The Fate of the Romanovs Hardcover - 2003

From the rear cover

Rumors, mysteries, and tales of horrifying privation and torture have echoed through the years, inspiring wild speculation and fantastic claims of the "truth" of the final days of Russia's Tsar Nicholas II and his family. Now, in the first comprehensive account of their imprisonment and murder since the family's remains were enshrined in St. Petersburg, The Fate of the Romanovs challenges earlier descriptions of these events with a wealth of fresh evidence and a careful re-examination of established facts.

Drawing from more than 500 previously unpublished documents, authors Greg King and Penny Wilson make compelling, controversial revisions to commonly held beliefs. They reveal that the family was not treated in a barbaric fashion during their captivity, but rather with a great deal of civility. They also dispel the legend that the family members remained devoted to each other throughout their ordeal; months of uncertainty and anxiety led to a slow but inexorable disintegration of family bonds.

This vividly narrated expose delves deeply into the long-secret archives of the Russian Revolution to discover that Lenin did not order the family's execution-as had been previously thought-and to reveal who actually made the decision and how it was carried out. Secret documents also disclose that the KGB orchestrated the 1978 "discovery" of the Romanov grave and that the Soviet government had known of its existence from the beginning.

Most shocking of all is the confirmation that two of the tsar's children may have escaped execution and that the fabled Grand Duchess Anastasia could well have been one of them. Shocking in another way is the revelation of successful efforts of Imperial hangers-on to barter for their own freedom using the Romanovs' vast cache of jewels.

Every claim and assertion in this startling new report is supported with copious documentary evidence from multiple sources. The authors cite many accounts from those closest to the actual events, including memoirs by the commandant of the Ipatiev House in which the family was imprisoned; Victor Netrebin, who participated in the murders; Bolshevik officials who revealed the betrayal of the Romanovs by their servants; and a physician who was given access to the Imperial prisoners. They also quote the statements of guards Alexei Kabanov and Alexander Strekotin and draw information from Romanov family papers, including personal letters and documents on the fate of the Romanov remains.

Supplemented with numerous, never-before-published photos and a helpful cast of characters numbering in the hundreds, The Fate of the Romanovs explodes myths, confirms long-dismissed theories, solves mysteries, and poses intriguing new questions about events that, though they occurred nearly a century ago, continue to fascinate the world.

From the jacket flap

Rumors, mysteries, and tales of horrifying privation and torture have echoed through the years, inspiring wild speculation and fantastic claims of the "truth" of the final days of Russia's Tsar Nicholas II and his family. Now, in the first comprehensive account of their imprisonment and murder since the family's remains were enshrined in St. Petersburg, The Fate of the Romanovs challenges earlier descriptions of these events with a wealth of fresh evidence and a careful re-examination of established facts.

Drawing from more than 500 previously unpublished documents, authors Greg King and Penny Wilson make compelling, controversial revisions to commonly held beliefs. They reveal that the family was not treated in a barbaric fashion during their captivity, but rather with a great deal of civility. They also dispel the legend that the family members remained devoted to each other throughout their ordeal; months of uncertainty and anxiety led to a slow but inexorable disintegration of family bonds.

This vividly narrated expose delves deeply into the long-secret archives of the Russian Revolution to discover that Lenin did not order the family's execution-as had been previously thought-and to reveal who actually made the decision and how it was carried out. Secret documents also disclose that the KGB orchestrated the 1978 "discovery" of the Romanov grave and that the Soviet government had known of its existence from the beginning.

Most shocking of all is the confirmation that two of the tsar's children may have escaped execution and that the fabled Grand Duchess Anastasia could well have been one of them. Shocking in another way is the revelation of successful efforts of Imperial hangers-on to barter for their own freedom using the Romanovs' vast cache of jewels.

Every claim and assertion in this startling new report is supported with copious documentary evidence from multiple sources. The authors cite many accounts from those closest to the actual events, including memoirs by the commandant of the Ipatiev House in which the family was imprisoned; Victor Netrebin, who participated in the murders; Bolshevik officials who revealed the betrayal of the Romanovs by their servants; and a physician who was given access to the Imperial prisoners. They also quote the statements of guards Alexei Kabanov and Alexander Strekotin and draw information from Romanov family papers, including personal letters and documents on the fate of the Romanov remains.

Supplemented with numerous, never-before-published photos and a helpful cast of characters numbering in the hundreds, The Fate of the Romanovs explodes myths, confirms long-dismissed theories, solves mysteries, and poses intriguing new questions about events that, though they occurred nearly a century ago, continue to fascinate the world.

Media reviews

Citations

• Booklist, 09/15/2003, Page 197
• Choice, 04/01/2004, Page 1530
• Library Journal, 09/15/2003, Page 69
• Publishers Weekly, 07/28/2003, Page 89
• Reference and Research Bk News, 02/01/2004, Page 38