Review: The Romanov Prophecy - Steve Berry

I picked this up on a whim at the library. I think I have said a few times that I don’t really like reading crime/mystery novels, so you might wonder why I would pick this up, since it is blurbed as such. It’s because I’m a sucker for historical fiction. Especially ones that involve some sort of riddle or mystery. This book isn’t really historical fiction, as it is set in present day, but it is based on one of the most persistent conspiracy theories out there; the fact that some of the Romanovs survived the execution in 1918. The theory is largely based on the fact that the bodies of the son, Alexej, and one of the daughters, often believed to be Anastasia, but there is no certain proof, were not found along with the other bodies. However these last missing bodies were found in 2007, 3 years after the publication of this book, finally laying the Romanovs and the conspiracy theory to rest.  

This book is about an American lawyer, Miles Lord, who has come to Russia to help with the election of the new tsar. The Russians have decided that after communism and a brief foray into democracy, they want the sovereign tsar back, and they are now looking for the closest descendant of tsar Nicholas II. Lord is working for an American company trying to secure the election of Stefan Baklanov, as he seems to be the closest descendant. However, Lord uncovers something in the archives that leads him to believe that there is someone else out there with a stronger claim to the throne. It seems that someone or someones escaped the execution of the family in 1918, and Lord sets out to find out if this is true. On his way he is hunted and helped by a number of people who all have a stake in the election of the new tsar. 

The start of the book was pretty slow for me, even though it kicks off with quite the action blast. The action continues hot and heavy pretty much through the entire book, but it takes a while before we find out what is actually at stake. And I can’t seem to care without knowing that. So it took me a while to get into it. There was a smattering of romance in there, but it seemed almost sort of insta-lovey, which always puts me off. As for the mystery there was a sort of treasure hunt spanning continents, but the clues were quite few, and the solution of them depended greatly on luck, which I found to be tiring after the first few times. The politics of the matter were also quite confusing, as a great number of conspiracies were taking place, and I was never sure who was working with who. 

I liked this book okay, but I must confess I had hoped for more. Perhaps this proves that I just don’t like mystery novels, even if they involve some sort of historical mystery. I gave this book 2 stars out of 5 on Goodreads.