Agent 6 (The Child 44 Trilogy Book 3)

“One fact was clear to (Demidov) now – the truth had brought him no comfort.” – from AGENT 6AGENT 6 is Tom Rob Smith’s final installment of his trilogy featuring once-upon-a-time KGB agent Leo Demidov. The timeframe here is 1950 to 1981, a professional lifetime for Leo as Smith tells the tale. The story line bounces from Moscow, to New York, back to Moscow, to Soviet-invaded Afghanistan, back to New York, and finally its conclusion in Moscow. That’s a fair number of frequent flyer miles, you think?After reading all three Demidov thrillers, I must admit that I’ve never found much to like about Leo except his dogged perseverance in the face of adversity and his love of his family. Here, in AGENT 6, Demidov demonstrates those traits to an extreme on what is perhaps the widest canvas that Smith has used to paint his hero.AGENT 6 is a story of personal redemption as Leo rediscovers the humanity he necessarily he had to lack to be an effective member of Stalin’s secret police. Ironically perhaps, along the way he comes into contact with an ex-FBI agent who, when a member of Hoover’s Federal Bureau of Investigation during the post-WWII Red Scare, was just as zealous as his KGB counterparts in protecting his own Motherland. Ah, those were the good, old Bad Old Days when one knew the identity of The Enemy – “Better Dead than Red!” as Mom used to say.I especially liked the author’s foray into Soviet-invaded Afghanistan. The British came to grief in this wretched place, as did eventually the Soviet Army. The U.S. hasn’t learned from history.As Smith states in a closing section about ending the trilogy, CHILD 44, THE SECRET SPEECH, and AGENT 6 can be read in any order. I think, though, that reading the three in that order is the best way to understand the evolution of Demidov’s tortured character. RIP, Leo; it’s been fun knowing you.

One of the most important aspects of Leo Demidov trilogy is that each book is unique. And though each could stand on its own the whole trilogy gives a feeling of oneness. But this review is about the last book, Agent 6. Besides being written in a fluent style, its page-turning capability, deep insight into political, cultural and other aspects of Soviet Union the book features two main problems: first I think it should be told as two separate stories. It almost seems that Tom Rob Smith intended to do so, but either lost interest to go with this vision or someone persuaded him into that. Because of that, you have two stories, each without a proper conclusion. However, I am not a literary critic and maybe I just do not see things as they truly are. My second problem is with characterisation. Almost all characters are gentle, concerned, they care for other people and event bad guys do not behave "properly". It seems that the author tries to justify every action by taking us inside each character's mind. This is not a bad thing for real life. But it takes away much of suspense, drama, nail-biting and let's face it: emotions. This might seem like a paradox, but I was not able to emotionally entangle with characters because as soon as someone does something really bad I am taken into justifying his or her's actions. Or in some cases even worse: author everyone forgets about such actions. This way the story, the book, the plot - everything focuses on style. And let's be frank, the style is superb. What makes this book tick is not the question of what will happen to Leo Demidov (we all know how everything will end, though the author could be a little more innovative on this I guess) but how the story is told.

Agent 6 is the third book in Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44 Trilogy. It follows ex-KGB officer Leo Demidov over three decades and across three continents as he seeks to unravel a conspiracy and avenge the murder of a loved one. Usually, when I read a series that features a central character, I try to read the books in order. I didn’t do that with Agent 6 because it arrived before the other two, and I wanted to crack it open immediately. I’m not sure if I missed any necessary backstory; I’ll find that out when I read the Child 44 and The Secret Speech. What I’m sure of is this: This was an engrossing read. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. For me, that’s the mark of a good mystery: It grabs you and won’t let you go until you see the solution. I look forward to reading Smith’s other books.

I absolutely love this series of books! Ironically I began this series while I was deployed in Afghanistan. I think the author brilliantly captured the real life struggles of Afghanistan that didn't change when America was the invading force. I also grewup up in the 80's so hearing about life in Russia was also intriguing even though I know this was just fiction I believe it was not far from reality. I was wondering how he would end this and was not disappointed at all!

Made me realize how utterly terrifying it must have been for Russians living under Stalin's rule.With that said, the book is about a high ranking officer in the militia. He is disgraced by the people he works for and with and for...instead of being killed, he is exiled and starts listening to his conscience, which he has ignored all this time. He realizes there is a serial killer and is determined to solve the case, even though it is dangerous for him and anyone else involved, since crime and murder go against the utopian society under Stalin. I could not put this book down and ended up staying up all night reading it. It has a twist I never saw coming. Great read!

