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Shortly after midnight on July 17, 1918, the imprisoned family of Tsar Nicholas Romanov was awakened and led down to the basement of the Ipatiev house. There they were summarily executed. Their bodies were hidden away, the location a secret of the Soviet state.
A decade later, one man lives in purgatory, banished to a forest on the outskirts of humanity. Pekkala was once the most trusted secret agent of the Romanovs, the right-hand man of the Tsar himself. Now he is Prisoner 4745-P, living a harsh existence in which even the strongest vanish into the merciless Soviet winter.
But the state needs Pekkala one last time. The man who knew the Romanovs best is given a final mission: catch their killers, locate the royal child rumored to be alive, and give Stalin the international coup he craves. Find the bodies, Pekkala is told, and you will find your freedom. Find the survivor of that bloody night and you will change history.
In a land of uneasy alliances and deadly treachery, pursuing clues that have eluded everyone, Pekkala is thrust into the past where he once reigned. There he will meet the man who betrayed him and the woman he loved and lost in the fires of rebellion—and uncover a secret so shocking that it will shake to its core the land he loves.
With stunning period detail and crackling suspense, Eye of the Red Tsar introduces a complex and compelling investigator in a fiercely intelligent thriller perfect for readers of Gorky Park, Child 44, and City of Thieves.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
April 27, 2010 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780307735997
- File size: 261420 KB
- Duration: 09:04:37
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Eastland's debut is a gem of a historical mystery, and narrator Paul Michael does it full justice. The hero, known only as Pekkala, was Russian Tsar Nicholas II's investigator--the only person the ruler ever trusted. After the Romanov family was killed, Pekkala spent 11 years in a Siberian labor camp, thanks to Stalin. Now Stalin has brought him back to determine if any of the Romanovs are still alive (rumors to that effect have abounded since the revolution), who killed the tsar, and where his wealth is hidden. Deftly alternating between the time of the revolutionary murders and the hunt for the truth (1929), Michael has a lot of material to juggle. He's stolid as the unfazed Pekkala--even in the face of Joseph Stalin, wholly believable as the humane tsar, and even gives the monster Stalin some humanity. This listener waded through the production without stopping. If there's another Pekkala story in the works, this listener can't wait to hear it. A.L.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
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