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Inspector Pekkala #1
Punatsaarin silmä
Tarkastaja Pekkala oli kerran Venäjän kuuluisin rikosetsivä, tsaarin luotettu mies. Osat kääntyivät ja saalistajasta tuli saalis: nyt Pekkala viruu vankileirillä, keskellä korpea.
Miljoonien kohtalotovereiden tavoin hänet on lähetetty Siperiaan, ja ulkomaailman silmissä hän on yhtä kuin kuollut. Mutta varma kuolemaantuomio vaihtuu armonajaksi, kun hänet haetaan ratkomaan varsin tunnettua tapausta. Käsky tulee Stalinilta. Pekkalan on selvitettävä, ketkä olivat tsaariperheen murhan arkkitehdit, ja etsittävä käsiinsä mittaamattoman arvokkaat keisarin kalleudet. Jos Pekkala suoriutuu tehtävästä, häntä odottaa vapaus ja hän saa kohdata elämänsä rakkauden, vallankumouksen tuoksinassa kadottamansa naisen. Epäonnistuneen yrityksen palkka on kuolema.
Voiko yksi mies ratkaista Romanovien mysteerin?
Stalinin vallanhimosta syntynyt, vainoharhoista ja raakalaismaisuudesta elävä Neuvostoliitto luo puitteet Tsaarin silmälle.
Miljoonien kohtalotovereiden tavoin hänet on lähetetty Siperiaan, ja ulkomaailman silmissä hän on yhtä kuin kuollut. Mutta varma kuolemaantuomio vaihtuu armonajaksi, kun hänet haetaan ratkomaan varsin tunnettua tapausta. Käsky tulee Stalinilta. Pekkalan on selvitettävä, ketkä olivat tsaariperheen murhan arkkitehdit, ja etsittävä käsiinsä mittaamattoman arvokkaat keisarin kalleudet. Jos Pekkala suoriutuu tehtävästä, häntä odottaa vapaus ja hän saa kohdata elämänsä rakkauden, vallankumouksen tuoksinassa kadottamansa naisen. Epäonnistuneen yrityksen palkka on kuolema.
Voiko yksi mies ratkaista Romanovien mysteerin?
Stalinin vallanhimosta syntynyt, vainoharhoista ja raakalaismaisuudesta elävä Neuvostoliitto luo puitteet Tsaarin silmälle.
334 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 580 reviews
October 8, 2017
Another new series for me, which I’ve been meaning to get around to for a while now. Having recently completed the David Downing’s excellent Station series this will be my first foray into the status quo on the “other” side that of the Soviet Union in the interwar & war years, a period ive studied but not really read about so it’ll be interesting to see how much is familiar to me & looking forward to it as heard good things about the writing style.
We start after the Russian revolution which is apt (Being the 100 year anniversary this year) I think with a prologue which features the Tsar & his family in their last moments..... then fast forward to Siberia 1929 which is the “present” day for the story where we meet Pekkala also known as the Emerald Eye which reduces everyone to fear & trepidation when it’s mentioned which is quite amusing.
The present day story starts in a Gulag where it seems most Russians were in or passed through at some time post Russian revolution & there we pick-up Pekkala’s tale which is told through a narrative involving him & a commissar or through flashbacks to past events which include briefly his childhood origins, his military background & then his association with the Tsar. The introductions over & we’re off with an investigation.......... which i’ll leave you to enjoy.
The flashbacks continue throughout but you hardly notice the back n forth & in fact every time you have a question about the present day..... you turn the page & it’s all laid out in the next chapter (the flashbacks are short & concise & work perfectly to fill in the back-story). Without giving away the plot (too much) I will say the characters are wonderful, narrative is spot-on & the mystery unfolds as we go making for an easy & enjoyable read. We also have the soviet union of the 1920’s come to life as you work your way through the story. The epilogue & detail at the end is also well presented & gives a conclusion to the story/events.
I’ve not gone into any detail about the investigation as its a mystery/crime theme but I think you get the idea of what’s involved....... Really looking like a gem of a series – 5 stars straight up.
Recommended for all lovers of Historical Crime genre, Interwar stories, Soviet Union & perhaps Crime fiction in general.
We start after the Russian revolution which is apt (Being the 100 year anniversary this year) I think with a prologue which features the Tsar & his family in their last moments..... then fast forward to Siberia 1929 which is the “present” day for the story where we meet Pekkala also known as the Emerald Eye which reduces everyone to fear & trepidation when it’s mentioned which is quite amusing.
The present day story starts in a Gulag where it seems most Russians were in or passed through at some time post Russian revolution & there we pick-up Pekkala’s tale which is told through a narrative involving him & a commissar or through flashbacks to past events which include briefly his childhood origins, his military background & then his association with the Tsar. The introductions over & we’re off with an investigation.......... which i’ll leave you to enjoy.
The flashbacks continue throughout but you hardly notice the back n forth & in fact every time you have a question about the present day..... you turn the page & it’s all laid out in the next chapter (the flashbacks are short & concise & work perfectly to fill in the back-story). Without giving away the plot (too much) I will say the characters are wonderful, narrative is spot-on & the mystery unfolds as we go making for an easy & enjoyable read. We also have the soviet union of the 1920’s come to life as you work your way through the story. The epilogue & detail at the end is also well presented & gives a conclusion to the story/events.
I’ve not gone into any detail about the investigation as its a mystery/crime theme but I think you get the idea of what’s involved....... Really looking like a gem of a series – 5 stars straight up.
Recommended for all lovers of Historical Crime genre, Interwar stories, Soviet Union & perhaps Crime fiction in general.
May 16, 2010
I enjoyed this one, but it gets two stars because, after writing this review, I realized my enjoyment had more to do with the subject matter than with the actual merits of the book. I've always had a fascination with Russian history, especially anything dealing with the Romanovs and the Revolution. I've devoured numerous books on the subject, but this one fell short of my hopes for three reasons.
First, the suspense, for me, was dampened by knowledge of the Romanovs' fate. True, you'd have to live under a rock not to know how Russia's royal family met their end, but this is a novel of suspense, so that knowledge hurts it. The story centers around Inspector Pekkala (the most trusted man of Tsar Nicholas II) and his investigation into the disappearance of the Romanovs during the Revolution. Officially, they were all executed, but the new government has released Pekkala from prison in return for investigating the numerous rumors that some of the family survived. There is, of course, a double motive for the investigation, which does add to the mystery, but it just isn't enough. Knowing that none of the Romanovs survived meant that I couldn't hope with Pekkala because I knew, from the very beginning, that his hope was in vain.
And this brings me to the second reason the book fell short of my hopes. I never really connected with any of the characters. Partly because of what I mentioned above—I know much, much more than they do and it prevented me from getting truly invested in the story—and partly because no solid point of view is ever established. Sometimes the point of view seems to be Pekkala's, sometimes one or two of the other characters', and sometimes it seems to be the point of view of an omniscient narrator. This leaves perfectly developed characters feeling flat and uninteresting.
Third, I found the ending very unsatisfying. I just could not believe that Pekkala would, with so little thought, so little anger, and no hesitation, continue working for the government that had tortured him, imprisoned him, forever separated him from the woman he loved, and brought about the murder of the Tsar (a man he seemed to respect and look up to) after he completed his investigation into the deaths of the Romanovs. It was just...blah. There is no other word for it.
One thing I did enjoy is the way the narrative is split between the investigation in 1929 and Pekkala's memories leading up to the Revolution. It creates an intricate narrative that leaves the reader to make connections between past and present as Pekkala does. Overall, it's an okay read, but it hasn't sold me on the rest of the series.
First, the suspense, for me, was dampened by knowledge of the Romanovs' fate. True, you'd have to live under a rock not to know how Russia's royal family met their end, but this is a novel of suspense, so that knowledge hurts it. The story centers around Inspector Pekkala (the most trusted man of Tsar Nicholas II) and his investigation into the disappearance of the Romanovs during the Revolution. Officially, they were all executed, but the new government has released Pekkala from prison in return for investigating the numerous rumors that some of the family survived. There is, of course, a double motive for the investigation, which does add to the mystery, but it just isn't enough. Knowing that none of the Romanovs survived meant that I couldn't hope with Pekkala because I knew, from the very beginning, that his hope was in vain.
And this brings me to the second reason the book fell short of my hopes. I never really connected with any of the characters. Partly because of what I mentioned above—I know much, much more than they do and it prevented me from getting truly invested in the story—and partly because no solid point of view is ever established. Sometimes the point of view seems to be Pekkala's, sometimes one or two of the other characters', and sometimes it seems to be the point of view of an omniscient narrator. This leaves perfectly developed characters feeling flat and uninteresting.
Third, I found the ending very unsatisfying. I just could not believe that Pekkala would, with so little thought, so little anger, and no hesitation, continue working for the government that had tortured him, imprisoned him, forever separated him from the woman he loved, and brought about the murder of the Tsar (a man he seemed to respect and look up to) after he completed his investigation into the deaths of the Romanovs. It was just...blah. There is no other word for it.
One thing I did enjoy is the way the narrative is split between the investigation in 1929 and Pekkala's memories leading up to the Revolution. It creates an intricate narrative that leaves the reader to make connections between past and present as Pekkala does. Overall, it's an okay read, but it hasn't sold me on the rest of the series.
August 31, 2022
Rating: 3.5* of five
The Publisher Says: It is the time of the Great Terror. Inspector Pekkala - known as the Emerald Eye - was the most famous detective in all Russia. He was the favourite of the Tsar. Now he is the prisoner of the men he once hunted.
Like millions of others, he has been sent to the gulags in Siberia and, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, he is as good as dead. But a reprieve comes when he is summoned by Stalin himself to investigate a crime. His mission - to uncover the men who really killed the Tsar and his family, and to locate the Tsar's treasure. The reward for success will be his freedom and the chance to re-unite with a woman he would have married if the Revolution had not torn them apart. The price of failure - death.
Set against the backdrop of the paranoid and brutal country that Russia became under the rule of Stalin, Eye of the Red Tsar introduces a compelling new figure to readers of crime fiction.
My Review: Pekkala is the Tsar's most powerful subject, the only one with the power to arrest even the Tsar himself for crimes against Russia. The Revolution, naturally enough, ends that power, and Pekkala endures torture and isolation for more than a decade before Comrade Stalin needs Pekkala's unique skills and knowledge to solve a lingering mystery: Who actually killed the Tsar, since it wasn't Moscow's orders to do so? Did any of the Romanovs survive Ekaterinburg? The answers to the questions posed takes Pekkala, his estranged brother Anton, and a young chef-in-training reassigned to political censorship because there is no food to cook, all over Siberia and the trans-Ural region, and once discovered, allow some of Pekkala's old scores to be settled.
