I really enjoyed this read. The author took me on a journey of a story I already knew. I had read other books and seen the movies "Nicholas and Alexander" and "Anastasia". But, this author took me on a different road and introduced me to new and well developed characters such as Uri Andrev, Boyle, Lydia,Markov, the undertaker, Sr. Agnes and her novices, Hilda Volkov, Leonid Yakov, Phillip Sorg and even the evil Kazan.He begins his story with an archeological dig and the dig's Director, Dr. Laura Pavlov a Forensics Pathologist. She represents the reader. She asks the questions that we want asked and she follows each individual to their end. The dig takes place in Ekaterinburg, Russia, the town where the Romanovs were executed. It lies in the shadow of the Ural mountains. This Siberian city has been nicknamed "The City Of Dead Souls."I loved Dr. Zhivago and was shocked by the Bolshevik's brutality. The same is true here. This is an exciting tale of putting the team together and getting them into Russia when all was so chaotic. One feels the pressure of time, the limited resources and the anxiety of trying to get to the Romanovs before the Bolsheviks executed them. And to add to all of this, Lenin and his right hand man ,Leonid Yakov are made aware that enemy agents are entering Russia to rescue the family. Lenin "sweetens" the pot by holding Leonid Yakov's daughter, Katrinia to make sure he gives Lenin the results he wants.I had not heard of this author or his works before but I enjoyed this book so much I will be looking up his previous works. This was a really refreshing read. "The Da Vinci Code" made the historical thriller genre trendy again, but of course any bestseller inspires imitators. Glenn Meade is in a league all his own. The book was completely different than I thought it would be, but still intriguing. The story effortlessly spans decades, continents, and weaves seemingly independent storylines into a cohesive, satisfying whole. Anyone who's been fascinated by the story of the Romanovs will enjoy this book. It's painstakingly researched, and while this is fiction it hews very closely to the actual history of the era. My favorite part about the ending was that Meade forgoes throwing in a massive plot twist in favor of a believable conclusion that still leaves room for you to speculate.
What do You think about Operation Romanov (2012)?
An interesting theory on what happened to the Russian royal family woven into an exciting read.
—olivia
This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. There are so many plot twists.
—trucacha19
Interesting conspiracy theory of the demise of the Russian royal family.
—shawon
