Title: “The
Romanov Cross”
Author: Robert
Masello
Publisher: Bantam
/ Random House
Publication Date: March
5, 2013
Genres: Historical
Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Reviewed by: Books4Tomorrow
Source: Received
from publisher via NetGalley
My star rating: 5/5
SUMMARY
Nearly
one hundred years ago, a desperate young woman crawled ashore on a desolate
arctic island, carrying a terrible secret and a mysterious, emerald-encrusted
cross. A century later, acts of man, nature, and history converge on that same
forbidding shore with a power sufficient to shatter civilization as we know it.
Army epidemiologist Frank Slater is facing a court-martial, but after his punishment is mysteriously lifted, Slater is offered a job no one else wants—to travel to a small island off the coast of Alaska and investigate a potentially lethal phenomenon: The permafrost has begun to melt, exposing bodies from a colony that was wiped out by the dreaded Spanish flu of 1918. Frank must determine if the thawed remains still carry the deadly virus in their frozen flesh and, if so, ensure that it doesn’t come back to life.
Frank and his handpicked team arrive by helicopter, loaded down with high-tech tools, prepared to exhume history. The colony, it transpires, was once settled by a sect devoted to the mad Russian monk Rasputin, but there is even more hiding in the past than Frank’s team is aware of. Any hope of success hinges on their willingness to accept the fact that even their cutting-edge science has its limits—and that the ancient wisdom of the Inuit people who once inhabited this eerie land is as essential as any serum. By the time Frank discovers that his mission has been compromised—crashed by a gang of reckless treasure hunters—he will be in a brutal race against time. With a young, strong-willed Inuit woman by his side, Frank must put a deadly genie back in the bottle before all of humanity pays the price.
The Romanov Cross is at once an alternate take on one of history’s most profound mysteries, a love story as unlikely as it is inevitable, and a thriller of heart-stopping, supernatural suspense. With his signature blend of fascinating history and fantastic imagination, critically acclaimed author Robert Masello has once again crafted a terrifying story of past events coming back to haunt the present day . . . and of dark deeds aching to be unearthed.
Army epidemiologist Frank Slater is facing a court-martial, but after his punishment is mysteriously lifted, Slater is offered a job no one else wants—to travel to a small island off the coast of Alaska and investigate a potentially lethal phenomenon: The permafrost has begun to melt, exposing bodies from a colony that was wiped out by the dreaded Spanish flu of 1918. Frank must determine if the thawed remains still carry the deadly virus in their frozen flesh and, if so, ensure that it doesn’t come back to life.
Frank and his handpicked team arrive by helicopter, loaded down with high-tech tools, prepared to exhume history. The colony, it transpires, was once settled by a sect devoted to the mad Russian monk Rasputin, but there is even more hiding in the past than Frank’s team is aware of. Any hope of success hinges on their willingness to accept the fact that even their cutting-edge science has its limits—and that the ancient wisdom of the Inuit people who once inhabited this eerie land is as essential as any serum. By the time Frank discovers that his mission has been compromised—crashed by a gang of reckless treasure hunters—he will be in a brutal race against time. With a young, strong-willed Inuit woman by his side, Frank must put a deadly genie back in the bottle before all of humanity pays the price.
The Romanov Cross is at once an alternate take on one of history’s most profound mysteries, a love story as unlikely as it is inevitable, and a thriller of heart-stopping, supernatural suspense. With his signature blend of fascinating history and fantastic imagination, critically acclaimed author Robert Masello has once again crafted a terrifying story of past events coming back to haunt the present day . . . and of dark deeds aching to be unearthed.
REVIEW
When
last have you read a book where the ending…no, the entire story, left you floating on an exhilarating high? When last
have you read something that made you feel breathless from all the adrenaline
shooting through your body after experiencing scene after scene of explosive,
nail-biting action? If your answer is “not
for some time”, then go get your copy of The Romanov Cross by Robert Masello and settle in for the long haul.
Boys and girls, this book will keep you lost in its pages for hours!
I don’t
even know where to begin to tell you how amazing and what an absolutely
worthwhile read this book is. A devastating flu epidemic, an emerald cross
surrounded by mystery, a ghost on a deserted island, the unforgiving Alaskan
backdrop, a religious sect devoted to Grigori Rasputin, modern technology, and old
graves desecrated for scientific purposes in a race against time to save present
day civilization from the possible recurrence of the Spanish flu virus of 1918…all
of this is only the proverbial tip of the ice berg. The Romanov Cross has layer upon layer upon layer of secrets and
reveals, and one shocking discovery after the other. The best part about this
whole book is that it never has a dull moment. It moves at a breakneck pace and
is loaded with interesting facts and spot-on historical information. One thing
that was clear as day is how superbly the author did his research for this book;
and all the chapters taking the reader back to the early nineteenth century were
so believably realistic, it felt as though these characters could still be
alive today. To be quite honest, I’m not into historical fiction and I don’t
know much about history other for that which I was taught at school many moons
ago. But face it. Everyone knows who Rasputin is, right? Even if every time he
is mentioned in this book the song titled, Rasputin,
by Germany hit group Boney-M starts
playing in your head. The author really brought Rasputin and the Romanov family
back to life in an utterly realistic way. The author did a magnificent job on
taking the rumor about Anastacia surviving her family’s execution in 1918 and
giving it a paranormal and twisted spin to fit in with a modern day storyline.
No, no, he didn’t turn Ana into a vampire. That would’ve been too cliché and
predictable. He did something far better with her character, and a lot more
mysterious and awe-inspiring.
This is
one of the rare books where I gained so much historical knowledge (which got me
so interested in the Romanov legacy I found myself clicking over to Google to
get more background on these royals) and learned some interesting things about
the Inuit ways and their superstitions. The author expertly blends a multitude
of characters, each with their own background story, to build an unforgettable
masterpiece where nothing is what it seems. The story is told from Anastasia’s
point of view in early in nineteenth century, Charlie and Harley Vane – the two
scumbag, yet interesting and endearing, treasure hunters, and Dr Frank Slater
the epidemiologist’s point of view.
If all
historical fiction books are as interesting and well-written as The Romanov Cross, I can definitely see
myself reading more of this genre. And I’m sure as heck going to read more
books by this author. His attention to detail is superb, and without any
lengthy explanations he builds the backgrounds in which the different scenes
take place, and then places the reader smack-dab in the middle of it. Although
there are quite a lot of characters in this story, it is not confusing as the
author smoothly transitions between scenes. Whether you’re a history buff or
not, this book has something for every reader. If you’re more into action,
adventure, thrills and chills, then this very engaging, brilliant read is
without a doubt also for you!
I
received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange
for an honest review.
READ more REVIEWS
The
Romanov Cross by Robert Masello has 26 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.
PURCHASE LINKS
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Robert Masello is an award-winning journalist, television
writer, and the bestselling author of many books, most recently the historical
thriller entitled The Romanov Cross, published by Bantam/Random House (2013).
The book has received starred reviews in both Kirkus, which praised its
“delicious sense of creeping dread,” and in Publishers Weekly, which said: “Masello skillfully weaves
together the story of the deaths of the Romanov family and the possibility of a
new worldwide influenza pandemic . . . Toss in a pack of slavering wolves, the
undead, and a chilling ending, and the result is a terrific, can’t-put-it-down
read.” To date, foreign language rights have been sold in Germany, Italy
and Poland.
AUTHOR LINKS
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