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It is 1939. Russia teeters on the verge of war with Germany. It is also on the brink of bankruptcy. To preserve his regime, Stalin orders a search for the legendary missing gold of Tsar Nicholas II. For this task, he chooses Pekkala, the former investigator for the Tsar. To accomplish his mission, Pekkala will go undercover, returning to Siberia and the nightmare of his own past, where he was once a prisoner in the notorious Gulag known as Borodok.
Pekkala must infiltrate a gang of convicts still loyal to the Tsar who, it is rumored, know the whereabouts of the precious gold. He soon learns that the best-kept secrets are those that no one even knows exist.
In the brutal frozen fortress where his survival once made him a myth, he begins to unravel the true identity of a murdered inmate, whose own mission to Siberia has lain buried for years deep within the mysterious Archive 17, where long-lost files obscure a shocking conspiracy that could decide the future of the Soviet Union itself. As more people die around him, Pekkala must decide where his true loyalties lie, or else take his place among the dead.
With the superb research and stunning suspense that are his trademarks, Sam Eastland delivers his most powerful Pekkala novel yet—the best in a mystery series riveting readers and reviewers alike.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
February 28, 2012 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780307970091
- File size: 257015 KB
- Duration: 08:55:26
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Paul Michael demonstrates the special allure of a narrator who adeptly performs Russian accents. Plus, when Michael's efforts are combined with novelist Sam Eastland's captivating plot, the result is thoroughly entertaining. The book centers on Stalin's efforts to discover Tsar Nicholas II's missing gold. To do so, Stalin sends investigator Pekkala undercover to Siberia, where he must befriend a group of convicts who allegedly know the location of the valuable stash. Of course, the story turns out to be far more complex, making it difficult for Pekkala not only to locate the truth but also to be certain where his loyalties lie. Michael's use of accents complements the dialogue and leaves the listener anticipating every scene and the book's memorable conclusion. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from January 16, 2012
The pseudonymous Eastland’s excellent third thriller set in the Soviet Union under Stalin (after 2011’s Shadow Pass) makes the most of the remote location of much of the book’s action—Siberia. Countless lives hang on the caprice of Joseph Stalin, including that of Inspector Pekkala, a former czarist guard who served time as a political prisoner before becoming Stalin’s (mostly) trusted investigator. In 1939, the dictator sends Pekkala to his old labor camp, Borodok, to look into the murder of Isaac Ryabov, a former cavalry captain and one of the last surviving colleagues of Colonel Kolchak, a close ally of the Russian imperial family. Pekkala must go undercover to catch whoever slit Ryabov’s throat and stay in the good graces of Stalin, who fears that Ryabov’s demise may pose a threat to his rule. Eastland (British author Paul Watkins) captures the brutality of Borodok and the barren desolation of the surrounding area, while maintaining a consistently high level of suspense. Agent: Jason Cooper, Faber & Faber.
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