Eye of the Red Tsar

A Novel of Suspense

By: Sam Eastland

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

This riveting suspense debut introduces both a stellar new voice and a remarkable detective, an outsider who must use his extraordinary talents to solve the one case that may redeem him.

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.

©2010 Sam Eastland (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

“A triumph! With a canny eye for detail, Eastland re-creates the tragedy of the Romanov dynasty in this intelligent and relentless thriller.” (David Hewson)

Historical Detail and Layers of Suspense

Through a series of flashbacks, Sam Eastland layers on the suspense in this historical thriller. It's a first-rate yarn read by a first-rate narrator, Paul Michael.

The author has a researcher's keen eye for historical detail and he uses that detail to paint background pictures of two worlds -- life in the orbit of the Czar before the revolution and the less-than-idealistic reality of the already stumbling Soviet state.

Each time I thought I had the plot figured out, there was another twist that propelled the book forward.

Well worth the investment of time. With luck, we'll hear from the Emerald Eye again.

Great character

I really enjoyed the listen. The writer is solid in his use of language, image and dialogue, but the reveal in the third act strains credulity past the breaking point and there is a more plausible, explanation for Anton's actions than was used. Plotting is strictly third year screenwriting level, but the world of the book makes up for these shortcomings and the protagonist is memorable.

Strong ending!

A slow building suspense & good read! Enjoyed beyond expectation. Would benefit by announcing chapters to differentiate scenes.

Great Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Good historical detail. Plot kept moving - good momentum. Killer ending. Great naration.

Which character – as performed by Paul Michael – was your favorite?

Stallin I think.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A mystery, inside a riddle wrapped up in an enigma.

Oddly absorbing mystery of the Tsar’s fate

This story introduces us to Inspector Pekkala who had been the chief and incorruptible detective of Tsar Nicholas II, but who had been caught and sent to Siberia after the Revolution. Some 11 years later Pekkala is retrieved by the Soviet government and tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to the Tsar and his family. He works with a new commissar, Kirov, who seems rather green but a nice guy, and then, in a surprise, with his brother Anton who he hadn’t seen since before the Revolution. The story is historical fiction, so we know that the Romanovs died, and the question is who did it and why. The mystery aspect is okay but nothing very clever, but what makes this book are the characters and the storytelling. This story and Pekkala draw the reader in and absorbed in the story. All in all, this was a good read and I hope the rest of the series continues in this vein.

Great Mystery and Intrigue

Overall I enjoyed this story. The characters are believable, and the main character - Piccoula - is likeable. The story kept me in suspense and Piccoula's investigative skills were great to follow. I enjoyed the backdrop of communist Russia. The only thing that I found difficult was how this book took and actual event - the murder of the Romanov's - and twisted in the fictionalized events. I kept wanting to refer to what I had read in historical accounts, which varied in many ways. If I had no knowledge of the Romanov story prior to reading, I would have rated Eye of the Red Tsar a 5. If you are a history buff, you may not find it quite as enjoyable.

Wow What a Book

This excellent story is absolutely a novel of suspense as the title states. A complex blend of history (based on historic events), intrigue, and mysterious thriller wrapped up into one page turner of a book. Set around the time of the Russian Revolution and its violent aftermath --the story is peopled with a cast of memorable characters that grab the listener and captivate. The narration by Paul Michael was perfect. Parts of the book were a bit grisly --but not so much that I had to stop listening. I really look forward to the next book in the series. I have to admit that when I came to "The End" I had to give the recording a round of applause. It was that good!

Great Story!

This is one of the best books I've listened to in a long time. It was both historically accurate and a good story. The reader also did a great job. All in all this is a credit worth listen!

Fun light reading, but the start of a series?

I decided to read this when I was in a wishy-washy mood and was surprised to find myself enjoying the story. This is meant to be the first installment of a post-Russian-revolution detective series featuring Pekkala, a man who used to work directly for the Romanovs, but because of obvious, now kind of has to work for Stalin et al.
Re: plot - I totally love the Romanov mystery, which is why I bought this book in the first place. The possibility of survivors makes for good storytelling. With the book taking place years after the revolution, I liked that this was a cold case story, with a little modern forensics mixed in. But, since I only bought it for the Romanov story, and have little interest in Communist-era detective stories on whole, I doubt I'll pick up the next installment.
Re: narrator - Paul Michael (it's the same guy who did the last two Dan Brown books) does good euro accents, and I enjoy his style of narrating, so it's entirely possible part of me liked this because I kept expecting Robert Langdon to pop into a scene. In all honesty, I may have liked the book more for this reason. (Insert shoulder shrug)
Overall, a good choice if you're not looking for anything too heavy, or too long. :-)

Adequate

The background is kind of interesting, but the telling of it plods. The narrator is terrific.