A perfectly pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
The Publisher Says: It is the time of the Great Terror. Inspector Pekkala - known as the Emerald Eye - was the most famous detective in all Russia. He was the favourite of the Tsar. Now he is the prisoner of the men he once hunted.
Like millions of others, he has been sent to the gulags in Siberia and, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, he is as good as dead. But a reprieve comes when he is summoned by Stalin himself to investigate a crime. His mission - to uncover the men who really killed the Tsar and his family, and to locate the Tsar's treasure. The reward for success will be his freedom and the chance to re-unite with a woman he would have married if the Revolution had not torn them apart. The price of failure - death.
Set against the backdrop of the paranoid and brutal country that Russia became under the rule of Stalin, Eye of the Red Tsar introduces a compelling new figure to readers of crime fiction.
My Review: Pekkala is the Tsar's most powerful subject, the only one with the power to arrest even the Tsar himself for crimes against Russia. The Revolution, naturally enough, ends that power, and Pekkala endures torture and isolation for more than a decade before Comrade Stalin needs Pekkala's unique skills and knowledge to solve a lingering mystery: Who actually killed the Tsar, since it wasn't Moscow's orders to do so? Did any of the Romanovs survive Ekaterinburg? The answers to the questions posed takes Pekkala, his estranged brother Anton, and a young chef-in-training reassigned to political censorship because there is no food to cook, all over Siberia and the trans-Ural region, and once discovered, allow some of Pekkala's old scores to be settled.
A perfectly pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
February 10, 2022
Un romanzo (quasi) storico che miscela con efficacia la trama gialla con quella storica. Un personaggio, Pekkala, gradevolmente inverosimile alla maniera british (anche se l'autore e' statunitense), investigatore speciale prima al servizio dello zar Nicola II e poi, suo malgrado, di Stalin. La lettura procede spedita e senza cedimenti, con qualche ingenuita' dei personaggi ma soprattutto con il grande merito di saper tenere incollato il lettore. In definitiva un buon romanzo d'evasione che con qualche faciloneria in meno ad usum yankee avrebbe potuto arrivare anche a un piu' alto livello.
November 22, 2011
I am always looking for serial novels that I can read more or less in a sitting or two, that fall into the general category of crime or mystery, and that keep me turning the page with a heightened level of anticipation. A Barnes and Noble staff member recommended Sam Eastland’s “Eye of the Red Tsar”. It is the first in a series of, to date, two works that will engage its protagonist in a variety of investigations in Stalin’s Soviet Union. Eastland’s choice of the staging area of the series undoubtedly is a response to the West’s interests in the intrigues and machinations of the Soviet years—an interest that increases as more of the Soviet’s archival records are opened to the public.
Sam Eastland’s debut novel was passable. The plot, revolving around the Romanovs, was certainly intriguing and clear enough [are all of the Romanovs dead?; who killed them?; and where is the treasure the Tsar hid before being executed?] and the writing generally fluid. The protagonist, Inspector Pekkala known as the Emerald Eye, also had enough substance and depth to have sustained my interest. But there were aspects to the novel which were problematic as pointed out by Christian House in his review of the work.
While Eastland developed Pekkala adequately, he did not do so with the Inspector’s two fellow travelers. One of them, judging from the novel’s end, will become Pekkala’s Watson: it would have been valuable to have given at least Kirov greater dimension and history. There was also the love relationship, as Eastland developed it, which seemed somewhat tangential to the story line, unless he intends to pick up the thread in a future work.
But Eastland’s deficiencies with the delineation of some of his fictional characters were really secondary to his curious portrayal of Tsar Nicholas II. In Eastland’s hands, the Tsar comes across as a monarch eminently judicious but overwhelmed by uncontrollable circumstances. That is not the image of Nicholas that seems to be the historical consensus. The Romanovs, with Nicholas at the forefront, were excessively autocratic, anti-Semitic and greatly disengaged from their subjects. While the Romanovs collected Faberge eggs, their subjects suffered famines and executions. In a similar vein, Stalin, who looms largely in the background of this first novel, seems more benign. The interplay between the dictator and Pekkala hangs, poorly defined.
In the end, even with the interesting plot, there was not enough weight to convince me to add the second entry in the series to my to-read list. Maybe later.
As a final note, Eastland apparently is a pseudonym for an English writer, grandson of a British detective, living in the United States.
Sam Eastland’s debut novel was passable. The plot, revolving around the Romanovs, was certainly intriguing and clear enough [are all of the Romanovs dead?; who killed them?; and where is the treasure the Tsar hid before being executed?] and the writing generally fluid. The protagonist, Inspector Pekkala known as the Emerald Eye, also had enough substance and depth to have sustained my interest. But there were aspects to the novel which were problematic as pointed out by Christian House in his review of the work.
While Eastland developed Pekkala adequately, he did not do so with the Inspector’s two fellow travelers. One of them, judging from the novel’s end, will become Pekkala’s Watson: it would have been valuable to have given at least Kirov greater dimension and history. There was also the love relationship, as Eastland developed it, which seemed somewhat tangential to the story line, unless he intends to pick up the thread in a future work.
But Eastland’s deficiencies with the delineation of some of his fictional characters were really secondary to his curious portrayal of Tsar Nicholas II. In Eastland’s hands, the Tsar comes across as a monarch eminently judicious but overwhelmed by uncontrollable circumstances. That is not the image of Nicholas that seems to be the historical consensus. The Romanovs, with Nicholas at the forefront, were excessively autocratic, anti-Semitic and greatly disengaged from their subjects. While the Romanovs collected Faberge eggs, their subjects suffered famines and executions. In a similar vein, Stalin, who looms largely in the background of this first novel, seems more benign. The interplay between the dictator and Pekkala hangs, poorly defined.
In the end, even with the interesting plot, there was not enough weight to convince me to add the second entry in the series to my to-read list. Maybe later.
As a final note, Eastland apparently is a pseudonym for an English writer, grandson of a British detective, living in the United States.
December 18, 2015
I find Russian history fascinating. Russia has been through so many changes and often in a very dramatic way.
With the inclusion of the Romanov family demise and the political landscape 10 years after their death, the author imbued the story with a dramatic and desperate feel.
I was amazed that Pekkala would be so calm after all he'd been through, it just seems like you would want to rail at the system or disappear as soon as you could but I like him as a detective character, that same calmness works really well for the character and the story.
With the inclusion of the Romanov family demise and the political landscape 10 years after their death, the author imbued the story with a dramatic and desperate feel.
I was amazed that Pekkala would be so calm after all he'd been through, it just seems like you would want to rail at the system or disappear as soon as you could but I like him as a detective character, that same calmness works really well for the character and the story.
May 16, 2010
Mysteries within mysteries. I loved the complexity of this plot.
I've been having some great luck with first novels lately, and this is another excellent one. The story takes place in 1929 and presents some fresh twists on the old "what really happened to the Romanovs?" conundrum. It's meticulously researched for period detail. Parts of the book were so fascinating that I almost wished it was longer, but I appreciate the author's all-too-rare ability to keep it tight and contained.
There's a superb chronology at the back of the book that progresses from 1917 to the present. It explains the real history behind the mystery and how DNA testing has put it to rest for good.
This is a new series, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of Inspector Pekkala. Great start! (4.5 stars)
I've been having some great luck with first novels lately, and this is another excellent one. The story takes place in 1929 and presents some fresh twists on the old "what really happened to the Romanovs?" conundrum. It's meticulously researched for period detail. Parts of the book were so fascinating that I almost wished it was longer, but I appreciate the author's all-too-rare ability to keep it tight and contained.
There's a superb chronology at the back of the book that progresses from 1917 to the present. It explains the real history behind the mystery and how DNA testing has put it to rest for good.
This is a new series, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of Inspector Pekkala. Great start! (4.5 stars)
January 30, 2015
Fact: During the 1917 Russian Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II and his family were arrested and imprisoned.
Fact: They spent part of their year-long imprisonment under house arrest at the Ipatiev House in the town of Yekaterinburg, while the Bolsheviks argued over what to do with them. Some wanted to simply execute them, but the cooler heads argued a public trial would help bolster the legitimacy of the new government.
Fact: As the anti-communist White Army approached the town, rather than risk allowing the royal family to fall into their hands, the entire family was executed in the basement of the Ipatiev House.
Where history leaves off, Eastland picks up with a "What if?" scenario. What if the Romanovs weren't executed by Soviet command, but murdered by a secret cabal? What if they were killed during an escape attempt? What if not all of the family was killed? What happened to their bodies? And where was the Tsar's rumored secret treasure hoard? Ten years after the revolution, the Tsar's former chief special investigator and most trusted confidante is pulled from imprisonment in the forests of Siberia to investigate a decade-old murder.
Eye of the Red Tsar is a compact, simple, neatly crafted mystery set in Stalinist Russia, with a few gaping flaws. It is not a particularly fast-paced or complicated story, and the terms "thriller" and "suspense" are a bit misleading. But it is a satisfying read for the most part. The story unfolds deliberately, with just enough "reveal" in each chapter to keep the pages turning. I say gaping flaws because there were a couple of aspects of the plot I was very dissatisfied with, namely:
1.
2.
3. I also wish the roots of the animosity between Pekkala and his brother had been explored a little more deeply. There was clearly a shocking betrayal of some sort which led to Pekkala to Siberia, while his brother got a good position in Moscow, but it is only hinted at, never truly revealed.
If you're looking for a fast-paced, action-packed, complex thriller that will keep you up late turning pages, look elsewhere. And yet Eye of the Red Tsar does have its share of fights with fists and guns, bombings, danger, and dark secrets. And of course, a slice of life in early Soviet Russia.
Fact: They spent part of their year-long imprisonment under house arrest at the Ipatiev House in the town of Yekaterinburg, while the Bolsheviks argued over what to do with them. Some wanted to simply execute them, but the cooler heads argued a public trial would help bolster the legitimacy of the new government.
Fact: As the anti-communist White Army approached the town, rather than risk allowing the royal family to fall into their hands, the entire family was executed in the basement of the Ipatiev House.
Where history leaves off, Eastland picks up with a "What if?" scenario. What if the Romanovs weren't executed by Soviet command, but murdered by a secret cabal? What if they were killed during an escape attempt? What if not all of the family was killed? What happened to their bodies? And where was the Tsar's rumored secret treasure hoard? Ten years after the revolution, the Tsar's former chief special investigator and most trusted confidante is pulled from imprisonment in the forests of Siberia to investigate a decade-old murder.
