The Secret Speech

By: Tom Rob Smith

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

It is 1956. Three years ago, Leo Demidov moved on from his career as a member of the state security force. As an MGB officer, Leo had been responsible for untold numbers of arrests and interrogations. But as a reward for his heroic service in stopping a killer who had terrorized citizens throughout the country, Leo was granted the authority to establish and run a homicide department in Moscow.

Now, he strives to see justice done on behalf of murder victims in the Soviet capital, while at the same time working to build a life with his wife Raisa and their adopted daughters, Zoya and Elena.

Leo's past, however, can not be left behind so easily, and the legacy of his former career - the friends and families of those he had arrested as a state security officer - continues to hound him. Now, a new string of murders in the capital threaten to bring Leo's past crashing into the present, shattering the fragile foundations of his new life in Moscow, and putting his daughter Zoya's life at risk.

Faced with a threat to his family, Leo is launched on a desperate, personal mission that will take him to the harsh Siberian Gulags, to the depths of the hidden criminal underworld, and into the heart of Budapest and the Hungarian uprising.

©2009 Grand Central Publishing (P)2009 Hachette

A Significant Departure from Child 44

The Secret Speech is the second book in the Leo Demidov trilogy, and I dove into it promptly after finishing Child 44. Unfortunately, I found this book lacking in the qualities that made the first book so extraordinary.

Instead of the intimate, personal tone of Child 44, The Secret Speech instead opts for a more impersonal story of a country at war. Perhaps if this was a standalone book, the plotline of a nation at a moment of internal change and the politics involved would have been more engaging. As it was, however, it was difficult to make the shift to a novel far less character driven than the first book had been.

Another challenging aspect for me was the plot’s focus on Leo and Raisa’s adopted daughter, Zoya. While we met Zoya in the first book, little time was spent on her character; and I had a hard time now suddenly caring about her as much as the story demanded. Perhaps this was a personal issue or failure that other readers won’t experience - I don’t know. For me, at least, the sudden jump to Zoya’s plotline was a difficult one, and I was unsuccessful in my attempt to find her at all sympathetic. This proved especially difficult because some of her decisions were so unlikeable I was unable to forgive them, even when taking into consideration her extremely traumatic childhood.

This book attempted a far greater reach than the first book; spanning more time, more locations, more history. Much time is spent on the war, with battle scenes of tanks, masses of protesters, bombs, and the internal manipulations of the top players. Again, perhaps as an independent story it could have worked, but as a follow-up to Child 44 I found it a great loss to not focus on the people and relationships that made the first novel such a triumph.

I’m not sorry I read the book, and for those that loved Child 44 and want to complete the trilogy, I suppose it’s worth reading. Just be prepared for a much broader plot with far less intimacy or character development.

I'm a fan of Leo.

If Tom Rob Smith writes another thriller set in the dismal post-war USSR, with hopeless characters and maddening bureaucracies, I will devour it like I did Child 44 and the follow-up, The Secret Speech. I'm not a fan of "series" thrillers, but I find Smith's work to be extremely compelling. His character, Leo is an unlikely, yet wholly likable hero.

Good follow up

This is the follow up to Child 44 which I thought was an excellent book. Young author with good abilities to bring characters to life. I look forward to more from this author.

Absolutely different and breathtaking.

The biggest adventure. About good and evil, family and revolution. The Characters and their development are sensational.

Another slam dunk!

I have to admit, a couple of hours in I almost “put it back on the shelf,” and then all of a sudden it gripped me! Didn’t let up until the end! Well written, engaging story, a great part 2 in the series!

Good continuation of the series

This book is the sequel to Child 44. This was a good follow up to that book, while not quite as good. Still a great read and very enjoyable. Looking forward to the third book in the series. Dennis Boutsikaris is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators. I like everything about his voice and he reads with great pace.

A Man Burdened By His Past

Leo Demidov seems a good man but his past includes several years as an MGB agent, and that's a past that's very hard to live down. This dilemma is one of the strengths of this novel and the consequences felt more than dire when he voluntarily checks into a Gulag prison. What befalls he and his partner is gripping, even shocking, But the novel more or less fizzles following this high point, with a lot of angst and a trip into the center of the Hungarian revolt that seems a separate story.
After listening to Ron Perlman narrate the superb City of Thieves by Benioff, this narrator's handing of Russian accents comes off as slightly oafish, and generally unsatisfying.

Soviet Politics and Life

What made the experience of listening to The Secret Speech the most enjoyable?

I don't really think it is a book meant to provide entertainment or enjoyment. There is much to learn here in the way of the fairly recent history of Russia and the Eastern European Block, human frailty, and it also continues the story of Raisia and Leo and their family as part of the series started by 'Child 44'.

Would you be willing to try another book from Tom Rob Smith? Why or why not?

Yes. He writes well and knows how to tell a story. His research of the subject is well done.

Which scene was your favorite?

I was most interested when the children and their feelings and responses to happenings were spotlighted.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Leo and Raisia find out Zoya is alive and they go to find her and bring her home.

Any additional comments?

Narration was well done.

Visceral

The genius of these books is that they will reel you in and on the peak of each climax you'll be thinking, "no, no, dear God, NO!" You'll find yourself feeling invested in every character because Smith doesn't show you just one side of them-- He takes you into the dynamics and history of the character and everything that made them the broken, gritty, complex characters that they all are. Your reactions will be visceral sometimes, but for the people that can handle it, the books will be a very solid read... Now onto Book 3!!!

an okay sequel to a smashing beginning

Would you consider the audio edition of The Secret Speech to be better than the print version?

Never read the print version, so couldn't tell you.

Would you recommend The Secret Speech to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, it was a lovely listen. Simultaneously gripping and historically fascinating.

Have you listened to any of Dennis Boutsikaris’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I loved his work on the full cast American Gods book. He was incredible there, but even better here because he gets to really tangle with the Russian accent and creating different voices of various men and women with that language.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely, I burned through it in two days flat.

Any additional comments?

Not as good as the first one, but still well worth the time!