Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland | PenguinRandomHouse.com

About Eye of the Red Tsar

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, Pekkala, once the most trusted secret agent of the Romanovs, is now Prisoner 4745-P, banished to a forest on the outskirts of humanity. But the state needs Pekkala one last time. His mission: catch the assassins who slaughtered the Romanovs, 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.

In a land of uneasy alliances and lethal 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.

About Eye of the Red Tsar

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Sam Eastland’s Shadow Pass.

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, Pekkala, once the most trusted secret agent of the Romanovs, is now Prisoner 4745-P, banished to a forest on the outskirts of humanity. But the state needs Pekkala one last time. His mission: catch the assassins who slaughtered the Romanovs, 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.

In a land of uneasy alliances and lethal 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.

About Eye of the Red Tsar

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.

Praise

“In the tradition of Martin Cruz Smith and Tom Rob Smith, Sam Eastland pulls us into the culture and politics of Mother Russia. . . . Highly imaginative [and] exciting.”—USA Today

“A fantastic premise, frenetic action sequences and a stellar setting would all set apart this debut novel by [Sam] Eastland. . . . What elevates this Russian period thriller . . . is its mad, brilliant hero.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A riveting historical thriller with a fascinating protagonist . . . a smart, assured, impeccably researched page-turner.”—David Liss, author of The Devil’s Company

“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, author of City of Fear

“Gripping and memorable . . . Fans of Russian thrillers (Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44, Martin Cruz Smith’s Gorky Park, and David Benioff’s City of Thieves) will want this.”—Library Journal

“A terrific debut . . . Eastland’s weaving of fact and fiction, of real and invented characters, is brilliantly achieved.”—The Times (London)

About Sam Eastland

Sam Eastland is the author of Shadow Pass and Eye of the Red Tsar. He is the grandson of a London police detective who served in Scotland Yard’s famous “Ghost Squad” during the 1940s. He lives in the United States… More about Sam Eastland

About Sam Eastland

Sam Eastland is the author of Shadow Pass and Eye of the Red Tsar. He is the grandson of a London police detective who served in Scotland Yard’s famous “Ghost Squad” during the 1940s. He lives in the United States… More about Sam Eastland

About Sam Eastland

Sam Eastland is the author of Shadow Pass and Eye of the Red Tsar. He is the grandson of a London police detective who served in Scotland Yard’s famous “Ghost Squad” during the 1940s. He lives in the United States… More about Sam Eastland