Eye of the Red Tsar is a compact, simple, neatly crafted mystery set in Stalinist Russia, with a few gaping flaws. It is not a particularly fast-paced or complicated story, and the terms "thriller" and "suspense" are a bit misleading. But it is a satisfying read for the most part. The story unfolds deliberately, with just enough "reveal" in each chapter to keep the pages turning. I say gaping flaws because there were a couple of aspects of the plot I was very dissatisfied with, namely:
1.
2.
3. I also wish the roots of the animosity between Pekkala and his brother had been explored a little more deeply. There was clearly a shocking betrayal of some sort which led to Pekkala to Siberia, while his brother got a good position in Moscow, but it is only hinted at, never truly revealed.
If you're looking for a fast-paced, action-packed, complex thriller that will keep you up late turning pages, look elsewhere. And yet Eye of the Red Tsar does have its share of fights with fists and guns, bombings, danger, and dark secrets. And of course, a slice of life in early Soviet Russia.
May 3, 2020
Το "Μάτι του κόκκινου Τσάρου", η πρώτη περιπέτεια του επιθεωρητή Πεκκάλα είναι μια περιπέτεια που εξελίσσεται στην Σοβιετική Ένωση το 1929, στο τέλος της περίπου της πρώτης δεκαετίας της εξουσίας των Μπολσεβίκων. Ο επιθεωρητής Πεκάλα, το πρώην δεξί χέρι του τελευταίου Τσάρου, επανέρχεται στην ενεργό δράση προκειμένου να εντοπίσει τον παλιό θησαυρό της βασιλικής οικογένειας.
Αρκετά διασκεδαστικό ανάγνωσμα που κερδίζει πόντους από την χωροχρονική τοποθέτηση της περιπέτειας παρά από την ίδια την ιστορία: η κομμουνιστική Ρωσία παρουσιάζεται σαν ένας, σχεδόν, μετα-αποκαλυπτικός κόσμος παρακμής όπου τα πάντα είναι βουτηγμένα στην διαφθορά και είναι θαύμα πως καταφέρνει να στέκεται όρθια. Δεν γνωρίζω για την αυθεντικότητα των περιγραφών και καλό είναι να έχετε υπόψιν ότι μιλάμε για μυθιστόρημα όπου αναμφίβολα υπάρχει μια ελευθερία στην έκφραση. Η ίδια η ιστορία είναι καλή, χωρίς όμως κάτι ιδιαίτερο ούτε σε ανάπτυξη, ούτε σε πλοκή ενώ τα συχνά flashback-exposition μάλλον προσδοκούν στην δημιουργία ενός κινηματογραφικού ύφους, που εμένα με ξενερώνει λίγο.
Το βιβλίο είναι γραμμένο στο μοντέρνο ύφος τους page-turner: γρήγορη πλοκή, απλή γλώσσα, κινηματογραφική δομή και θυμίζει περισσότερο σενάριο σειράς ή κινηματογραφικής ταινίας παρά λογοτεχνικό ανάγνωσμα. Το ίδιο και η δομή των χαρακτήρων: κινηματογραφικές/τηλεοπτικές καρικατούρες. Όπως είπα δεν είναι κακό, αλλά αν δεν ενδιαφέρεται κανείς για την Ρωσία του 1930 δεν θα βρει τίποτα στο βιβλίο.
Έχοντας διαβάσει και το δεύτερο της σειράς στα Εγγλέζικα, πιθανολογώ ότι και τα υπόλοιπα θα κινούνται στο ίδιο απολύτως ύφος. Δεν ξέρω αν θα διαβάσω άλλο (δεν νομίζω ότι έχουν βγει τα άλλα) εκτός και αν πέσει στα χέρια μού. Μέχρι τότε καλά τα είπαμε αλλά....
Αρκετά διασκεδαστικό ανάγνωσμα που κερδίζει πόντους από την χωροχρονική τοποθέτηση της περιπέτειας παρά από την ίδια την ιστορία: η κομμουνιστική Ρωσία παρουσιάζεται σαν ένας, σχεδόν, μετα-αποκαλυπτικός κόσμος παρακμής όπου τα πάντα είναι βουτηγμένα στην διαφθορά και είναι θαύμα πως καταφέρνει να στέκεται όρθια. Δεν γνωρίζω για την αυθεντικότητα των περιγραφών και καλό είναι να έχετε υπόψιν ότι μιλάμε για μυθιστόρημα όπου αναμφίβολα υπάρχει μια ελευθερία στην έκφραση. Η ίδια η ιστορία είναι καλή, χωρίς όμως κάτι ιδιαίτερο ούτε σε ανάπτυξη, ούτε σε πλοκή ενώ τα συχνά flashback-exposition μάλλον προσδοκούν στην δημιουργία ενός κινηματογραφικού ύφους, που εμένα με ξενερώνει λίγο.
Το βιβλίο είναι γραμμένο στο μοντέρνο ύφος τους page-turner: γρήγορη πλοκή, απλή γλώσσα, κινηματογραφική δομή και θυμίζει περισσότερο σενάριο σειράς ή κινηματογραφικής ταινίας παρά λογοτεχνικό ανάγνωσμα. Το ίδιο και η δομή των χαρακτήρων: κινηματογραφικές/τηλεοπτικές καρικατούρες. Όπως είπα δεν είναι κακό, αλλά αν δεν ενδιαφέρεται κανείς για την Ρωσία του 1930 δεν θα βρει τίποτα στο βιβλίο.
Έχοντας διαβάσει και το δεύτερο της σειράς στα Εγγλέζικα, πιθανολογώ ότι και τα υπόλοιπα θα κινούνται στο ίδιο απολύτως ύφος. Δεν ξέρω αν θα διαβάσω άλλο (δεν νομίζω ότι έχουν βγει τα άλλα) εκτός και αν πέσει στα χέρια μού. Μέχρι τότε καλά τα είπαμε αλλά....
April 29, 2012
Sam Eastland's first (as far as I can tell) novel offers an intriguing setting: the Soviet Union in 1929. HIstorical novels of Russia abound, but most are set either in Tsarist times or in recent decades. Eastland's protagonist, Pekkala (his first name, like Spenser's, is never given), was a detective who was very close to Tsar Nicholas II and his family. After the revolution he was sent to a Siberian labor camp, where he managed to survive in conditions that no one else was able to endure. As the novel begins, he is released from captivity in order to discover whether the rumors that the Imperial Family, or some members of it, actually survived assassination. A nifty premise for a detective story, but the author lets us down. The bulk of the book is devoted to the hostile relationship between Pekkala and his older brother, with whom he is reunited in the hunt for the Romanovs. A better writer could have made this tension crackle, but in Eastland's handling it is about as interesting as other peoples' family squabbles ever are to outsiders--that is, not at all. If I knew more about Pekkala I might have cared more, but the author just doesn't make him into an interesting character.
This is the first in a projected series of detective novels. Let's hope that this was just a warmup to a more exciting sequel.
This is the first in a projected series of detective novels. Let's hope that this was just a warmup to a more exciting sequel.
September 19, 2014
What Eastland does best is his excruciating attention to period detail. The emblems on buttons, the texture of the wall in the prison, the kinds of army rations his characters endure, are all presented precisely and deliberately. It also helps that this book covers a topic and a period that I knew very little about previously, and this also added to the charm.
A minor point where the book falls short is the amount of time it spends on the main character's relationship with his estranged brother. Because so much time is spent on the relationship, I wish I understood their backstory better, or cared about it more. The facts are there, but there is very little emotional investment in them.
The ending too, left a little bit to be desired, but I wasn't overwhelmingly disappointed.
All told, though, Eastland presents a mashup of suspense, historical fiction, and detective fiction in a way that offers authentic flavor and originality. I enjoyed this book very much. Sometimes, I wished that his character's dialogue didn't lean so often toward cliche, but this is more than made up for by the setting and the scenarios Eastland leads you through.
Worth the read for anyone who enjoys unconventional historical fiction and crime.
Read more on my website: http://joshuarigsby.com
A minor point where the book falls short is the amount of time it spends on the main character's relationship with his estranged brother. Because so much time is spent on the relationship, I wish I understood their backstory better, or cared about it more. The facts are there, but there is very little emotional investment in them.
The ending too, left a little bit to be desired, but I wasn't overwhelmingly disappointed.
All told, though, Eastland presents a mashup of suspense, historical fiction, and detective fiction in a way that offers authentic flavor and originality. I enjoyed this book very much. Sometimes, I wished that his character's dialogue didn't lean so often toward cliche, but this is more than made up for by the setting and the scenarios Eastland leads you through.
Worth the read for anyone who enjoys unconventional historical fiction and crime.
Read more on my website: http://joshuarigsby.com
August 28, 2012
Just arrived from Finland through BM.
A very griping espionage story of Inspector Pekkala who formerly was Tsar's special investigator.
The plot involves the Romanov's assassination with the historical background of the Russian revolution.
A very griping espionage story of Inspector Pekkala who formerly was Tsar's special investigator.
The plot involves the Romanov's assassination with the historical background of the Russian revolution.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2025
♥
Pekkalu prostě miluju.
I když Sam Eastland neudrží myšlenku.
Oko rudého cara, s. 216 Víte, co udělal? Než jsme ho přišli zatknout, nacpal si protézu výbušninou. A pak, cestou do vězení, ji v policejním voze odpálil.
Rudá rakev, s. 184 Krátce předtím, než bolševici vtrhli do budovy, Vasiljev nacpal šuplíky svého stolu výbušninami.(…) Když Rudí vpadli dovnitř (…)Než si vůbec uvědomili, co se děje, dvě kila TNT ve Vasiljevově stole vybuchla a zničila celé velitelství Ochranky.
s. 73 „Kdo je Grodek?“ zeptal se Kirov.
Pekkala se prudce nadechl. „Grodek? Jak jste na to přišel?“
„Váš bratr mi říkal, že jste dostal za mříže člověka jménem Grodek.“
To říkal. Na s. 50, ale Pekkala byl u toho.
Porovnala jsem vydání Faber and Faber 2010 s českým překladem. A buď by měla být překladatelka uvedená jako spoluautorka nebo měla jinou verzi než já nebo odpovědná redaktorka byla přespříliš horlivá.
s. 21
...knoflíky vyměnil za slonovinové - IVORY - v originále je EBONY.
