Customer Reviews
Nice try. Some of it is good, some of it isn't. - By: Emanon, 09 Nov 2008 
The book is OK but it has its flaws. The 'twist' towards the end does not entirely make sense, & plausibility is lacking. Also the dialogue is somewhat stilted. Finallly the police work in the book is not convincing. At times it seems contradictory & there are leaps in credibility. I must say, however, that Tom Rob Smith does write good prose. It reads very smoothly.
What were the booker judges thinking? - By: Historian, 08 Oct 2008 
I read this when I saw that it was listed on the Booker longlist & praised for being an authentic picture of life in Stalin's Terror. I was reallly shocked that it was longlisted. As a thriller, it somehow manages to be dull & obvious. The murderer is revealed far too early for there to be real suspense. The writing is poor. As a picture of Stalin's Russia it was embarrassingly bad. There was not a single sentence in the book that suggested the author had ever been to Russia, let alone that he could summon up the atmosphere of 1953. The whole thing is a joke. There are elementary mistakes throughout the book - streets & buildings, metro lines in Moscow appear here that did not even exist yet in 1953 - suggesting that the author doesn;t even know how to do elementary research.
what were they thinking about - By: Seamus Mcneill, 07 Oct 2008 So, the Booker had to pick a thriller for the short list to dispel criticisms of being elitist. But surely they could have picked something better than this. It is very run of the mill, not well written & with poor dialogue. The plot is riddled with endless unbelievable turns. How easy would it have been in Stalin's Russia to get various groups of people to help strangers? The relationship between the two main characters is unreal & the final denouement -- I will not spoil the ending for those inclined to read it -- beggars belief. A great disappointment.
Absolutely Brilliant - By: Julia Thomas, 01 Oct 2008 
I thought this book was excellent - I was gripped from start to finish & enjoyed it so much I felt the need to write my first review! Its such an interesting & clever story & had me completely mesmerized.
Fantastic read - By: Gavs Dad, 28 Sep 2008 For a first novel this has been the best thing I've read this year.
Read it now as it will make a great film & should star Viggo Mortensen!
It has alll the ingredients of a great thriller
