Ekaterinburg, Russia: July 16, 1918. Ten months have passed since Nicholas II’s reign was cut short by revolutionaries. Tonight, the White Army advances on the town where the Tsar and his family are being held captive by the Bolsheviks. Nicholas dares to hope for salvation. Instead, the Romanovs are coldly and methodically executed.... more »

Moscow: Present Day. Atlanta lawyer Miles Lord, fluent in Russian and well versed in the country’s history, is thrilled to be in Moscow on the eve of such a momentous event. After the fall of Communism and a succession of weak governments, the Russian people have voted to bring back the monarchy. The new tsar will be chosen from the distant relatives of Nicholas II by a specially appointed commission, and Miles’ job is to perform a background check on the Tsarist candidate favored by a powerful group of Western businessmen. But research quickly becomes the least of Miles’ concerns when he is nearly killed by gunmen on a city plaza.

Suddenly Miles is racing across continents, shadowed by nefarious henchmen. At first, his only question is why people are pursuing him. But after a strange conversation with a mysterious Russian, who steers Miles toward the writings of Rasputin, he becomes desperate to know more -- most important, what really happened to the family of Russia’s last tsar?

His only companion is Akilina Petrov, a Russian circus performer sympathetic to his struggle, and his only guide is a cryptic message from Rasputin that implies that the bloody night of so long ago is not the last chapter in the Romanovs’ story ... and that someone might even have survived the massacre. The prophecy’s implications are earth-shattering -- not only for the future of the tsar and mother Russia, but also for Miles himself.

Audio Review:

L.J. Ganser does admirably with his various Russian accents, but his standard narration is delivered with an edgy and almost nasal tone unbefitting of an African-American hero on a mission in Russia. This adventure follows Atlanta attorney and Russian history buff Miles Lord as he assists the Russian government in determining the authenticity of a successor to the tsarist throne. Lord, along with a beautiful Russian circus performer, follows a trail of coded secrets in a century-old prophecy of Rasputin as they dodge bullets of Moscow mob assassins with their own vested interest in restoring the Russian imperial throne. The plausibility of this novel's premise stretches thin, but listeners will still be thrilled by the author's fast-paced writing and this smoothly adapted abridgment. -- AudioFile

5 sound discs (5.75 hr.)

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ISBN-13: 9780739320853 ISBN-10: 0739320858 Publication Date: 1/10/2006 Rating: Currently 3.8/5 Stars. 23 3.8 stars, based on 23 ratings	Publisher: Random House Audio Book Type: Audio CD Other Versions: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette Reviews: Member \| Amazon \| Write a Review