Nechápu, proč v překladu tvrdošíjně používá slovo „opel“ místo „Emka“, protože si nemyslím, že by GAZ měl v roce 1929 s opelem cokoliv společného.
s. 64 „Alix ji má ráda.“ Tak říkal své ženě, Alexandře Fjodorovně.
s. 87 „Sunny likes her.“ That was what he called his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra.
s. 108 oznamoval nadšeně
s. 152 he announced WITHOUT enthusiasm.
s. 131 Vlak do Helsinek byl připraven k odjezdu. Odtud měla cestovat do Osla a dál do Paříže.
s. 187 Now the train was ready to depart, heading east towards Warsaw. From there it would travel to Berlin and on to Paris, which was Ilya’s final destination.
Nerozumím tomu, proč navzdory originálu kde je „Svedlovs“ (kromě doslovu), používá překladatelka někdy Jěkatěrinburg a někdy Sverdlovsk. A jako bonus použije Sverdlovsk na str. 252, když v originále je prostě “here”.
s. 149 Při té zvláštní harmonii jejich životů, a to dokonce i v takové době, ctil CAR Pekkalovo soukromí víc než svoje.
s. 214 In the peculiar balance of their lives, and even in a time like this, Pekkala’s privacy was more sacred than the Tsar’s.
s. 167 Ve svitu měsíce se za ním míhaly větve jako AKVABELY.
s. 242 The silhouettes of tree branches stirred like strange, aquatic creatures in the moonlight.
Pořád jsem se nedopátrala k tomu proč zrovna akvabely.
s. 183 „Řekněme, že pořád ještě máme dost lístků na benzín, abychom dojeli zpátky do Moskvy.“
s. 263 „Let’s just say we only have enough fuel coupons to drive MOST of the way back to Moscow.”
s. 189,190 “Ve vozovně v Permu. O stanici dál na transsibiřský magistrále. Dělal jsem tam posunovače.”
“Ve vozovně?” (...)
“Spřahoval jsem tam vagony k lokomotivám. To se musí, pane, umět.”
s. 272 “Down at the road yard in Perm. That’s the next stop after Sverdlovsk on the Trans-Siberian. I used to be a coupler down there.”
“A coupler?” (...)
“A coupler makes sure the right wagons are joined to the right engines.”
s. 203 “Možná se dozvěděl, co se stalo jeho bratrovi, knížeti Michailu Alexandroviči.” “Zastřelili ho, když se pokusil uprchnout z internace v jiné části země, je to tak?”
s. 291,292 “He may have heard about what happened to his brother, the Grand Duke Mikhail, who was being held under guard in another part of the country.”
“He was shot while trying escape wasn’t he?”
s. 344 He walked over to something embedded in the wall. As he wrenched it from the plaster, he realized it was the bowl of Kirov’s pipe, which the force of the beast had driven like a nail into the wall.
s. 239 v překladu ÚPLNĚ CHYBÍ.
Vadí mi příliš volný překlad a přidávání/ubírání slov, zvláště chudák Kirov to odnesl.
s. 45 „Máte od něho v poslední době nějaké zprávy?“
„Ne, pane.“
s. 56 „Have you heard anything from him?“
„Not lately, sir.“
s. 46 Anton nesrozumitelně zaklel a uvolnil sevření. Pekkala SE CHYTIL ZA KRK, odvalil se a kašlal.
s. 58 With an unintelligible curse, Anton released his grip on his brother’s throat. Pekkala rolled away, chocking.
„Mohl by mi někdo z vás laskavě vysvětlit, proč jsou z vašeho bratra všichni celí pryč?“
„Would one of you mind explaining to me why the hell your brother is making everybody so nervous?“
s. 54 „Dvanáct.“
s. 71 „The answer is twelve.“
s. 62 „Vy jste něco viděli?“
s. 83 „It never happened.“
the Gribok gardens - zahrady
s. 65,66 „Támhle! Podívejte!“ Ilja je zahlédla.
s. 89 „There! Look!“ HE POINTED AT THE GARDENS. Ilja seen them.
s. 72 ...knihy čínského lékaře ze třináctého století.
s. 99 ...of the thirteenth-century Chinese doktor SUNG TZU’S book, THE WASHING AWAY OF WRONGS.
S. 73 „Jak jste na TO přišel?“
s. 101 „What do you know about HIM?“
s. 82 Kirov se musel opřít o ruce, aby nespadl.
s. 114 - Kirov rocked back.
s. 82 Nechal jsem řeku několikrát prohledat
s. 115 Search that river more than a dozen times.
s. 98 „Nic si z toho nedělejte!“
„Don’t mind them, Pekkala!“
s. 107 Práskl dveřmi. Tedy ne dveřmi auta, ale kufru. Což je imho nepatrný rozdíl.
s. 107 „Živej nebo mrtvej, tady se přece jedná o lidskou bytost. Jako jste vy nebo já.“
s. 151 „Alive or dead, Alexej is just another human being now. Just like you and me.“ ??
s. 107,108 Přání dokážou zastřít soudnost a úsudek.
s. 151 It could cloud his judgement.
s. 108 „Tak kam to bude, šéfe?“ OTEVŘEL KIROV DVEŘE AUTA.
s. 152 „Where to now, boss?“ asked Kirov.
s. 112 To odpoledne svědčil u Grodkova případu.
s. 158 that afternoon, IN PETROGRAD, ...
carova loď (the Standart) je zásadně překládána jako Standard; přidržela bych se zavedeného překladu Standarta
s. 119 Anton na něj zamával sevřeným jablkem
s. 176 Anton waved, the wooden apple clenched inside his fist.
s. 121 Pekkala stiskl zuby
s. 172 Pekkala breathed out through his teeth
s. 126 „Můžete...můžeš si sundat šátek.“
s. 180 „You can take off the blindfold now.
Pekkala sotva dýchal.
Pekkala watched her nervously.
s. 131 z centra města
s. 187 from the Likjeviny Prospekt.
s. 131 a najednou mám fotografovat CARA.
s. 192 and then next minute I am photographing THE ROMANOVS.
s. 136 a pokynula mi, abych vstal.
s. 195 and SAID I should get to my feet.
Měl jsem z toho srdce až v krku.
I thought my heart was going to stop!
s. 136 Usadil jsem cara s carevnou na prostřední žídle, z jedné strany jsem posadil Anastázii a z druhé Alexeje.
s. 195 I arranged the Tsar and the Tsarina in the two middle chairs, then TWO YOUNGEST, Anastasia and Alexei, on either side.
s. 145 „Cože? Tady? No to snad ne! (...) Vy snad něco vidíte?“
s. 208 „Oh, no not here. (...) Look!“
fňukal Kirov - Kirov pleaded with them.
s. 148 kde už byl dva měsíce uvězněný.
s. 214 where he had been confined for months.
s. 150 ale zadní část kolem altánu u ovčína není tolik hlídaná.
s. 216 but there is a section near the LAMSKOY PAVILION...
s. 150 Pekkala hleděl na cara se zmateným dojetím
s. 217 Pekkala stared at the Tsar in confusion
s. 152 odhozený vedle těla STŘÍLEJÍCÍ oběti
s. 219 abandoned near the bodies of shooting victims.
s. 157 „Kdo jinej tady má tabák?“
s. 225 „Give him your tobacco.“
s. 160 „Dokázal byste toho člověka popsat?“
s. 229 „Can you describe the man, MAYAKOVSKY?“
s. 160 na malém nádraží ve Siestarjoki
s. 231 at a tiny station called Vainikkala
s. 167 „Věříte na strašidla, Pekkalo? Na duchy?“
s. 241 „Do you believe in ghost, Pekkala?“
s. 172 „To jste se nemuseli namáhat.“
s. 148 “WHY do you bother?”
s. 175 “A vy jste kdo?”
s. 252 “Who wants to know?”
do strniště … in the jaw
s. 176 “Zašli jsme na policii.” “Kropotkin, co?”
s. 254 “The police chief told me about you.” “Kropotkin.”
s. 180 “Jiný důvod pro mě nemáte?”
s. 260 “There must be another reason.”
s. 181 “Pokusil se nás včera v noci zabít?”
s. 261 “He tried to kill us last night!”
s. 182 “To by jeden neřek.”
s. 261 “There's surprise.”
s. 184 “Je to už deset let.”
s. 265 “It's been a long time since that night.”
s. 188 s obličejem od neštovic zpola zakrytým rozcuchaným plnovousem.
s. 271 his pocked face covered by an unkempt WHITE beard.
s. 190 “Přeskočilo vám? Prošpikovali by mě, jen bych dal nohu na schůdek.”
s. 273 “Are you kidding? Those bastards with the long knives would have skewered me.”
s. 191 “Ať se na místě propadnu,” dušoval se muž. “To nemohla bejt mejlka.”
s. 274 “Oh, yes,” the man nodded. “There could be no mistake.”
s. 191 “Vážně ne, jste hodná.”
s. 275 “No, thank you.”
s. 192 Ta se ale nedala.
s. 275 The woman paid no attention to her husband.
s. 192 “Chudinka malá. Úplně mi to vhání slzy do očí.”
s. 276 “It’s so sad. So terribly sad.”
s. 192 “Vezměte si aspoň trošku na okoštování.”
s. 276 “Are you sure you don’t want some of this?”
s. 201 “Kdy naposledy držel ženskou ruku?”
s. 288 It had been years since he’d last held the hand of woman.
s. 202 “Ne, OKLEPAL Pekkala. “Neprší.”
s. 291 “No,” replied Pekkala. “It is not raining.”
s. 210 “Vyřešíme to dárkem.” “Dárkem?”
s. 302 Kirov nodded. “You give them a present.” “But why?”
s. 213 “Říkal jsem ti, říkal jsem ti?” papouškoval.
s. 306 “You told me?” he asked.
s. 220 “Co se děje?” “Proč jsi nám včera večer neřekl o tom telefonátu z Vodovenka?”
s. 317 “What’s going on?” “Katamidze!” said Pekkala. “The telephone call from Vodovenko! Why didn’t you tell us last night?”
s. 234 Doufám
s. 337 Let’s hope
s. 234 V jednom malém městečku
s. 338 in a town called TORJUK
s. 234 a v oknech dole vitráže z barevnýho skla
s. 338 and downstair the windows were made from pieces of stained glass HELD TOGETHER WITH STRIP OF LEAD.
s. 235 Jenomže pak lidi začali využívat spíš železnici mezi Moskvou a Petrohradem a Torjuk zůstal stranou
s. 338,339 But when the Nikolaevsky railroad began running between the TWO cities, it didn’t pass through Torjuk.
s. 236 “Kirove!” zahlaholil Majakovskij. “Drahý příteli!”
