Hence the Title

56. Child 44

I have been known to declare, “Hence the title!” while watching TV shows and movies.  I learned it from my brother, and I do it without even thinking. Sometimes the reason is obvious and sometimes more obscure; sometimes it is inappropriate.  The Hence the Title moment in Child 44 is rather shocking and made me sit up and exclaim it out loud.  In fact, there were quite a few moments like this and that is why I will say it is truly the most intense and fast paced thriller I have read in some time.  It isn’t a perfect book, but it is certainly an entertaining one.

The set up of the story and atmosphere were really great. A former MGB agent, in post WWII Russia, finds himself on the wrong side of the agency he works for and his life falls apart rather quickly. The stress of knowing that no matter what you do someone can interpret it as a crime is terrifying, and you feel the fear as you read about it all happening to him.

He is sent on an errand to remind a family that the death of their son was an accident and not a murder, as they think, because such things do not happen in their perfect society.  He soon realizes that this was not first murder and decides that someone needs to stop them from happening. The murders are horrible and graphic, and I only learned after reading that they are based on a real case.

The second half of the book felt a bit rushed with some decidedly far-fetched antics. That, and the sappy sweet ending, took a bit of the-thrill-of-it-all out for me, but overall I enjoyed it for what it is. I had zero expectations going in and was pleasantly surprised.