The Child Thief

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.