“Buďte zdráv,” přivítal ho Kirov.
s. 340 “Kirov!” said Majakovsky. “My good friend, Kirov!”
“Well, hello, Mayakovsky,” replied Kirov.
s. 242 “No dobrá,” připustil Kirov, “dejme tomu, že je to Alexej? Ale co tu sakra dělá?”
s. 348 “All right,” said Kirov, “but even if it is Alexei, what the hell is he doing here?”
s. 242 UPROSTŘED stolu stála lucerna
s. 349 A latern rested on the table
s. 242 Alexej vypadal nezdravě, zesláble, zmateně a MNOHEM STARŠÍ.
s. 349 Alexei looked sickly and disheveled
s. 242 skočil mu do řeči Kirov
s. 349 asked Kirov
s. 244 otevřeli mi dveře
s. 351 They came around to my side of the truck.
s. 245 několik měsíců
s. 352 for many months
s. 250 vlastně nemělo žádný účel?
s. 360 it served no purpose at all.
s. 254 ten šejdíř
s. 366 that old man
s. 255 A už tu stejně nežije. Přišel o rozum, víte. (...) Říkal, že MU ho zavraždili přímo před očima.
s. 366 He’s gone, you know. He doesn’t live here any more. He lost his mind. ... He said he saw THEM murdered.
s. 255 “Neřekl vám náhodou jeho jméno? Neslyšela jste něco takového?”
s. 367 “But a name. Did Katamidze hear a name?”
s. 259 “Poslouchej, přísahám, že ti řeknu všechno, ale...”
s. 373 “Listen, brother, I will tell you everything I know, but...”
s. 260 cara zabil Grodek. Ale bratr mu pomáhal.
s. 373 Grodek killed the Tsar. My brother was helping him.
s. 262 a zejména se slídícím atentátníkem takového kalibru.
s. 376 especially with a bomb-maker like Grodek at large
s. 262 když Antona položili
s. 376 when BULYGIN laid him
s. 262 cestou zpátky...
s. 377 returning to the Ipatiev House
s. 262 Není to nic vážného
s. 377 He should be fine
s. 263 ukázal Pekkala na Kalevalu
s. 377 asked Pekkala
s. 263 Kropotkin zařídí, aby nám z Moskvy poslali eskortu...
s. 377 Troops are on their way from Moscow.
s. 263 Kirov zvedl knížku
s. 378 Kirov held up a PAGE
s. 264 SKORO vykřikl
s. 379 shouted
s. 264 Byla tam ukrytá a já to tenkrát nepochopil. Zjistil jsem to NÁHODOU až teď.
s. 379 The message was hidden. I didn’t realize it was there until now.
s. 264 “Takže ta zpráva tam byla celou dobu?” vyvalil na něj oči Kirov.
“Jo. A kdybyste si nevšiml těch dírek, ASI bych ji tam nenašel.”
s. 380 “It was in the book all along?” asked Kirov.
“I NEVER would have found it if you hadn’t spotted the holes.”
s. 265 Otočil se Kirov ke dveřím
s. 380 said Kirov
“Nikam nechoďte,” zarazil ho Alexej.
“No,” Alexej told him.
Podíval se na něj Kirov
Asked Kirov
Podal mu Kalevalu
Handed the book
Nechám se překvapit.
YOU just lead the way.
s. 270 Nejdřív jsem ho zmaloval cestou z hospody
s. 388 When he came back from the tavern black and blue, it’s because I’d been knocking his head against the wall.
s. 271 Pekkala se po kolenou došoural k carovi.
s. 389 On his knees before the body of the Tsar
s. 272 He could no tell who it was. Tohle nestálo za překlad
Při dopadu si musel přelomit páteř.
s. 391 His body had been horribly broken by the fall.
s. 273 a provaz se napjal
s. 392 and then he felt himself lifted off the ground
s. 275 čekal už dlouho
s. 395 He did not know how long he had been waiting
s. 276 mlaskl
s. 397 said
s. 276 A v duchu doufal, že se jí nic nestalo. Všechno, jen to ne.
s. 397 He thought to myself - please don’t let her be hurt, or sick, or worse. Anything but that.
s. 283,284
Českoslovenští legionáři, později součást takzvané Bílé armády neboli bělogvardějců, odmítají uposlechnout revoluční vládu, která jim nařídila složit zbraně. Většinu mužů tvoří dezertéři z rakousko-uherské armády, kteří se rozhodli bojovat v 1. světové válce po boku Rusů.
s. 405,406 The Czech legion, made up of ethnic Czechs and Slovaks from the territory now controlled by Austria-Hungary refused an order by the revolutionary government to lay down its arms. Although these men are subjects of Austria-Hungary, they have chosen to fight with the Alliens during the First World War, in the hopes that a defeat of the Central Powers will guarantee them a country of their own (what eventually becomes Czechoslovakia).
s. 287 Bílá armada čítá přes 30 000 vojáků...
s. 406 The Czech legion numbers more than 30 000 men
V Bílé armádě snad nebyli jenom Češi, ne? Není mezi Bílou armádou a českými legiemi rozdíl?
Pekkalu prostě miluju.
I když Sam Eastland neudrží myšlenku.
Oko rudého cara, s. 216 Víte, co udělal? Než jsme ho přišli zatknout, nacpal si protézu výbušninou. A pak, cestou do vězení, ji v policejním voze odpálil.
Rudá rakev, s. 184 Krátce předtím, než bolševici vtrhli do budovy, Vasiljev nacpal šuplíky svého stolu výbušninami.(…) Když Rudí vpadli dovnitř (…)Než si vůbec uvědomili, co se děje, dvě kila TNT ve Vasiljevově stole vybuchla a zničila celé velitelství Ochranky.
s. 73 „Kdo je Grodek?“ zeptal se Kirov.
Pekkala se prudce nadechl. „Grodek? Jak jste na to přišel?“
„Váš bratr mi říkal, že jste dostal za mříže člověka jménem Grodek.“
To říkal. Na s. 50, ale Pekkala byl u toho.
Porovnala jsem vydání Faber and Faber 2010 s českým překladem. A buď by měla být překladatelka uvedená jako spoluautorka nebo měla jinou verzi než já nebo odpovědná redaktorka byla přespříliš horlivá.
s. 21
...knoflíky vyměnil za slonovinové - IVORY - v originále je EBONY.
Nechápu, proč v překladu tvrdošíjně používá slovo „opel“ místo „Emka“, protože si nemyslím, že by GAZ měl v roce 1929 s opelem cokoliv společného.
s. 64 „Alix ji má ráda.“ Tak říkal své ženě, Alexandře Fjodorovně.
s. 87 „Sunny likes her.“ That was what he called his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra.
s. 108 oznamoval nadšeně
s. 152 he announced WITHOUT enthusiasm.
s. 131 Vlak do Helsinek byl připraven k odjezdu. Odtud měla cestovat do Osla a dál do Paříže.
s. 187 Now the train was ready to depart, heading east towards Warsaw. From there it would travel to Berlin and on to Paris, which was Ilya’s final destination.
Nerozumím tomu, proč navzdory originálu kde je „Svedlovs“ (kromě doslovu), používá překladatelka někdy Jěkatěrinburg a někdy Sverdlovsk. A jako bonus použije Sverdlovsk na str. 252, když v originále je prostě “here”.
s. 149 Při té zvláštní harmonii jejich životů, a to dokonce i v takové době, ctil CAR Pekkalovo soukromí víc než svoje.
s. 214 In the peculiar balance of their lives, and even in a time like this, Pekkala’s privacy was more sacred than the Tsar’s.
s. 167 Ve svitu měsíce se za ním míhaly větve jako AKVABELY.
s. 242 The silhouettes of tree branches stirred like strange, aquatic creatures in the moonlight.
Pořád jsem se nedopátrala k tomu proč zrovna akvabely.
s. 183 „Řekněme, že pořád ještě máme dost lístků na benzín, abychom dojeli zpátky do Moskvy.“
s. 263 „Let’s just say we only have enough fuel coupons to drive MOST of the way back to Moscow.”
s. 189,190 “Ve vozovně v Permu. O stanici dál na transsibiřský magistrále. Dělal jsem tam posunovače.”
“Ve vozovně?” (...)
“Spřahoval jsem tam vagony k lokomotivám. To se musí, pane, umět.”
s. 272 “Down at the road yard in Perm. That’s the next stop after Sverdlovsk on the Trans-Siberian. I used to be a coupler down there.”
“A coupler?” (...)
“A coupler makes sure the right wagons are joined to the right engines.”
s. 203 “Možná se dozvěděl, co se stalo jeho bratrovi, knížeti Michailu Alexandroviči.” “Zastřelili ho, když se pokusil uprchnout z internace v jiné části země, je to tak?”
s. 291,292 “He may have heard about what happened to his brother, the Grand Duke Mikhail, who was being held under guard in another part of the country.”
“He was shot while trying escape wasn’t he?”
s. 344 He walked over to something embedded in the wall. As he wrenched it from the plaster, he realized it was the bowl of Kirov’s pipe, which the force of the beast had driven like a nail into the wall.
s. 239 v překladu ÚPLNĚ CHYBÍ.
Vadí mi příliš volný překlad a přidávání/ubírání slov, zvláště chudák Kirov to odnesl.
s. 45 „Máte od něho v poslední době nějaké zprávy?“
„Ne, pane.“
s. 56 „Have you heard anything from him?“
„Not lately, sir.“
s. 46 Anton nesrozumitelně zaklel a uvolnil sevření. Pekkala SE CHYTIL ZA KRK, odvalil se a kašlal.
s. 58 With an unintelligible curse, Anton released his grip on his brother’s throat. Pekkala rolled away, chocking.
„Mohl by mi někdo z vás laskavě vysvětlit, proč jsou z vašeho bratra všichni celí pryč?“
„Would one of you mind explaining to me why the hell your brother is making everybody so nervous?“
s. 54 „Dvanáct.“
s. 71 „The answer is twelve.“
s. 62 „Vy jste něco viděli?“
s. 83 „It never happened.“
the Gribok gardens - zahrady
s. 65,66 „Támhle! Podívejte!“ Ilja je zahlédla.
s. 89 „There! Look!“ HE POINTED AT THE GARDENS. Ilja seen them.
s. 72 ...knihy čínského lékaře ze třináctého století.
s. 99 ...of the thirteenth-century Chinese doktor SUNG TZU’S book, THE WASHING AWAY OF WRONGS.
