Pre-war Russia, meet serial killer

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is good beach-reading material for those who like a darker, CSI meets pre-WWII Russia suspense-filled tale. The cold, spare, fast-moving story is a departure from my usual girly wrought-with-feelings-and-emotions lit picks.

The story follows war-hero Leo, a government true-believer under Stalin's regime, through his fall from grace and subsequent scramble to stay alive while trying to crack the case of Russia's first serial killer.

A quick read, but it didn't capture or captivate me.

Written by Tom Rob Smith, whom I want to make fun of for having two monosyllabic first names, it's a first novel and unbelievably detailed as such. Well, he did go to Cambridge after all.