to to read it and have now bought a couple of copies to give to friends and family. Narration is great, story is fantastic.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Scott Matthews
- 22-12-22
It’s a twister!
An enjoyable if sometimes harrowing yarn set in 1953 Soviet Union but with roots in the early 1930s. Many threads are created and woven together. The worst excesses and implications of the evil empire that was communist Russia are laid bare.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alex Cooper
- 12-10-23
A riveting listen
Brilliantly read. A really shocking book in it’s telling of Stalinist Russia but with a great story interwoven with it. Highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sophie
- 14-08-24
Fantastic story
A fabulous story with a lot of history based on life during the Stalin era. Couldn’t stop listening to it
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pauline C.
- 29-11-23
Distracting sounds
Brilliant thriller.
However, the reader repeatedly makes a lot of what I can only describe as 'wet mouth sounds' - i.e audible swallowing of saliva, wetting of lips, slimy mouth smacking at the beginning of a sentence.
Horribly off-putting and difficult to stay immersed in the story when I'm constantly feeling repulsed and uncomfortable. It's something I can only put down to lazy editing as, having a large audible library, this is something I've never encountered - presumably because such sounds get diligently edited out.
Such a shame, makes it a chore to sit through in some parts.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- areyousittingcomfortably?
- 17-09-24
Propulsive, dark, immersive
Satisfying plot. Convincing depiction of Stalin era’s grimness. Steadily increasing tension. Multiple layers: thriller, historical novel, morality tale.
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