Tom Rob Smith on his bestselling debut "Child 44" and screenwriting for the BBC and FX
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and screenwriter Tom Rob Smith. Tom wrote his first novel, "Child 44", about a serial killer in Soviet Russia, at the age of 26. After publication in 2008, the novel went on to sell over two million copies, with translations in 35 languages. It won the International Thriller Writer Award for Best First Novel, the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, and became the first thriller to be longlisted for the Booker Prize. In 2015 "Child 44" was also turned into a film starring Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman. Tom's other novels include "The Farm", "Cold People" and most recently "Twenty Years Together". His work for the screen includes the BBC show "London Spy", which was nominated for a Bafta, and the FX series "American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace", which won a Golden Globe. We spoke to Tom about his bestselling debut, his screenwriting projects, and going in a different direction with his new book.