Excellent follow up to Child 44. This book continues the life of leo and his wife Raisa in Russia after the death od Stalin. The Secret Speech refers to a speech given by Nikita Krushchev in which he is critical of Stalin's repressive tactics. Leo's past comes back to haunt him, which leads him to the Siberian Gulags and Hungary. Not as fast paced as Child 44, but an enjoyable read. ( )

not as good as the first one - same characters. ( )

Last year, I read Chlid 44 and loved it. The sequel, The Secret Speech, is newly released and has received mixed reviews. Happily, I liked this as much the first book, in ways more, since The Secret Speech relied much less heavily on coincidence, while retaining the elements of revenge and survival in the Soviet Union.

The Secret Speech refers to a speech given by Nikita Krushchev in which he is critical of Stalin's repressive tactics. Leo, the former secret policeman, has been given a small, secret homicide department. He's living his life as best he can, with his wife Raisa and the two girls they encountered in the first book. Things don't remain hopeful for long, though and the book takes us through Moscow's criminal underworld, the gulag and the Hungarian uprising of 1956. ( )

Sequel to Child 44, the initial reaction is that it's not quite as good. Where Child 44 was a very fast paced and un-put-down-able detective story, this one is different. Three years have passed and Leo is head of the homocide unit of the Moscow militia when two things happen at the same time: Khrushchev gives a speech admitting that, under Stalin's rule, the state wrongly accused, imprisioned, tortured and excuted people out of all proportion to their crimes, and someone from Leo's early days as a state security officer who was among the wrongly accused is released from prison and subsequently abducts his adopted daughter, Zoya. The girl is being held hostage until another prisoner, still being held in a Siberian gulag, is released. With support from his superiors, Leo goes undercover as a prisoner to the gulag to help the man escape. When that episode turns out unexpectedly, Leo then follows the kidnapper to Budapest during the Hungarian revolution (1956).

The focus in this book is not on Leo and his skill as an investigator. He is not the one who is uncovering the truth - rather, it is simply revealed as events unfold. The focus in this book is on how different people at all levels of the system - from high ranking party officials down to the criminal element - justify their behavoir in light of the "changing" Soviet Union after Khrushchev's comments. Is a person individually culpable when they were acting under direct orders? When they believed they were acting in the best interest of the State? When they were acting in fear of their own lives? When what was then acceptable is now wrong? I found this book to be much more thought-provoking as it provides another chilling look into the oppression and deceit that occurred behind the Iron Curtain. ( )

The Secret Speech
Author: Tom Rob Smith
ISBN: 0-446-40240-0, Pages: 416, $24.99, Publication Date: May 19, 2009, Hardcover, Fiction, Published by Grand Central Publishing

Fresh on the heels of his outstanding debut novel Child 44, author Tom Rob Smith unveils his sequel, The Secret Speech. So widely acclaimed was Child 44 that it swept up to high rankings on the prestigious New York Times Best Seller List. When Smith captured many awards in his native London, his success was assured as a widely accepted new thriller writer.

Main character, Leo Demidov, was responsible for hundreds of arrests and interrogations. He was a bad man who was following orders, but at the same time had become hardened to the need for decency in the way he treated others. He was brutal in the manner in which he quested for confessions under the guise of following orders from his superiors. Times changed under Khrushchev and his job changed, as did he, to now being in charge of investigations for murders pursuing justice on behalf of murder victims. The Secret Speech is the story of Leo and how he survives as he returns to intrigue, suspense, and violence. This is an adventurous thriller about the treacherous lives led by those who were in power in Russia after Stalin

Raisa, Leo’s wife, and their two daughters are put in jeopardy by a vengeful wife of one of the people who Leo had previously imprisoned. One of his daughters is kidnapped and the other is hospitalized. He is then forced to accede to that wife’s demands to get her husband freed. Leo travels undercover as a prisoner to the Siberian Gulag (prison) where the husband is being kept. In an effort to bring his wife and children together again, a series of dangerous escapades involving Leo become perilous, murderous, and downright gruesome. He experiences a wild trip at sea in a prison ship through a storm, and then he becomes a prisoner in the Gulag, and is imprisoned with some people who he had caused to be there years before.

After about 50 pages of reading full impact is realized. The Secret Speech is disclosed. Premier Khrushchev’s secret manifesto is distributed to the entire nation exposing the wrongs which had been committed under Stalin. This is the start of the split in the Soviet Union and more action ensues in the Hungarian uprising.

The Secret Speech is a novel which uses actual historical facts to base its woven fabric into fiction and becomes very entertaining. Tom Rob Smith is an author to be followed through his career. At 30 years old, he promises to be a successful writer. Highly recommended! ( )