The Race to Save the Romanovs: The Truth Behind the Secret Plans to Rescue the Russian Imperial Family - Hardcover

Rappaport, Helen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 125015121X ISBN 13: 9781250151216

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2018

Synopsis

In this international bestseller investigating the murder of the Russian Imperial Family, Helen Rappaport embarks on a quest to uncover the various plots and plans to save them, why they failed, and who was responsible.

The murder of the Romanov family in July 1918 horrified the world, and its aftershocks still reverberate today. In Putin's autocratic Russia, the Revolution itself is considered a crime, and its anniversary was largely ignored. In stark contrast, the centenary of the massacre of the Imperial Family was commemorated in 2018 by a huge ceremony attended by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.

While the murders themselves have received major attention, what has never been investigated in detail are the various plots and plans behind the scenes to save the family―on the part of their royal relatives, other governments, and Russian monarchists loyal to the Tsar. Rappaport refutes the claim that the fault lies entirely with King George V, as has been the traditional view for the last century. The responsibility for failing the Romanovs must be equally shared. The question of asylum for the Tsar and his family was an extremely complicated issue that presented enormous political, logistical and geographical challenges at a time when Europe was still at war.

Like a modern day detective, Helen Rappaport draws on new and never-before-seen sources from archives in the US, Russia, Spain and the UK, creating a powerful account of near misses and close calls with a heartbreaking conclusion. With its up-to-the-minute research, The Race to Save the Romanovs is sure to replace outdated classics as the final word on the fate of the Romanovs.

About this title

About the Author

HELEN RAPPAPORT is the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanov Sisters. She studied Russian at Leeds University and is a specialist in Russian and Victorian history. She lives in West Dorset.

Review

"Finely researched and elegantly written." ―Washington Post

"With the detail of a historian-detective, Rappaport utilizes historical, uncovered, and recently declassified information to pick apart the myriad of theories and plans to 'save' the doomed Romanovs by getting them out of the country...Shady characters, tense rivalries, and shifting loyalties abound in the narrative."―The Houston Press

"Excellent...Helen Rappaport, one of today’s leading experts on the last Romanovs, has dug deeply in archives around the world and uncovered a wealth of new information that is certain to make The Race to Save the Romanovs the definitive work on the subject." ―Douglas Smith, award-winning historian and author of Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs

"Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the grim executions, this gripping chronicle will find a ready and eager audience."―Booklist

"[A] frank and brilliant study of the various efforts to save the Romanovs...Rappaport handles the controversy with admirable rigour, cutting through the mythology and backside covering that followed the Romanovs’ murder."―The Spectator (UK)

“Rappaport, a historian, turns the question of why European relatives and Allied governments failed to save Czar Nicholas and family into a thriller, full of juicy tidbits for Romanov completists.” ―Newsweek

"An intriguing work of investigative writing."―New York Journal of Books

"Royal and aristocratic houses all over Europe were linked to the Romanovs...But could they ever have saved their Russian cousins?...skillfully [told]."―The Economist

“Devastating, complex, and fast-moving...This is a well-researched account of a colorful, suspenseful, and tragic series of events.” ―Publishers Weekly

“What I always love about Helen Rappaport’s books is that they appeal to the heart as well as the head. She’s a writer of great compassion.”―Lucy Worsley, bestselling author and historian

"A groundbreaking book...as the centenary of their deaths by firing squad at Ekaterinburg approaches...there remain fresh angles and, crucially, unused evidence pertaining to the Romanovs."―The Daily Telegraph (UK)

"Highly entertaining...Rappaport introduces us to a colourful array of con men, charlatans and fantasists involved in ideas to free the Romanovs...She is a vivid storyteller."―Times (UK)

For Caught in the Revolution:

“Splendid...endlessly fascinating.” ―The New York Times Book Review

“One of the great strengths of this book is the way in which the unheralded and the celebrated mingle in its pages...A mosaic of truth which no fictional one could outdo.” ―The Washington Times

“A multifaceted account of the 1917 Russian Revolution...gripping and thoroughly researched...[Rappaport brings] the streets and spirit of the early 20th-century Petrograd to life on the page.” ―Harper’s Bazaar

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 125015121X
• ISBN 13: 9781250151216
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400