DP54Cover - Deadly Pleasures

REVIEWED REVIEWED TO TO DEATH
DEATH
Deadly Pleasures
SCHILD 44 by Tom Rob Smith
(Grand Central, $24.99, April, 2008)
Bev DeWeese
From the first page, CHILD 44 is a brutal, mesmerizing story. In 1953, a young boy
is found dead in Moscow with dirt in his mouth and part of his stomach removed. However,
Leo Demidov, an extremely loyal member of the State Security Force, is terribly annoyed
when he is ordered to investigate this incident. After all, the murder of anyone, especially a
child, is not a crime that officially exists, and Leo has important dissidents to arrest. But then
he stumbles over another murdered child, and he reluctantly begins to think that “murder, “as
opposed to lawful state executions, might actually exist. Of course, no one else accepts his
idea, and Leo quickly realizes how difficult it is to investigate something that simply does not
exist. But, as other similar murders occur, Leo risks his career and his life because he must
know who is killing these children.
Russians in the 1930s endured incredible starvation and hardship. So, in the 1950s,
Leo, like many other citizens, is blindingly loyal to a government that, though cruel, has
generally helped a lot of Russians. Now they have some food, and housing is available, though
there are 6-10 people in a 2-room apartment. Of course, the state does arrest people rather
capriciously, and no one trusts anyone. At one point, Leo even suspects his own wife, and he
legitimately mistrusts his superiors and co-workers. So, when he investigates a “murder,” he
is putting himself and his family in grave danger, for he too could be accused of treason.
In some ways, this is a difficult book to read because Smith often shows that people
are forced to do despicable things so they and their children can survive. The near starvation,
the casual cruelty, the loss of hope, and the constant fear of the government are pervasive.
(Pet warning, a cat is killed for food.)
Still, Smith tells a fascinating story of a damaged, sometimes sympathetic serial killer.
Totally unfamiliar with homicide investigation and without any forensics equipment, Leo
doggedly persists in tracking down his suspect. With no training, he relies on observation and
common sense. And, because of his search for the murderer, he almost loses his wife, his job,
and his life. Finally, Leo’s inner struggle to believe that “murder” exists is a very unique,
interesting part of the book.
Though the serial killer plot is not terribly original, it is powerful and we want to see
Leo face the killer. Actually, some readers may guess the killer’s identity before Leo, but it
is still a chilling denouement. Because of the unusual hook (crime does not exist) and because
of the vivid writing, I would definitely recommend this book. Rating: A-
Maggie Mason
I really enjoyed this book. Though it started out well, during the first third or so, I was
easily distracted. The last two-thirds of the book were much more compelling. I felt as if I were
really living the life of a Cold-War Russian citizen. There was some brutality in the book, but
it was very necessary to the story and in keeping with the time being portrayed. A truly
impressive debut novel. Unique. Rating: A
Marv Lachman
The first two-thirds of CHILD 44 certainly lived up to all its advance praise. Besides
being a story of a serial killer of children, it presented a harrowing picture of the starvation
wrought by Stalin’s campaign against peasants not ready to give their land to the state. It also
presents a sobering picture of the kind of thought control and fear present in the Soviet regime.
Such is the paranoia that almost any activity or even thoughts can lead to someone being called
a traitor and tortured. (This history is worth remembering currently when ex-KGB agent
Vladimir Putin is considered just another world leader). Even basically decent security agent
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