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shadownlite's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this this book. It moved along at a good pace and had just enough mystery to the story to keep me interested as a reader. It has an aspect of history to it because of the setting in 1930s Ukraine. I liked following the main character and his twin sons on their quest to track down, and kill, the child thief who had stolen their cousin/niece. It seemed very real and the whole 'cat and mouse" aspect of the tracking, once you find out the child thief, like the main character, are ex. army sharpshooters makes it very exciting to read. I was able to figure out who the child thief was near the end of the story because of the hints being dropped. That added to my fun and I just waited for it to dawn on the main character who he was.
I am going to try and read some of the other books by this author because I really enjoyed his writing style and the detail he puts into this story.
I am going to try and read some of the other books by this author because I really enjoyed his writing style and the detail he puts into this story.
nuttacat's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely amazing. Written in such straight forward language but such tension and atmosphere created. Beautiful.
momotaa's review against another edition
4.0
This was super painful. Very well written, but god it just killed me. It made me angry and sad and scared. I think this was rougher than [b:Red Winter|17737232|Red Winter|Dan Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1374090230s/17737232.jpg|24815993] which is saying something, because that hurt too. I will definitely read more from this author, but I need to recover first.
scrapbookbug's review against another edition
4.0
really like this one. gripping. read it in under 24 hours, including watching Olympics & going out to dinner.
askatknits's review against another edition
5.0
Dan Smith does not disappoint. A book filled with unexpected twists and turns. I highly recommend this book!
shaukav's review against another edition
5.0
This book gives a really good insight into life in Ukraine in the 1930’s under the corrupt communist ruling regime. The Red army have been going from village to village pillaging and murdering people for crimes against the country. Luka lives in one such village which hasn’t yet been discovered. When his niece is kidnapped he must leave his village, accompanied by his two sons, and search for her.
Luka who was previously a Russian soldier, is a fascinating character, both loving and loyal but also hardened by the war and all he has experienced. I loved his relationship with his family and how he interacted with his twin sons, trying to parent them differently in line with their personalities. I really rooted for Luka throughout and couldn’t wait to get to the end of it to see how it panned out for him and his family. An emotional roller coaster, especially the second half.
An informative and action filled read that’s brutal and dark, well worth the read.
Luka who was previously a Russian soldier, is a fascinating character, both loving and loyal but also hardened by the war and all he has experienced. I loved his relationship with his family and how he interacted with his twin sons, trying to parent them differently in line with their personalities. I really rooted for Luka throughout and couldn’t wait to get to the end of it to see how it panned out for him and his family. An emotional roller coaster, especially the second half.
An informative and action filled read that’s brutal and dark, well worth the read.
emilyegallagher's review against another edition
4.0
Audio version by Bronson Pinchot was great. Kindle unlimited book.
daffz's review against another edition
4.0
The Child Thief wasn't a book I had on my TBR, I pretty much picked it at random in the library. Sometimes I'm the type of person who can get too bogged down in what I feel like I should be reading and treating my TBR list as a to-do list. So picking a book without knowing much about it and without having planned to read it for ages is something I don't do a lot. In this case it was a good decision, as The Child Thief gripped me and held my attention in a way not many books do. It's very tense and grim, but not without hope. I really enjoyed the setting and time period even though I didn't actually know a lot about either. That made it hard to follow at times, but not enough to stop me from enjoying the well-constructed plot.
clarbineds's review against another edition
5.0
Another book set in eastern Europe WWIish. This was more of a thriller/mystery. I've learned more about WWI and might start seeking out more books from this time period.