S. 73 „Jak jste na TO přišel?“
s. 101 „What do you know about HIM?“
s. 82 Kirov se musel opřít o ruce, aby nespadl.
s. 114 - Kirov rocked back.
s. 82 Nechal jsem řeku několikrát prohledat
s. 115 Search that river more than a dozen times.
s. 98 „Nic si z toho nedělejte!“
„Don’t mind them, Pekkala!“
s. 107 Práskl dveřmi. Tedy ne dveřmi auta, ale kufru. Což je imho nepatrný rozdíl.
s. 107 „Živej nebo mrtvej, tady se přece jedná o lidskou bytost. Jako jste vy nebo já.“
s. 151 „Alive or dead, Alexej is just another human being now. Just like you and me.“ ??
s. 107,108 Přání dokážou zastřít soudnost a úsudek.
s. 151 It could cloud his judgement.
s. 108 „Tak kam to bude, šéfe?“ OTEVŘEL KIROV DVEŘE AUTA.
s. 152 „Where to now, boss?“ asked Kirov.
s. 112 To odpoledne svědčil u Grodkova případu.
s. 158 that afternoon, IN PETROGRAD, ...
carova loď (the Standart) je zásadně překládána jako Standard; přidržela bych se zavedeného překladu Standarta
s. 119 Anton na něj zamával sevřeným jablkem
s. 176 Anton waved, the wooden apple clenched inside his fist.
s. 121 Pekkala stiskl zuby
s. 172 Pekkala breathed out through his teeth
s. 126 „Můžete...můžeš si sundat šátek.“
s. 180 „You can take off the blindfold now.
Pekkala sotva dýchal.
Pekkala watched her nervously.
s. 131 z centra města
s. 187 from the Likjeviny Prospekt.
s. 131 a najednou mám fotografovat CARA.
s. 192 and then next minute I am photographing THE ROMANOVS.
s. 136 a pokynula mi, abych vstal.
s. 195 and SAID I should get to my feet.
Měl jsem z toho srdce až v krku.
I thought my heart was going to stop!
s. 136 Usadil jsem cara s carevnou na prostřední žídle, z jedné strany jsem posadil Anastázii a z druhé Alexeje.
s. 195 I arranged the Tsar and the Tsarina in the two middle chairs, then TWO YOUNGEST, Anastasia and Alexei, on either side.
s. 145 „Cože? Tady? No to snad ne! (...) Vy snad něco vidíte?“
s. 208 „Oh, no not here. (...) Look!“
fňukal Kirov - Kirov pleaded with them.
s. 148 kde už byl dva měsíce uvězněný.
s. 214 where he had been confined for months.
s. 150 ale zadní část kolem altánu u ovčína není tolik hlídaná.
s. 216 but there is a section near the LAMSKOY PAVILION...
s. 150 Pekkala hleděl na cara se zmateným dojetím
s. 217 Pekkala stared at the Tsar in confusion
s. 152 odhozený vedle těla STŘÍLEJÍCÍ oběti
s. 219 abandoned near the bodies of shooting victims.
s. 157 „Kdo jinej tady má tabák?“
s. 225 „Give him your tobacco.“
s. 160 „Dokázal byste toho člověka popsat?“
s. 229 „Can you describe the man, MAYAKOVSKY?“
s. 160 na malém nádraží ve Siestarjoki
s. 231 at a tiny station called Vainikkala
s. 167 „Věříte na strašidla, Pekkalo? Na duchy?“
s. 241 „Do you believe in ghost, Pekkala?“
s. 172 „To jste se nemuseli namáhat.“
s. 148 “WHY do you bother?”
s. 175 “A vy jste kdo?”
s. 252 “Who wants to know?”
do strniště … in the jaw
s. 176 “Zašli jsme na policii.” “Kropotkin, co?”
s. 254 “The police chief told me about you.” “Kropotkin.”
s. 180 “Jiný důvod pro mě nemáte?”
s. 260 “There must be another reason.”
s. 181 “Pokusil se nás včera v noci zabít?”
s. 261 “He tried to kill us last night!”
s. 182 “To by jeden neřek.”
s. 261 “There's surprise.”
s. 184 “Je to už deset let.”
s. 265 “It's been a long time since that night.”
s. 188 s obličejem od neštovic zpola zakrytým rozcuchaným plnovousem.
s. 271 his pocked face covered by an unkempt WHITE beard.
s. 190 “Přeskočilo vám? Prošpikovali by mě, jen bych dal nohu na schůdek.”
s. 273 “Are you kidding? Those bastards with the long knives would have skewered me.”
s. 191 “Ať se na místě propadnu,” dušoval se muž. “To nemohla bejt mejlka.”
s. 274 “Oh, yes,” the man nodded. “There could be no mistake.”
s. 191 “Vážně ne, jste hodná.”
s. 275 “No, thank you.”
s. 192 Ta se ale nedala.
s. 275 The woman paid no attention to her husband.
s. 192 “Chudinka malá. Úplně mi to vhání slzy do očí.”
s. 276 “It’s so sad. So terribly sad.”
s. 192 “Vezměte si aspoň trošku na okoštování.”
s. 276 “Are you sure you don’t want some of this?”
s. 201 “Kdy naposledy držel ženskou ruku?”
s. 288 It had been years since he’d last held the hand of woman.
s. 202 “Ne, OKLEPAL Pekkala. “Neprší.”
s. 291 “No,” replied Pekkala. “It is not raining.”
s. 210 “Vyřešíme to dárkem.” “Dárkem?”
s. 302 Kirov nodded. “You give them a present.” “But why?”
s. 213 “Říkal jsem ti, říkal jsem ti?” papouškoval.
s. 306 “You told me?” he asked.
s. 220 “Co se děje?” “Proč jsi nám včera večer neřekl o tom telefonátu z Vodovenka?”
s. 317 “What’s going on?” “Katamidze!” said Pekkala. “The telephone call from Vodovenko! Why didn’t you tell us last night?”
s. 234 Doufám
s. 337 Let’s hope
s. 234 V jednom malém městečku
s. 338 in a town called TORJUK
s. 234 a v oknech dole vitráže z barevnýho skla
s. 338 and downstair the windows were made from pieces of stained glass HELD TOGETHER WITH STRIP OF LEAD.
s. 235 Jenomže pak lidi začali využívat spíš železnici mezi Moskvou a Petrohradem a Torjuk zůstal stranou
s. 338,339 But when the Nikolaevsky railroad began running between the TWO cities, it didn’t pass through Torjuk.
s. 236 “Kirove!” zahlaholil Majakovskij. “Drahý příteli!”
“Buďte zdráv,” přivítal ho Kirov.
s. 340 “Kirov!” said Majakovsky. “My good friend, Kirov!”
“Well, hello, Mayakovsky,” replied Kirov.
s. 242 “No dobrá,” připustil Kirov, “dejme tomu, že je to Alexej? Ale co tu sakra dělá?”
s. 348 “All right,” said Kirov, “but even if it is Alexei, what the hell is he doing here?”
s. 242 UPROSTŘED stolu stála lucerna
s. 349 A latern rested on the table
s. 242 Alexej vypadal nezdravě, zesláble, zmateně a MNOHEM STARŠÍ.
s. 349 Alexei looked sickly and disheveled
s. 242 skočil mu do řeči Kirov
s. 349 asked Kirov
s. 244 otevřeli mi dveře
s. 351 They came around to my side of the truck.
s. 245 několik měsíců
s. 352 for many months
s. 250 vlastně nemělo žádný účel?
s. 360 it served no purpose at all.
s. 254 ten šejdíř
s. 366 that old man
s. 255 A už tu stejně nežije. Přišel o rozum, víte. (...) Říkal, že MU ho zavraždili přímo před očima.
s. 366 He’s gone, you know. He doesn’t live here any more. He lost his mind. ... He said he saw THEM murdered.
s. 255 “Neřekl vám náhodou jeho jméno? Neslyšela jste něco takového?”
s. 367 “But a name. Did Katamidze hear a name?”
s. 259 “Poslouchej, přísahám, že ti řeknu všechno, ale...”
s. 373 “Listen, brother, I will tell you everything I know, but...”
s. 260 cara zabil Grodek. Ale bratr mu pomáhal.
s. 373 Grodek killed the Tsar. My brother was helping him.
s. 262 a zejména se slídícím atentátníkem takového kalibru.
s. 376 especially with a bomb-maker like Grodek at large
s. 262 když Antona položili
s. 376 when BULYGIN laid him
s. 262 cestou zpátky...
s. 377 returning to the Ipatiev House
s. 262 Není to nic vážného
s. 377 He should be fine
s. 263 ukázal Pekkala na Kalevalu
s. 377 asked Pekkala
s. 263 Kropotkin zařídí, aby nám z Moskvy poslali eskortu...
s. 377 Troops are on their way from Moscow.
s. 263 Kirov zvedl knížku
s. 378 Kirov held up a PAGE
s. 264 SKORO vykřikl
s. 379 shouted
s. 264 Byla tam ukrytá a já to tenkrát nepochopil. Zjistil jsem to NÁHODOU až teď.
s. 379 The message was hidden. I didn’t realize it was there until now.
s. 264 “Takže ta zpráva tam byla celou dobu?” vyvalil na něj oči Kirov.
“Jo. A kdybyste si nevšiml těch dírek, ASI bych ji tam nenašel.”
s. 380 “It was in the book all along?” asked Kirov.
“I NEVER would have found it if you hadn’t spotted the holes.”
s. 265 Otočil se Kirov ke dveřím
s. 380 said Kirov
“Nikam nechoďte,” zarazil ho Alexej.
“No,” Alexej told him.
Podíval se na něj Kirov
Asked Kirov
Podal mu Kalevalu
Handed the book
Nechám se překvapit.
