Child Thief

by Dan Smith

Genres: Historical Fiction; Literary Fiction

Synopsis

In the tradition of City of Thieves and Child 44, a troubled World War I veteran races across the frozen steppe of 1930's Ukraine to save a child from a shadowy killer with unthinkable plans.

December 1930, Ukraine. Luka is a war veteran who now wants only to have a quiet life with his family in his village. But everything changes the day the stranger arrives, pulling a sled bearing a terrible cargo. In the chaos that ensues, a little girl vanishes. Luka is the only man with the skills to find who could have stolen a child in these frozen lands – and besides, the missing girl is best friend to Luka’s daughter. Together with his sons, Luka sets out in pursuit across lands ravaged by war. Soon they realize that the man they are tracking is no ordinary criminal, but a skillful hunter with the child as the bait. It will take all of Luka’s strength to battle the harshest of conditions, and all of his wit to stay a step ahead of Soviet authorities.

Publisher: Pegasus Books

Print pages: 352