I almost didn't finish this book
I had just about given up on the novel as I couldn't stand reading any more about Leo and his blind devotion to The State. Since the demise of the Soviet Union I think we've forgotten just how horrendous the system was and how nightmarish it must've been during those years. Smith describes the paranoia and suspicion of the Stalinist era so well, one can feel the fear of the peasants and ordinary citizens coming off the page. Admittedly, the attitude that the minute someone was suspected they were guilty made me so mad I almost took the book back to the library BUT I persevered to the end and was very glad that I did. Altho the ending is a little contrived, I found the book overall brilliantly suspenseful and I hope to see more of Leo and Raisa in future novels.

Best fiction this year!
Fantastic book! Set in 1950's Russia, the novel teaches the reader as much as most nonfiction novels can. Most of the book simply can't be put down. I have read more than 20 fiction books this year and it amazes me this did not make and stay on the top 10 bestsellers list. City of Thieves is also excellent but not quite as good. Can't wait for the authors next book.

The best book I've read in a while
I've been reading a lot of thriller/mystery novels lately, and this one by Smith is the best of them all. It is a political thriller, crime mystery, character-development love story all wrapped up in to one. And, more importantly, none of the three "types" of genre represented in Smith's book suffer for being put together.

As a political thriller, the book shines with its great portrayal of characters both heroic and flawed, brave and terrified. It captures well the double speak and justifiable "paranoia" that individuals under repressive regimes like that of Stalin had to contend with. For fans of books like Sofia Petrovna or more recent movies like The Lives of Others, set in East Germany, this book will certainly strike a chord.

As a crime mystery, the book is equally interesting, though this part of the plot at times fades into the background. Indeed, the idea of Leo, the main character, being on the hunt for the serial killer is largely dropped for quite some time at the beginning. One almost forgets about it, though the development of the other lines in the story are so interesting that it is not really something that would bother one (unless you really only like the serial killer mystery genre). Granted, not as much time is spent on developing the crimes, crime scenes, or the killer's personality as is perhaps the case in some other books that are more limited in their scope. Still, enough is included on the crime front to make it a compelling case.

The love-story element is also rather engaging, certainly not crossing over into anything like a mushy, romance-novel style affair. The love story works especially because it helps further the political thriller element, as the relationship between Leo and his wife really has to overcome many obstacles created by the repressive society they live in.

First and foremost, this book is a political thriller. And that is where a lot of Smith's efforts at high-quality writing shine through. Beyond the other two genres mentioned above, the book might also be of interest to those who like historical fiction.

Absolutely Fascinating!
The reader is steeped in a world as strange as if it was another planet and not the Soviet Union in 1953. That gray bleak world seeps into your bones and then after it has, the plot develops around a murder. This is a remarkable book on two levels, the murder mystery and the life of characters in their strange and horrifying society. This is a must read that you won't put down.

Better than Stalin's Ghost!
This is probably the best mystery I have read in years. The background - Stalin's Russia, changing over the years to end in Kruschev's Russia - is perfectly, chillingly drawn. It gives a great but not arty or self-consciously literary sense of the Kafkaesque feel of life in an all- encompassing dictatorship, where the State is all and the individual nothing.

It begins during the famines caused by collectivization, a period rarely (ok, never) dealt with by modern writers. The characters are well-drawn, interesting, and you care what happens to them, particularly the protagonist as he sorts out the moral complexities of his life as an agent of the state. But it's not a preachy novel: the action moves right along, and it didn't surprise me to read that the movie rights have already been bought.

Highly recommended!