The Secret Speech Audio CD – Audiobook, Unabridged Pdf Download

The Secret Speech Audio CD – Audiobook, Unabridged
Author: Visit ‘s Tom Rob Smith Page ID: 1407435809

From Publishers Weekly

Set in 1956, bestseller Smith’s edgy second thriller to feature Leo Demidov (after Child 44) depicts the paranoia and instability of the Soviet Union after the newly installed Khrushchev regime leaks a secret speech laying out Stalin’s brutal abuses. Now working as a homicide detective, Leo has long since repudiated his days as an MGB officer, but his former colleagues, fearful of reprisals from their victims, have begun taking their own lives. Leo himself becomes the target of Fraera, the wife of a priest he imprisoned. Now the leader of a violent criminal gang, Fraera kidnaps Leo’s daughter, Zoya, and threatens to kill Zoya if Leo doesn’t liberate her husband from his gulag prison. Shifting from Moscow to Siberia and to a Hungary convulsed by revolution, this fast-paced novel is packed with too many incidents for Smith to dwell on any in great depth. Though its drama often lacks emotional resonance, this story paints a memorable portrait of post-Stalinist Russia at its dawn. (May)
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From Bookmarks Magazine

Compared to the critical acclaim showered on its predecessor, Child 44, The Secret Speech drew mixed reviews from critics. While the Minneapolis Star Tribune alone proclaimed Smith’s sophomore effort equal to his debut, other critics still considered it entertaining and thought-provoking in its questioning of the nature of exoneration and redemption. The power of Smith’s writing lies in his ability to ground sensational plot developments in rich historical and cultural detail, gleaned from extensive research. His gift for immersing readers deep within Cold War-era Moscow and Siberia propels the plot as much as his chase scenes and action sequences. Though it may not possess the psychological tension or strong, convincing characters of Child 44, Speech is still an “insanely exciting story” (Independent).

–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Audio CDPublisher: Whole Story Audio Books; Unabridged edition (April 1, 2009)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1407435809ISBN-13: 978-1407435800 Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1 x 6.5 inches Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces Best Sellers Rank: #1,096,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4155 in Books > Books on CD > Literature & Fiction > General #35597 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary
Let me start off by saying that The Secret Speech is not quite as good as Child 44 — BUT it is a very good historical thriller and definitely well worth reading. Tom Rob Smith’s second novel takes places in 1956, post-Stalin Soviet Union. During this time a violent regime is beginning to come apart, resulting in a society where the police are the criminals and the criminals are the innocent. The "firecracker" during this period is when a secret document based on a speech by Stalin’s successor, Nikita Khrushchev, is distributed throughout the nation. The basic theme of Khrushchev’s message is that Stalin was a murderer and a tyrant, and that life in the Soviet Union will improve. The plot of The Secret Speech moves from the streets of Moscow during its political upheaval, to the Siberian gulags and to the heart of the Hungarian uprising in Budapest. Central to the plot is former state security officer, Leo Demidov, the hero of Smith’s Child 44. Demidov is now the head of Moscow’s homicide department, and while striving to see justice done, his life is in turmoil due to trying to build a life with his wife, Raisa, and their adopted daughters who have yet to forgive him for his role in the death of their parents. On top of this personal turmoil, Demidov and his family are in serious danger from someone with a grudge against him. The Secret Speech is an exciting, visceral, well-written page-turner from beginning to end that paints a vivid picture of the post-Stalinist Soviet Union at its onset. Further, as was also true in Child 44, Smith’s characters are richly developed and are ones that this reader felt he got to know well. I should point out that The Secret Speech isn’t flawless, although none of these flaws are major.
Tom Rob Smith’s second novel, "The Secret Speech", is an action-packed thriller set in the Soviet Bloc at the start of its post-Stalinist era. Rather than provide a run-of-the-mill East-versus-West spy story, however, Smith has chosen to use the de-Stalinisation programme of the early Khrushchev years and the events of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 as a setting for an exciting and engaging action drama. The main protagonist, Leo Demidov, is a former MGB (secret police) agent who, while attempting to atone for his earlier life and his role in the Stalinist purges, and also to provide a normal family home for his wife and two adopted daughters — children orphaned as a result of his own earlier denunciation of their parents — suddenly finds himself at the centre of a brutal and far-reaching back-lash against former Stalinist supporters.

The action flows across the pages in a fast and furious fashion with never a dull moment, as Leo battles against both the odds and the system — reminiscent sometimes of a Russian Jack Bauer — to preserve the State and to protect both himself and his family from the villains of the piece. As a lively and engaging read, Smith cannot really be faulted, unless it is perhaps that he packs in rather too much action and adversity for the hero to face, with there being altogether too many close calls than are necessary to make a good story. After a while, the rhythm of crisis/progress/setback/success becomes so endlessly sustained as to become somewhat predictable, with many a cliché along the way. Hollywood will love it.

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