Agent 6 Child 44, Secret Speech and Agent 6 are the continuing stories of Leo Demidof a Soviet Secret Policeman turned interrogator who continually finds himself at odds with the society in which he lives and the job he does. This book explores the antics the dirty tricks departments in both, Russia via the KGB, and the so called free world in the shape of the CIA. Both organisations are unscrupulous in achieving their ends and both have a vested interest in silencing (Permanently) a pro communist black soul singer who is becoming an embarrassment to them both. If you are in any doubt that this could happen research the story of Paul Robeson….. A story of intrigue which involves the USA, Russia and Afghanistan. Read it to see how Tom Rob Smith pulls all these strings together. Only criticism is that this is again a Leo Demidof story. Unfortunate only in that Smiths books do stand alone and to suggest that this is a continuing story stretches the imagination just a tad. Could so much bad stuff happen to a single individual in one lifetime ? Perhaps its time for some new characters. Well Worth the read

Tom Rob Smith has wrote a great cold war thriller Set over three decades we meet again Leo demidov from child 44,secret speech The cold war is intensive from the ussr ,usa and both are trying to become the main superpower There's a state sanctioned assination that rip leo's family apart and Leo wants answers that neither side will give him so the torment grinds at him over the decades until he can find out the truth spanning new York, Moscow, Afghanistan and the mysterious agent 6 This will be a classic like GORKY PARK

It is rare for each installment of a trilogy to rank 5 stars with me. I don't think it has ever happened so I am thrilled to say that the Leo Demidov trilogy (Child 44, The Secret Speech and Agent 6) has the honor of sweeping the board with 15 stars total. How can it be? I found each book to be distinctly different yet equally gripping in the 'mystery to be solved' arena with thriller tension abounding in all stories. Agent 6, being the conclusion, was rather emotional for me as I feel I have traveled with Leo through many treacherous scrapes and am sad the adventure is coming to a close. I bitterly hate to see it end but found the finale satisfying on a number of levels. The stage is even wider in this book with Raisa, Zoya and Elena going to America, leaving Leo in Soviet Russia. Worry not, Leo covers lots of ground as his travels take him to Afghanistan and beyond. As in the previous books, Agent 6 focuses on love, loss, honor, a deep sense of right/wrong and even duty. There is conflict from numerous angles which keeps this story fresh and interesting. I don't want to give anything away but I so pleased to have enjoyed the labors of this talented author even though I am saddened to no longer have adventures of Leo and Raisa to entertain. This series has been keen on flashbacks so there is the odd possibility for more to come for them. A girl can hope! This trilogy is a glorious endevour that is sure to please should you like a cracking mystery, history, police procedural, military/political drama, thrillers and/or suspense. I anxiously look forward to the next offering by Tom Rob Smith!

Although, at first, I thought it this third book was a little disjointed... there seemed to be big gaps in the story, and I found myself wondering where it was headed and if I actually wanted to find out, but then about halfway through we join Leo in Afghanistan and then it gets really interesting and a very good book emerges! Others have said pretty much all there is to say on the body of the story, both in this installment and the wider story arc so I won't comment on that. The writing is superb, the tension mounts and the resolution to the this part and the trilogy as a whole is brilliant. A very fitting ending given the general themes of love, betrayal, espionage and revenge, amongst others, such as the all seeing godless state of communism! Which brings me nicely to a thought that has bothered me for some time and which was so superbly explored in this book. That being: What was Communist Russia thinking when they invaded Afghanistan??? A fiercely religious country dedicated to Allah, did they really think that Communism would succeed?? It beggars belief! But regardless of my utter disbelief at Russia's woefully misplaced ideology it did make for a wonderful plot. The way that Leo's involvement was intertwined with it and the subsequent involvement of 'alphabetical agencies' and what we now know to have happened made me gasp with shock - a genuinely brilliant piece of supposition from Smith! For this plot line alone I would recommend his books. I look forward to reading more of his books them.

In this final part of the trilogy - which is equally good as a stand-alone book - Tom Rob Smith continues his for gift for writing, producing another gripping thriller. The plot of Agent 6 is highly complicated, and its twists and turns strain credulity, especially in the final third of the book, where the tension is at its peak. The best thrillers combine narrative tension, first-rate plotting and enough psychological insight to satisfy the human hunger for identification. Child 44 made it clear that Smith can do all this, however this blend is less successful in Agent 6 and there's a disappointing loss of momentum. This book is defiantly worth a read, especially for reader’s continuing this fascinating trilogy.