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)

Ok book

I enjoyed this book but found it a little slow in places, and sometimes predictable. Narration was good. Not great, but not bad either.

Highly recommended

The pacing of the story was wonderful. Just the right balance between description and action. The narrator is excellent.

Intriguing

I liked this book a lot. I found it because I'm a fan of the narrator, Paul Michael, and as usual his accents and pacing were great. The story is interesting and the main character, Pekkala, is compelling. I think I was a little disappointed in Pekkala's decision at the end, but intrigued to find out what he does next. I hope Sam Eastland writes a sequel so I can find out!

Great historical fiction!

An interesting, intriguing suspense novel (a mystery novel, too, actually). Kept me in suspense until the end! Entertaining historical fiction. Paul Michael did a good job reading.

a tsarist officer is brought out of the gulag

Stalin saved an intimate of the Tsar to look for a surviving romanov and help russia.

Buy This Book Today & Start Listening

The book was outstanding and I immediately wanted to know what else he had written...and this is also a perfect example of how an excellent narrator makes a great book even better. I have heard Paul Michael before and now have really noted this name. This wasn't an easy book to narrate and he did an incredible job.

What a Fabulous Story

I am writing this review after listening to all 3 in the series.

I would recommend taking them in order. I am surprised this book and the sequels did not get more hype. It is one of the best historical fiction stories around. In the spirit of Bernard Cornwell, who masterfully weaves actual history and historical events around a good fictional story of characters, Sam Eastland hits a home run.

I can't wait for the 4th book, which is out in the U.K. I wrote the author and he responded, which is always nice. There is no news on a U.S. release as of yet.

I will wait impatiently. Paul Michael does a great job with the series.

Highly Recommended!!!

A man long thought dead has returned.

Where does Eye of the Red Tsar rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'm not certain how it would rank, but it's an excellent listen.

What other book might you compare Eye of the Red Tsar to and why?

Just as good as Steve Berry's The Romanov Prophecy.

What about Paul Michael’s performance did you like?

He's quite good with different accents.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I feel soory for the inspector. All the hells Pekkala went through.

Any additional comments?

Any mystery fans should give this book a try.

Incredible - and not in a good way

I nearly gave this book back, but somehow stayed with it. Having said that, I was almost constantly annoyed. Some people said that they think this is historically very well researched - well, I think the opposite. The portrayal of the Tsar as a loving, doting if slightly confused monarch who pours over the personnel files of the cadets and is worried that any of the revolutionaries might get hurt seems more than far fetched. And from what I heard Stalin wasn't exactly a stern but forgiving person either. Aside from the character of the Tsar, the person that annoyed me almost as much was Kirov. No political commissar in Stalin's days would have been that naive. I understand what his function in the book is: he is asking the stupid questions so that the author can explain things to the reader. But during that time, nobody would survived to rise to political commissar without political awareness.

For a better, and more realistic, crime story set in the same time I recommend Tom Rob Smith's "Child 44" that is also available on Audible.

Well written, great narration, lousy story

I really started out enjoying this. The narration is wonderful, the historical setting is terrific - but the story and the plot are so unbelievable, and the ending so unsatisfying - that I can not recommend this. (And I've seldom written a negative review.)

In fact, the ending was so bad I now have the "well, that is 8 hours (or however long the book is) that I'll never get back!"