YOU just lead the way.
s. 270 Nejdřív jsem ho zmaloval cestou z hospody
s. 388 When he came back from the tavern black and blue, it’s because I’d been knocking his head against the wall.
s. 271 Pekkala se po kolenou došoural k carovi.
s. 389 On his knees before the body of the Tsar
s. 272 He could no tell who it was. Tohle nestálo za překlad
Při dopadu si musel přelomit páteř.
s. 391 His body had been horribly broken by the fall.
s. 273 a provaz se napjal
s. 392 and then he felt himself lifted off the ground
s. 275 čekal už dlouho
s. 395 He did not know how long he had been waiting
s. 276 mlaskl
s. 397 said
s. 276 A v duchu doufal, že se jí nic nestalo. Všechno, jen to ne.
s. 397 He thought to myself - please don’t let her be hurt, or sick, or worse. Anything but that.
s. 283,284
Českoslovenští legionáři, později součást takzvané Bílé armády neboli bělogvardějců, odmítají uposlechnout revoluční vládu, která jim nařídila složit zbraně. Většinu mužů tvoří dezertéři z rakousko-uherské armády, kteří se rozhodli bojovat v 1. světové válce po boku Rusů.
s. 405,406 The Czech legion, made up of ethnic Czechs and Slovaks from the territory now controlled by Austria-Hungary refused an order by the revolutionary government to lay down its arms. Although these men are subjects of Austria-Hungary, they have chosen to fight with the Alliens during the First World War, in the hopes that a defeat of the Central Powers will guarantee them a country of their own (what eventually becomes Czechoslovakia).
s. 287 Bílá armada čítá přes 30 000 vojáků...
s. 406 The Czech legion numbers more than 30 000 men
V Bílé armádě snad nebyli jenom Češi, ne? Není mezi Bílou armádou a českými legiemi rozdíl?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2016
I'm an Open University* student. I study one module (equivalent broadly to one semester) per year. The courses run from the beginning of October to the Beginning of June which leaves me most of June, July, August and September to read whatever I like. Literary stuff. Science. Children's books. YA novels. Rubbish. Anything at all.
This year I noticed that my TBR bookshelf is full of non-fiction, a lot of which is social science related. But I wanted a break from that and really struggled to find something on there that would provide the brain candy I wanted. I started a few and chucked them aside. I didn't want anything challenging. Eventually, when it's nearly too late, I remembered there are loads of books on my Kindle (I used to download anything interesting if it was on offer for 99cents or so). And thus I stumbled upon Siberian Red by Sam Eastland.
I had no idea what it would be about (I thought maybe tigers...) but I plunged in during my lunchbreak** and was gripped from page 1. But as my lunchbreak ended it dawned on me that this was part of a series about Inspector Pakkala. But - the wonders of modern technology - I have a 3G kindle so I could immediately download Eye of the Red Tsar and started reading on my train journey home. I read after I'd eaten my dinner, and I abandoned the book I had been reading before bed (a collection of fantasy short stories that aren't really grabbing me) and so on.
Until once again I found myself walking back to my office this morning having missed not only my bus stop, but the one after that too. (still, it's a lovely morning and the cool morning air really helps me to wake up at 7am).
But what is it about? Well, it is about Inspector Pakkala and is mission to find the killer of the Romanov family in 1929. Which is during the time of Stalin. And that's all I'm going to say about it really. It's pacy, thrilling and told in nearly alternate chapters of the actual story, and flashbacks over Inspector Pakkala's life and how he got to be where he is now. Or was then. Or whatever.
Reading this took me back to the time as a teenager when my parents (I can't remember which of them read it first) pressed a copy of Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith into my hot, sweaty, teenage palm and insisted that I read it immediately. And it also took me back to reading Child 44 by Tim Rob Smith. So what's not to like? A relatively enigmatic Soviet-era detective with an interesting background. The only thing that i have to complain about is that Sam Eastland (which is a nom de plume) didn't think to call himself Sam Eastland Smith. Because I would have...
Anyway. The upshot of this is that I have ordered the first 3 books in paperback, and because I really cannot wait and because Modern Technology - I've got book 2 in the series (The Red Coffin) ready to read on my Kindle.
Roll on lunchtime!
Edited to add: some of the historical details so play really fast and loose with the truth so don't read this if you're after learning a lot about the Romanovs, the Russian Revolution, Stalin, the Finnish regiment etc etc...
*That is: part time, distance learning (I'm studying for a BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics
**I often spend my "summer break" lunchtimes snoozing. It is a measure of how much I was sucked into reading about Inspector Pakkala that I stayed awake not only right through lunch, but also on my journey home too! And if that's not endorsement, i don't know what is.
This year I noticed that my TBR bookshelf is full of non-fiction, a lot of which is social science related. But I wanted a break from that and really struggled to find something on there that would provide the brain candy I wanted. I started a few and chucked them aside. I didn't want anything challenging. Eventually, when it's nearly too late, I remembered there are loads of books on my Kindle (I used to download anything interesting if it was on offer for 99cents or so). And thus I stumbled upon Siberian Red by Sam Eastland.
I had no idea what it would be about (I thought maybe tigers...) but I plunged in during my lunchbreak** and was gripped from page 1. But as my lunchbreak ended it dawned on me that this was part of a series about Inspector Pakkala. But - the wonders of modern technology - I have a 3G kindle so I could immediately download Eye of the Red Tsar and started reading on my train journey home. I read after I'd eaten my dinner, and I abandoned the book I had been reading before bed (a collection of fantasy short stories that aren't really grabbing me) and so on.
Until once again I found myself walking back to my office this morning having missed not only my bus stop, but the one after that too. (still, it's a lovely morning and the cool morning air really helps me to wake up at 7am).
But what is it about? Well, it is about Inspector Pakkala and is mission to find the killer of the Romanov family in 1929. Which is during the time of Stalin. And that's all I'm going to say about it really. It's pacy, thrilling and told in nearly alternate chapters of the actual story, and flashbacks over Inspector Pakkala's life and how he got to be where he is now. Or was then. Or whatever.
Reading this took me back to the time as a teenager when my parents (I can't remember which of them read it first) pressed a copy of Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith into my hot, sweaty, teenage palm and insisted that I read it immediately. And it also took me back to reading Child 44 by Tim Rob Smith. So what's not to like? A relatively enigmatic Soviet-era detective with an interesting background. The only thing that i have to complain about is that Sam Eastland (which is a nom de plume) didn't think to call himself Sam Eastland Smith. Because I would have...
Anyway. The upshot of this is that I have ordered the first 3 books in paperback, and because I really cannot wait and because Modern Technology - I've got book 2 in the series (The Red Coffin) ready to read on my Kindle.
Roll on lunchtime!
Edited to add: some of the historical details so play really fast and loose with the truth so don't read this if you're after learning a lot about the Romanovs, the Russian Revolution, Stalin, the Finnish regiment etc etc...
*That is: part time, distance learning (I'm studying for a BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics
**I often spend my "summer break" lunchtimes snoozing. It is a measure of how much I was sucked into reading about Inspector Pakkala that I stayed awake not only right through lunch, but also on my journey home too! And if that's not endorsement, i don't know what is.
June 6, 2025
I will also do a video review here at my channel: http://www.youtube.com/magicofbooks
"Eye of the Red Tsar" by Sam Eastland follows Pekkala, a man who was once Tsar Nicholas II's most trusted secret agent. The Romanvos were imprisoned and executed. Pekkala became a prisoner of the Soviet state. Now, a decade later, Pekkala is released by Stalin with a mission: catch who murdered the Romanovs, locate their missing treasure, and find the whereabouts of one of the children rumored to still be alive. If he does all this, Pekkala will be given permanent freedom.
Gah! This book started off so freaking good for about 100 pages or so (it's only 300 pages). I was really enjoying the set up. I kept getting this wonderful vibes of "Child 44" by Tom Rob Smith and "The White Russian" by Tom Bradby. I liked the introduction of our main character Pekkala (seriously, the man never got a first name which I found a bit bizarre). Pekkala was once the most trusted secret agent of Tsar Nicholas II, going under the nickname of the Emerald Eye. Pekkala was a man who could basically do anything and was feared by criminals and enemies of the tsar. Of course, the downfall of the Romanovs, their imprisonment and execution, cause Pekkala to become a prisoner of the new Soviet state. He spends ten years doing hard manual labor, and that's how this novel opens. Sam Eastland doesn't waste a lot of time getting to the action of this narrative. Pekkala is approached with a mission from Stalin to find out who murdered the Romanovs, find their hidden treasure, and find the whereabouts of one of the children rumored to still be alive. And if he does this: permanent freedom. Pekkala was absolutely loyal to the Romanovs, and the idea of one of the children being alive is intriguing enough for him to take this mission, though he is reluctant to hand over all information to Stalin. This initial setup was very promising, going at a pace that kept the flow of the narrative moving and inserting flashbacks to flesh out Pekkala as a character and his relationship with his brother and the tsar. For the most part, what's going on in this novel is Pekkala, and the two characters joining him, travelling from one location to the next, one clue to the next. And that would have been fine and all...until this novel started going massively downhill for me. A lot of my issues deal with spoilers, so if you don't want to know anything about this book, you might want to skip the rest of this review.
So all of that is what ended up ruining this book for me. I've said before that I don't mind historical inaccuracies as long as they aren't too far fetched and an author is still retaining the essence of accuracy. Historical fiction is called historical fiction for a reason. An author has to move around, play around, and change things to help narrative flow and character development. I understand that, and I'm fine with that. But in the case of this book, history was massively changed for the sake of plot convenience and it never worked. Sam Eastland could have done something more original and unique, but instead he messed around with certain things that ended up being kind of stupid and predictable and turned Pekkala's character into a mockery. I really liked Pekkala, too! But the big reveal at the end made Pekkala look like a complete incompetent idiot!
Just to end this review on a slightly more positive beat, I did like the other two characters joining Pekkala on this mission. They each had their traits that helped in the investigation and they were there with reason. I liked Sam Eastland's descriptions of this desolate, cold landscape and the terror and uncertainty of the new Soviet state. There were things that worked for me, but my big issues with this book completely ruined it for me. I don't particularly recommend this book in all honesty. I think there are other books out there that handle the topic of a missing Romanov child better.
"Eye of the Red Tsar" by Sam Eastland follows Pekkala, a man who was once Tsar Nicholas II's most trusted secret agent. The Romanvos were imprisoned and executed. Pekkala became a prisoner of the Soviet state. Now, a decade later, Pekkala is released by Stalin with a mission: catch who murdered the Romanovs, locate their missing treasure, and find the whereabouts of one of the children rumored to still be alive. If he does all this, Pekkala will be given permanent freedom.
