Agent 6

Agent 6 (Leo Demidov #3) by Tom Rob Smith (2012)

We were first introduced to secret police agent Leo Demidov in Child 44, then continued his story in The Secret Speech. Agent 6 is the latest final volume in this series. It's 1965 and Leo's wife Raisa will be traveling to the US with their daughters to give a concert. Because he left the KGB, Leo is forbidden from traveling abroad so he stays behind in Moscow, worrying and waiting. When his family becomes involved in a plot that ends in tragedy, Leo becomes desperate to hunt down those responsible.

Agent 6 is a saga spanning continents and years. It has two distinct major parts; the first takes place in Russia and in the US, and the second is set unexpectedly in Afghanistan fifteen years later. Leo is again working for the government, as a Soviet advisor for the Afghan Communist regime. Being stationed in Afghanistan - an unpopular assignment - may allow him the opportunity to escape to the US and finally carry out his investigation into the events of 1965. Smith captures both settings quite well, I think, though I rather wished the Afghanistan part was a little shorter.

As with the first two books in the series, the plot was quite well-crafted. Here it revolved partially around a black, communist, American singer named Jesse Austin who was under great scrutiny from the US government and often felt more at home in the Soviet Union. The government destroyed his career because of his political leanings towards the Soviet Union, where, ironically, a similar sort of fear and paranoia reigned.

Leo continues to be an intriguing, though flawed, hero. His single-minded goal for so many years speaks less of justice than stubbornness and an inability to let go of the past. But his life is so tightly controlled in the Soviet Union and he had so little to begin with that every loss is devastating.

Agent 6 is not happy or hopeful, and I'm still undecided about how I feel about the ending. All in all, this trilogy was consistently good, which is fairly unusual. Usually I feel like the second or third book is especially weak, but not here, though I did love the first book a bit more than the others. I don't consider myself a fan of spy novels (I read about half of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and understood none of it, and the movie didn't help things any) but Smith's writing is clear, his settings vivid, and his characters real enough that you root for them all the way.

The Secret Speech

The Secret Speech (Leo Demidov #2) by Tom Rob Smith (2009)

This is the second in a series, so there are spoilers here if you haven't read the first one (which you should have because it is awesome).

Leo and Raisa are raising the two girls they rescued in the first book, but although Elena seems to be adjusting, teenager Zoya cannot forget the role Leo played in her parents' deaths. Meanwhile, Stalin is no longer in power and Leo is now working in homicide. Khrushchev releases a speech admitting the crimes of Stalin's regime and the new paradigm - with police as criminals and former criminals are innocent - creates dangerous turmoil. In this new landscape it is not only Zoya who cannot forgive Leo his crimes, and soon his entire family is in danger, sending him on a quest into the dangerous Siberian Gulags and the violent Hungarian uprising.

Just like in Child 44, Smith has created a fast-paced action-filled story without overlooking the importance of character development. In the last novel, a serial killer plot was set in a backdrop that made investigating the crimes more difficult, but here the plot is more closely related to the complicated political situation. The changes created by Khrushchev's speech weren't clear - many resisted the implications, while many remained unsure, creating an even more volatile and dangerous situation for everyone. Leo, a former employer of the State Security Force, is at special risk, especially when he is forced to enter a gulag and is faced with people he may have himself condemned.

Nothing is black and white in this novel, and there are no clear good guys or bad guys. Even the villain is someone who was just reacting to past injustices. The second in a trilogy is frequently the weakest link, but not so here. The Secret Speech is fresh and compelling and just as hard to put down as Child 44. Fans of crime fiction absolutely should not miss this series!

Child 44

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (2008)

In Soviet Russia everyone is equal and they all love their leader, Stalin. Crime is a Western phenomenon and it's of the utmost importance to keep out these dangerous influences. Everyone must be vigilant and report those whose loyalty to the Soviet state appears to be wavering.

When a young boy is found murdered and disemboweled near a set of train tracks, it is a closed case. Clearly he was playing too close to the tracks and was struck. A tragedy, but not murder. As other children die similar deaths, the State's position is that it must be the work of a lunatic, or perhaps a homosexual, definitely some sort of deviant.

Leo Demidov, a war hero who works in the State Security Force and has always been loyal to Soviet Russia, begins to notice the pattern in the murders and question the position taken by the government. He starts to see how he has been blinded by his ideals, and sets out to find the serial killer, risking his own life and the lives of everyone close to him in the pursuit of justice.

The fast-paced action did not come at the expense of well-developed characters, as in so many thrillers. Here the players were fleshed out well, and the dynamics of Leo and Raisa's marriage were sadly realistic. Tension was palpable throughout the novel, in this society where everyone feared being singled out; it was imperative to always say the right things, and even then there is still a danger. All it takes is one bad word - or just a question - from a neighbor being tortured or trying to deflect attention and you are doomed. It was like reading a dystopian novel except that this world actually existed.

The circumstances surrounding the murders of the children were simply chilling, and the visuals have unfortunately stuck with me. The setting was perfect for this story and it all came together in an exciting climax. It was a fantastic novel, and the great news is that there are follow-ups. The second book is The Secret Speech, and Agent 6 was just released last month. So go get 'em!