The Child Thief

From out of the whiteness, a dark figure comes. . .

December, 1930, Ukraine. After the horrors of war, Luka wants a quiet life with his family. His village has, so far, remained hidden from the advancing Soviet brutality - but everything changes the day a stranger arrives, pulling a sled bearing a terrible cargo: the bodies of two children. When the villagers' fear turns deadly, they think they have saved themselves. And then a little girl vanishes.

Luka is the only man with the skills to find the stolen child in these frozen lands. And though his toughest enemy is the man he tracks through the harsh winter landscape, his strongest bond is a promise to his family back home. . .

“This is a pursuit thriller of the highest quality, reminiscent of the classic of the genre, Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male .”

Smith succeeds in creating a narrative that is both an engrossing thriller and the story of a man struggling in the grip of historical events that he only partially understands. SUNDAY TIMES
This is a pursuit thriller of the highest quality, reminiscent of the classic of the genre, Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male. IRISH INDEPENDENT
Atmospheric pursuit thriller set in 1930s Ukraine in which war veteran Luka stalks his niece's psychopathic kidnapper across frozen terrain. BIG ISSUE
Beautifully written thriller about surviving hardships against all odds with honor and humanity. NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS
Smith is a talented writer who incorporates the forbidding landscape of Ukraine as a central character in the cat-and-mouse chase ... the well-constructed plot is nicely complemented by Smith's adept turn of phrase SUNDAY BUSINESS POST
A terrific book with an original setting ... [it] works both as a compelling thriller, in which readers are drawn into Luka's confrontation with the mysterious child thief, and as the story of one man entangled in historical events larger than his personal battle against a psychopathic murderer BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE
The tone is dark and disturbing in this tightly written story, tension mounting until the unexpected ending. Sure to appeal to fans of David Benioff and Tom Rob Smith THE BOOKBITCH
Smith succeeds in creating a narrative that is both an engrossing thriller and the story of a man struggling in the grip of historical events that he only partially understands. SUNDAY TIMES
This is a pursuit thriller of the highest quality, reminiscent of the classic of the genre, Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male. IRISH INDEPENDENT
... a straightforward, beautifully written thriller about surviving hardships against all odds with honor and humanity. NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS
The tone is dark and disturbing in this tightly written story, tension mounting until the unexpected ending. Sure to appeal to fans of David Benioff and Tom Rob Smith THE BOOKBITCH
A terrific book with an original setting ... [it] works both as a compelling thriller, in which readers are drawn into Luka's confrontation with the mysterious child thief, and as the story of one man entangled in historical events larger than his personal battle against a psychopathic murderer BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE
Smith is a talented writer who incorporates the forbidding landscape of Ukraine as a central character in the cat-and-mouse chase ... the well-constructed plot is nicely complemented by Smith's adept turn of phrase SUNDAY BUSINESS POST
Atmospheric pursuit thriller set in 1930s Ukraine in which war veteran Luka stalks his niece's psychopathic kidnapper across frozen terrain. BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH

Dan Smith grew up following his parents across the world to Africa, Indonesia and Brazil. He has been writing short stories for as long as he can remember and has been published in the anthology MATTER 4, shortlisted for the Royal Literary Fund mentor scheme, the Northern Writers Awards, the 2010 Brit Writers Published Author of the Year award and the Authors' Club First Novel award. He lives in Newcastle with his family.

From out of the whiteness, a dark figure comes. . .December, 1930, Ukraine. After the horrors of war, Luka wants a quiet life with his family. His village has, so far, remained hidden from the advancing Soviet brutality - but everything changes the day a stranger arrives, pulling a sled bearing a terrible cargo: the bodies of two children. When the villagers' fear turns deadly, they think they have saved themselves. And then a little girl vanishes.Luka is the only man with the skills to find the stolen child in these frozen lands. And though his toughest enemy is the man he tracks through the harsh winter landscape, his strongest bond is a promise to his family back home. . .

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