CHILD 44 by Tom Rob Smith

If you like novels with tightly woven original plots, then you should enjoy Child 44. This thriller was written by Tom Rob Smith, a British author. It was his first novel. It has been described as being a “relentless page-turner” and I have to agree with that description.

In the novel, the writer does an excellent job of describing the paranoid world of the Soviet Union in the 1950s. It is described as a time when “there is no crime.”

Because the main character, Leo Demidov, is idealistic he goes from being a proud MGB officer to being demoted and arrested.

This is the story of love in a world where it would be easy to suspect your spouse. It is a story about finding a child murderer in a world where that kind of crime is not even recognized. The writer touches on many topics including the social paranoia in the Soviet Union, the Soviet school and police systems, orphanages, and homosexuality.

Child 44 is based on a real soviet serial killer named Andrei Chikatilo who was convicted and executed for over 50 murders in the Soviet Union.

The author has published two additional book which feature Child 44′s main character, Leo Demidov. These books are titled Agent 6 and The Secret Speech. I have not read these last two novels but I plan on doing so.

All three novels are available in Kindle format and can be purchased at Amazon.com.

Life of a Writer: A Writer’s “Free Time”

So busy…. so busy…

I truly believe that if one is serious about writing there is NEVER any free time. Because if a serious writer has “free time” it is spent writing. So, by definition, writer’s have no free time.

This has been a busy week. I entered the current contest at MoviePoet.  The challenge this month was to write a short script (5 pages or less) with only have two characters. The characters  must not have met, talked, or written each other before they meet. There were 34 entries and, when I enter these contests, I commit to reviewing the other entries. So, I’ve been doing that. I consider reviewing other writer’s work as part of my writing because I always learn from the task at hand.

I am up to page 30 on the ANGEL’S KISS, DEVIL’S MARK screenplay. This story is the sequel to my novel and screenplay titled WINDFALL.  My initial plan was to write the companion novel to go with the screenplay but I’m starting to falter on that plan. The story will make a good film but I am not convinced it will make a decent novel.

Most of my writing time has been spent on FINDING VERITY,  my current novel. Word count is almost 64,000 words and I am really loving this project. My goal is to have the first draft completed by June 1!

When the first draft is finished, I’ll be looking for “first readers.” If you’re interested, please send me an email!

The Chair: A Novel by James Rubart

This story is based on the premise that Jesus Christ made a chair that still exists today. Does the chair heal? Does it hold unique powers? That is what is explored in the story.

The protagonist, an antique dealer named Corin Roscoe, is given this chair, and the writer shows Corin’s growth, from doubting the chair to a belief of sorts.

Who gave him the chair? Any why? This is explored in the story. And, as other people learn about the chair, numerous antagonists pursue it and the plot thickens.

The protagonist loves extreme sports and, in my opinion, the writer spent too much time on the sports angle of the story but, despite this, I enjoyed the story

Rubart’s writing style is straight-forward and easy to read. I don’t think many people will be disappointed with this story.  I found the book to be a “quick read.”