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Content snapshot
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Violence
Very heavy
Serial killer murders of children depicted in detail; Stalinist torture and execution throughout; the violence is both systemic and intimate
Language
Some
Moderate adult language throughout
Sexual Content
Some
Some adult content; a complicated marriage under extreme pressure
Substance Use
Barely any
None
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
The psychological horror of living under a system that denies reality; the mental cost of being a true believer confronted with truth
What this book is about
MGB officer Leo Demidov, a true believer in the Soviet system, is forced to investigate a series of child murders in a state that officially denies the existence of murder. Tom Rob Smith's debut thriller is a devastating portrait of life under Stalinist terror and a gripping procedural—the two elements tearing at each other throughout.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Child murders depicted in graphic detail
Stalinist torture and execution throughout
Extremely dark—not suitable for younger or sensitive readers
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