The Child Thief [Paperback]

Expectation fulfilled was the first phrase that sprung to mind when writing this review.This is the third novel by Dan Smith and a distinct shift into the historical thriller with all its potential pitfalls. The setting Ukraine is unusual in a period little written about in my experience and all the more intriguing for it.The necessary historical exposition is neither lengthy nor does it jar the reader out of the story, but gives sufficient meaning to the main characters actions and reactions to the growing horror both personal and political.
Whilst child abduction, murder and political torture maybe the story of this book the main theme is love of family both the need, loss and memory of it that motivates all the main characters. It may therefore be surprising and to my mind a reflection of the authors talent that a book with such a macabre, disturbing tale can leave the reader genuinely uplifted. That's quite a skill and one I thoroughly recommend you read to appreciate.

Leaving behind the tropical locales of his previous works, Dark Horizons and Dry Season, Dan Smith's third book, The Child Thief, is set in western Ukraine. It's a harsh winter in the 1930s with communist troops scouting the area for villages to ransack, and paranoia lurking in every near-destitute household.

The Child Thief opens with the figure of man lumbering out of the snow. Worn down and exhausted he is dragging a sledge behind him, which contains the bodies of two dead children, towards the isolated village of Vyriv. He is spotted by Luka, a Russian war veteran, now settled to the life of a farmer with a wife and children of his own. He takes the stranger into his home and tends the gunshot wound on his body, wanting to find out his story when he has recovered. The children's corpses bear terrible injuries, consistent with cannibalism, and once the other villagers become aware of this their fear drives them to mob justice, which Luka is powerless to stop. They drag the stranger out into the snow and lynch him.

Once the frenzied attack is over the ringleader Dmitri realises that his little girl is missing and the man they have killed must have been innocent. Luka is the only person in Vyriv capable of tracking the child thief across the treacherous terrain, so he strikes out with his sons and Dmitri, driven by a promise made to his daughter to bring her friend home safely.

Quickly Luka realises that the man they are hunting is no ordinary criminal. A skilled survivalist and shooting with a technique honed through warfare, he is playing with them, drawing them out into the open at will and approaching their camp unseen. The hunters become the hunted but to what purpose Luka doesn't know. As they move deeper into the frozen countryside they become aware that the child thief isn't the only threat in the snowy forests. The Bolsheviks are closing in, clearing villages and killing without mercy, creeping towards the families Luka and Dmitri left behind in Vyriv.

Dan Smith has created something special with The Child Thief. It's a crime novel with enormous narrative drive and he maintains a sense of uncertainty right up to the final, exhilarating pages. But there are big themes here too, man against nature, the responsibilities of family and the dehumanising effects of warfare on civilians and soldiers alike. The political situation of 1930s Ukraine is well handled, with the Bolsheviks operating as a more ominous threat than the man Luka is hunting; Smith's knowledge of the period shines through here and gives real weight to the story.

The Child Thief is a page-turner of the highest calibre. Atmospheric, beautifully written and thoroughly engrossing, it's a real miss-your-stop novel, and it promises great things for Smith's next offering, which is set during the Russian Civil War. If you're a fan of historical novels you'll find this several cuts above the norm and if not prepare to be converted.

This, Dan Smith's third novel, is a departure from him previous two books. Usually set in hot, jungle climes, 'The Child Thief' is a historical thriller set in the Ukraine in the middle of a punishing winter.

This novel follows Luca - a war veteran - who sets out to save his niece from whoever has stolen her from their small village. Combining his determination to return his niece to her home with his skills as a sharp shooter, Luca doesn't anticipate much of a battle. However, the child thief has other plans. Set to a backdrop of political suspicion and paranoia, 'The Child Thief' is a remarkable achievement: a cross between George Orwell and 'The Road'.

The description of the landscape is beautifully detailed without being unnecessary. Smith's exposition regarding the political situation is informative without being boring. This lesser-known historical conflict has some light shed on it whilst still maintaining the pace of the primary story.

Luca's story is a demonstration of how the political and the personal merge. He is determined to bring his niece back to the village but all the while he must remain aware of the possibility that, while he is away, his village may be overrun by Soviet troops, making it impossible for any of them to return home.

'The Child Thief' is a study of guilt, family, what it is to be a hero and the psychology - and after-effects - of war.

This novel is atmospheric and taut, many scenes had me holding my breath with nerves while willing the protagonist to stay alive. This is an absolutely thrilling, heart-stopping read.