Tom Rob Smith's first novel, Child 44 was an international publishing sensation. Not just an immediate New York Times bestseller, it was one of the most critically acclaimed books of the year, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
Now, Tom Rob Smith returns with a new, hotly anticipated follow-up to his extraordinary debut, set in the turmoil and upheaval of the post-Stalinist Soviet Union.
Soviet Union, 1956: Stalin is dead. With his passing, a violent regime is beginning to fracture - leaving behind a society where the police are the criminals, and the criminals are innocent. The catalyst comes when a secret manifesto composed by Stalin's successor Khrushchev is distributed to the entire nation. Its message: Stalin was a tyrant and a murderer. Its promise: The Soviet Union will change.
Meanwhile, former state security officer Leo Demidov is facing his own turmoil. Three years ago he put his life on the line to stop a killer and as a reward for heroic service he was granted the authority to establish a homicide department in Moscow. He now strives to see justice done, while at the same time working to build a life with his wife, Raisa, and their adopted daughters.
But the dark legacy of his past career cannot be forgotten so easily. The two young girls he and Raisa adopted have yet to forgive him for his involvement in the death of their parents. They are not alone. Now that the truth is out, Leo, Raisa and their family are in grave danger from someone with a grudge against Leo. Someone transformed beyond recognition into the perfect model of vengeance.
From the streets of Moscow in the throes of political upheaval, to the wintry Siberian gulags and to the center of the Hungarian uprising in Budapest, THE SECRET SPEECH is another stunning thriller from the author of Child 44.
