Raymond Khoury, the international bestselling author of The Last Templar, is back with another ingenious, fast-paced thriller that straddles present-day NYC and Russia in the early 1900s—the time of the infamous Rasputin and his mysterious rise to power. FBI special agent Sean Reilly is tasked with a delicate case. A Russian diplomat seems to have committed suicide by jumping out of a sixth-floor … jumping out of a sixth-floor window in Queens, New York. The apartment’s owners are missing, while a faceless killer known only as Koschey—“the Deathless”—is roaming the city and leaving a trail of death in his wake.
Joined by Russian FSB agent Larisa Tchoumitcheva, Reilly’s investigation soon uncovers a deadly, desperate search for a mysterious device whose origins reach back in time to the darkest days of the Cold War and to Imperial Russia. A device that, in the wrong hands, could have a devastating impact on our world.
Packed with the twists and suspense, the impeccable historical research, and the present and past story lines that Khoury’s fans have come to expect, Rasputin’s Shadow will keep readers turning pages long into the night.
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This book was a mixture of historical fiction and modern day thriller. It kept going back and forth so much that it disrupted the flow for me. As the title suggests, the historical fiction part focuses on Rasputin and is centered in the early 1900’s. In modern times, several deaths occur and Sean Reilly is an FBI agent after answers.
This book tackles a lot of topics including Rasputin, family journals, relationships, corruption, assassins, hidden agendas, kidnapping, some early 20th century Russian history and brainwashing.
The latter part of the book did get much better, but I struggled through the first 200 pages. Maybe this was the mood I was in. Unfortunately, for me, it felt a little too disjointed and slow.
I was searching for a novel to read for my June selection for the Year of the Asian reading challenge; my original pick ended up in the did-not-finish pile. Thankfully, I stumbled over the Raymond Khoury thriller Rasputin’s Shadow on the shelves of my local library. Rasputin and his influence in the Russian revolution has always interested me, so the title grabbed my eye. I didn’t know this was number four in a series. Even so, it works fine as a standalone, so don’t feel that you must read books #1-3 before this one.
What I liked:
1. The thrills
Khoury excels at ratcheting up the tension. He seems to know exactly when to end each scene or chapter: the point of highest tension. He raises the stakes. And raises them . . . and raises them . . . and raises them even more.
2. Sean Reilly’s voice
Not his physical voice, obviously. But the way he narrates his sections of the story is appealing. At turns he’s wry, frustrated, angry, and horrified. He never loses his humanity or empathy for others, even when dealing with the horrors of his job.
There’s not much narrative about his family, which is unfortunate as I would’ve liked to have seen him interact with his lover, Tess, and her daughter and his son. People who’ve read the previous novels by Raymond Khoury might be disappointed at this; apparently his family (especially Tess) played a larger role in previous books. It didn’t matter as much to me. I would’ve liked more, but what I saw showed Reilly’s tender side.
3. The historical sections and Sokolov’s background
Sokolov’s background is heart-rending, grim, and fascinating. When as a child he finds a decades’ old journal of his grandfather, the contents–which we read throughout the book–grab his mind and light his imagination. Khoury notes in the afterward that everything in the historical sections of the book actually happened. (He fabricated the journal-writer, though.) Rasputin was one nasty guy. The title is apt. Rasputin’s shadow: he certainly cast a long shadow over the Russian people.
Sokolov has a horrible background. He’s not entirely sympathetic. Yet he loves “his Daphne” and is completely devoted to her safety.
What I didn’t like
For a story that constantly raised the stakes, the actual climax fell flat to me. I also felt that several characters could’ve been better developed: Larisa, in particular, didn’t feel as real or deep as she could’ve been; she felt like “generic female spy with gorgeous body.” (Why must ALL fictional female spies have terrific bodies?!) That’s unfortunate, as she’s a vital part of the story.
My verdict? Four stars. It was good, enjoyable, and intriguing. But I felt like something was lacking.