The Romanov Prophecy

By: Steve Berry

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

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.

Steve Berry, national best-selling author of the phenomenal thriller The Amber Room, once again delves into rich historical fact to produce an explosive pause resister. In The Romanov Prophecy, the authentic and the speculative meld into a fascinating and exceptionally suspenseful work of fiction.

©2004 Steve Berry (P)2004 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Berry uses Russia, past and present, to excellent effect and makes sharp observations about the contemporary Russian scene....A solid tale." (Publishers Weekly)

Good story-

I love Berry's Cotton Malone series. If you like those -if you like those, you will enjoy this book. This stand alone has the same fast pace & premise of an historical mystery . This narrator was very good.

Awesome

As usual very well written very well research awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the narrator was very clear made it very real

Ri eting

Started slow but I loved it.I truly was baffled on how he would escape the embassy.

Writer’s Note missing

I’ve read every book by Steve Berry, and I am now listening to them. One thing I most look forward to is the Writer’s note at the end. Be aware, it’s missing in this audio production. You’ll have to find a printed copy or eBook to see what is real and what Steve made up.

Boring

I gave up trying to get interested in this book. First dud I've experienced from Steve Berry.

A phenomenal load of hog wash

This is really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, bad. And completely outdated for what it tried to be. And the performance is horrible.

How can I say this nicely?

This has to have been one of the most frustrating and annoying books I have ever listened to. I cannot believe a supposedly intelligent lawyer (hero) and his Russian Acrobat girlfriend (heroine) can be so continually thick as they are thrown from one assasination attempt to the next with the obvious villians turning up again and again as if invited. Each time the hero and heroine walk straight into the trap oblivious of doing exactly the same thing last time and the time before and of course miraculously escape with their lives (though I am not fortelling the ending). The only mitigating factor is the fascinating history around which the plot has been woven. Berry would have been better to have focus on that topic. The other factor making it bearable was that it was well read.
If you are looking for a well constructed, clever and twisting plot, forget this book. If you are looking for a relatively fast paced entirely predictable read, well, you may be able to get through it.

Too much profanity

I love Steve Berry, but unlike many of his books, this one resorts to profanity rather than good story telling. If that matters to you, I would definitely skip this one.

a weird story

This story is a combination of a Disney fairy tale with a thriller. I found myself shaking my head thru-out the story. Just when I was getting into the story, there was a turn of events that seems so unbelievable, even for a fiction book, that I kept loosing interest.

Lightweight listening

Found it naive, racist, predictable. When a human and a dog have died and the author sighs, what a shame about the dog, about sums the attitude...