I read and was really impressed by 'Child 44', slightly bemused by 'Secret Speech' and completely at a loss with 'Agent 6'. The premise of the book was good, however, (Spoiler Alert) after the death of Leo's wife for me the book lost it's way. The pacing was all over the place, there were long unexplained periods in the narrative: i.e. Why wasn't Leo's attempt to cross the border better documented, Leo getting to America then attempting to covertly manage an investigation into his wife's death, as a result the story lost its credibility, which is a shame. As mentioned elsewhere Leo doesn't find out about the existence of 'Agent 6' until you've got as far as the last 60 pages. The reappearance of the supposedly dead party functionary in the last pages of the book didn't ring true either. Oh well, a pity it had to end this way. I'll now sit back and wait for the -ve votes.

This is the third novel in the author's best-selling trilogy beginning with Child 44, centred around the life of (latterly reformed) KGB man Leo Demidov. This novel actually covers a period of over 30 years, beginning when Leo is a young and still idealistic KGB officer under Stalin in 1950, convinced that spying on citizens who keep a diary is a justified activity for the State he serves. He also acts as escort to a visiting Communist celebrity from the USA, an Afro-American singer Jesse Austin (clearly based on Paul Robeson). 15 years later his wife and daughters get a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit New York as part of a peace delegation and Austin is once again involved. I don't want to give away too many plot details but it involves campaigns of dirty tricks and deceit, assassinations, "ordinary" murders, international cover ups, and a second half of the novel set in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan in 1980-81 where Leo is an informal adviser to the regime. A great deal happens throughout this near 500 page novel and there is a wide range of colourful, tragic and ruthless characters, Soviet, Afghan and American. The ethos of the cold war, the desperate ideological issues, the different perceptions of treachery and loyalty involved, come across clearly and with conviction. The ending of the novel is sad, albeit tinged with some happiness, and provides a slightly ambiguous end to Leo's run of luck, but in a way that seems to make it clear there won't be any more novels featuring him, which I slightly regret. An excellent read.

This is a curious book. It is almost as if it is so enamoured of its locations and self-consciously 'epic' sweep that it forgets about plot or character development for large chunks.Leo Demidov's wife and daughters travel from the depths of Cold War Russia to New York, where they are caught up in a diplomatic incident. Leo struggles to come to terms with and ends up in Afghanistan, some years later, as a type of 'Sean Connery in The Rock' grizzled, opium-addled consultant. Don't think it gives too much away to say that he ends up in New York, finding out the truth about events years previously.Smith is a very talented writer, and the subject matter is sufficiently different and well-researched to be interesting (history of communist-sympathising among Afro-Americans, torture by soft-drink bottle), but there are major issues here: A soggy middle section, some two dimensional characters (particularly the Afghans) and a very rushed denouement. As others have pointed out, it takes about 12 pages to unravel the 'central mystery' (for Leo; the reader will need only a fraction of that), which suggests that Smith (or his editor) couldn't quite work out what the focus of the book should be.Some way from being Smith's best work, but if you've shifted a gazillion units of your previous book, I guess you can be allowed the odd dud (or an eye to a TV mini-series with a high location budget).

After reading the first two in the trilogy, I had high hopes for Agent 6. As a stand-alone book, its above average. As part of the Child 44 trilogy it is the worst. The book is essentially a stand alone book barring small references to the previous two installments. This wasn't what I wanted after reading the Secret Speech. That being said, the trilogy is ended well and the sheer journey the main character goes through is felt quite profoundly.If you've read the other two books in the trilogy, read this for completeness. Beware, you may well be disappointed for large parts of the book.

The final book in the Child 44 trilogy and an excellent end to an intriguing and complicated story. Child 44 starts with Leo Demidov's employment with the MGB (becomes the KGB later) and explores his conscience and the changes in his life. The series is wonderfully written and the characters well described. His research is first class and only surpassed by his writing. You feel for Leo. He draws you into his world and you understand him. There is not so much violence in this book as in the first two as this is more about Leo and his quest. An absolutely brilliant three books and I would be hard pushed to select one of the three that I liked the best. However this last one ties up all the loose ends and makes it spectacular. Buy all three.