Gah! This book started off so freaking good for about 100 pages or so (it's only 300 pages). I was really enjoying the set up. I kept getting this wonderful vibes of "Child 44" by Tom Rob Smith and "The White Russian" by Tom Bradby. I liked the introduction of our main character Pekkala (seriously, the man never got a first name which I found a bit bizarre). Pekkala was once the most trusted secret agent of Tsar Nicholas II, going under the nickname of the Emerald Eye. Pekkala was a man who could basically do anything and was feared by criminals and enemies of the tsar. Of course, the downfall of the Romanovs, their imprisonment and execution, cause Pekkala to become a prisoner of the new Soviet state. He spends ten years doing hard manual labor, and that's how this novel opens. Sam Eastland doesn't waste a lot of time getting to the action of this narrative. Pekkala is approached with a mission from Stalin to find out who murdered the Romanovs, find their hidden treasure, and find the whereabouts of one of the children rumored to still be alive. And if he does this: permanent freedom. Pekkala was absolutely loyal to the Romanovs, and the idea of one of the children being alive is intriguing enough for him to take this mission, though he is reluctant to hand over all information to Stalin. This initial setup was very promising, going at a pace that kept the flow of the narrative moving and inserting flashbacks to flesh out Pekkala as a character and his relationship with his brother and the tsar. For the most part, what's going on in this novel is Pekkala, and the two characters joining him, travelling from one location to the next, one clue to the next. And that would have been fine and all...until this novel started going massively downhill for me. A lot of my issues deal with spoilers, so if you don't want to know anything about this book, you might want to skip the rest of this review.
So all of that is what ended up ruining this book for me. I've said before that I don't mind historical inaccuracies as long as they aren't too far fetched and an author is still retaining the essence of accuracy. Historical fiction is called historical fiction for a reason. An author has to move around, play around, and change things to help narrative flow and character development. I understand that, and I'm fine with that. But in the case of this book, history was massively changed for the sake of plot convenience and it never worked. Sam Eastland could have done something more original and unique, but instead he messed around with certain things that ended up being kind of stupid and predictable and turned Pekkala's character into a mockery. I really liked Pekkala, too! But the big reveal at the end made Pekkala look like a complete incompetent idiot!
Just to end this review on a slightly more positive beat, I did like the other two characters joining Pekkala on this mission. They each had their traits that helped in the investigation and they were there with reason. I liked Sam Eastland's descriptions of this desolate, cold landscape and the terror and uncertainty of the new Soviet state. There were things that worked for me, but my big issues with this book completely ruined it for me. I don't particularly recommend this book in all honesty. I think there are other books out there that handle the topic of a missing Romanov child better.
December 13, 2025
I think this was a children’s book????
April 1, 2015
Not liking this book was a huge bummer. I dig the subject matter and Eastland quickly establishes a fascinating premise in introducing the enigmatic Inspector Pekkala, a relic of Tsarist Russia brought back into service by agents of Stalin. Yet ultimately this book falters as it commits several key cardinal sins of detective fiction: little tension, meager stakes, no drama, and a frustrating dolt of a detective.
The novel jumps between two main narratives spanning different eras of Pekkala's life. Unfortunately, the two never really play off each other and the former serves only to feed the reader exposition. Eastland builds Pekkala up as this respected ubermensch detective but despite all the narrative bluster we never actually get to see him outsmart anyone or cleverly solve a crime. "Show, don't tell" apparently didn't occur to the author here. What results is a character who lacks credibility. This only hurts Pekkala more when his open investigation of the Romanov assassination reveals that he's not all that sharp a detective after all.
The reader often has to wait for Pekkala to catch up to their level of understanding -- never a good thing in mystery fiction. Advancements in the plot are rarely spurred by Pekkala's actions. Rather, Eastman will just toss in some random event and Pekkala is forced to react. Protagonists need to be the ones who move the story along. Pekkala isn't this.
Also, for an ostensibly suspenseful detective story, there are few if any major twists and turns. Pekkala just moseys across central Russia interviewing people. We get some neat bits of historical learning out of these meetings -- it's obvious Eastman has done his research -- but the individual scenes are such cut-and-dry Q&A's that it feels like you're reading the transcript of an academic lecture rather than "a novel of suspense," as the book's subtitle claims. There is one major twist near the end but it's so dumb and filled with holes that it hardly counts.
If you dig historical fiction on this sort of topic, you might want to try somewhere else.
The novel jumps between two main narratives spanning different eras of Pekkala's life. Unfortunately, the two never really play off each other and the former serves only to feed the reader exposition. Eastland builds Pekkala up as this respected ubermensch detective but despite all the narrative bluster we never actually get to see him outsmart anyone or cleverly solve a crime. "Show, don't tell" apparently didn't occur to the author here. What results is a character who lacks credibility. This only hurts Pekkala more when his open investigation of the Romanov assassination reveals that he's not all that sharp a detective after all.
The reader often has to wait for Pekkala to catch up to their level of understanding -- never a good thing in mystery fiction. Advancements in the plot are rarely spurred by Pekkala's actions. Rather, Eastman will just toss in some random event and Pekkala is forced to react. Protagonists need to be the ones who move the story along. Pekkala isn't this.
Also, for an ostensibly suspenseful detective story, there are few if any major twists and turns. Pekkala just moseys across central Russia interviewing people. We get some neat bits of historical learning out of these meetings -- it's obvious Eastman has done his research -- but the individual scenes are such cut-and-dry Q&A's that it feels like you're reading the transcript of an academic lecture rather than "a novel of suspense," as the book's subtitle claims. There is one major twist near the end but it's so dumb and filled with holes that it hardly counts.
If you dig historical fiction on this sort of topic, you might want to try somewhere else.
January 20, 2011
This book had nice character development and some very thoughtful reflections on life and war and change. I enjoyed reading this book merely as a stand alone suspense novel, but not as a work of historical fiction. Actually the sub-title reminds us that this is indeed a "Novel of Suspense" perhaps so the reader wont get too caught up in the names and dates and well, the truth. The author does include an index at the end with facts, and I fought the urge to flip back and read it because I think it would have made the novel obviously less interesting and relevant. But when I finally turned the last page and read the facts that are known about the Tsar and his family it made me curious enough to want to read more about it. And...I enjoyed the novel enough to be willing to read the next volume which will continue to follow the main character as he works for the new government. So I guess, in the end, the author did a good job shining a light on not only Russian history, but on his books as well.
January 25, 2011
I almost gave this 4 stars because of my intrigue with the subject matter; The Russian revolution and the Romanovs. But while it was an amazing plot and storyline, it fell short for me. Mr Eastland dropped the proverbial "hot potato" here. The tension between brothers just peetered out, Pekkala gives in to Stalin and agrees to work for him and "the people",... even after all he was put through? He trusts Stalin about his girlfriend??? He forgives those who took everything from him, and agrees to give them more??????? I must have read more into this Emerald Eye than the author put there.
OOOOOORRRRRR...in the next book he gets his revenge and kicks some Commie butt Clint Eastwood style, sneaks off to Finland to let his dad have a piece of his mind, and then continues on to Paris to discover that that photo of his girlfriend was with her brother and nephew, and she is still waiting for her Pekkala.
OOOOOORRRRRR...in the next book he gets his revenge and kicks some Commie butt Clint Eastwood style, sneaks off to Finland to let his dad have a piece of his mind, and then continues on to Paris to discover that that photo of his girlfriend was with her brother and nephew, and she is still waiting for her Pekkala.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2010
A first-reads win.
I've been reading an unusual amount of historical thrillers this year. Eyes of The Red Tsar is set in Stalinist Russia and it is a entertaining but flawed mystery. This book appears to be the first of a series. The author puts together a strong protagonist named Pekkala with a number of Sherlockian skills like quick perception and a photographic memory. Yet this first novel of the series lacks the pacing and action I would expect from this type of tale. While I found it quite readable I did find myself occasionally acclaiming to our intrepid investigator; "What? How could you miss that?". I suspect Russian history experts may cringe at some of the liberties Mr. Eastland takes to move on his plot. However, as historical thrillers goes, it was quite enjoyable and should satisfy the average mystery buff.
I've been reading an unusual amount of historical thrillers this year. Eyes of The Red Tsar is set in Stalinist Russia and it is a entertaining but flawed mystery. This book appears to be the first of a series. The author puts together a strong protagonist named Pekkala with a number of Sherlockian skills like quick perception and a photographic memory. Yet this first novel of the series lacks the pacing and action I would expect from this type of tale. While I found it quite readable I did find myself occasionally acclaiming to our intrepid investigator; "What? How could you miss that?". I suspect Russian history experts may cringe at some of the liberties Mr. Eastland takes to move on his plot. However, as historical thrillers goes, it was quite enjoyable and should satisfy the average mystery buff.
February 27, 2010
I won this book on goodreads giveaways!! My first win! Can't wait to get it. I love the Russian Revolution, it's got the perfect mix of story elements- kings and queens, a mystical doctor who basically controls the family, rebellion, murder, and a possible escape. What more could you want in a story?
I was really quite impressed with this book. There are some minor areas that could be better but overall a very good first book from an author that I will certainly be reading in the future. I think my biggest problem was keeping track of who was guarding the Tsar and who was coming to get him and were they on his side or not. I know a bit about this time period and the players involved, but not enough to not get confused when they were talking about the Reds, the Whites, the Cheka, and who was on what side. Still, I will definitely be recommending this book to people.
I was really quite impressed with this book. There are some minor areas that could be better but overall a very good first book from an author that I will certainly be reading in the future. I think my biggest problem was keeping track of who was guarding the Tsar and who was coming to get him and were they on his side or not. I know a bit about this time period and the players involved, but not enough to not get confused when they were talking about the Reds, the Whites, the Cheka, and who was on what side. Still, I will definitely be recommending this book to people.
May 1, 2015
Random selection, just wanted something to listen to, but this turned out quite good. Really interesting setting, compelling mystery. Finnish inspector searching for the long buried secrets of the royal Romanov family. Solid pacing, plenty of suspense, excellent descriptions. Few far stretched plot points towards the end thrown in for the dramatic effects, but what thriller doesn't. Of course, it's a series, genre writers seem practically unable to leave a good thing well enough alone, but at least Eastland was clever enough to come up with time and place for his stories to set his work apart from the countless others. The reader did a pretty good job, although some of the accent and particularly his pronunciation of Stalin's name were questionable. This certainly livened up my walks. Plenty of entertainment, pretty fun read.
January 4, 2016
It is the time of the Great Terror. Inspector Pekkala - known as the Emerald Eye - was the most famous detective in all Russia. He was the favourite of the Tsar. Now he is the prisoner of the men he once hunted. Like millions of others, he has been sent to the gulags in Siberia and, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, he is as good as dead. But a reprieve comes when he is summoned by Stalin himself to investigate a crime. His mission - to uncover the men who really killed the Tsar and his family, and to locate the Tsar's treasure. The reward for success will be his freedom and the chance to re-unite with a woman he would have married if the Revolution had not torn them apart. The price of failure - death.
I thought this book was fantastic! My highest of recommendations.
I thought this book was fantastic! My highest of recommendations.
May 20, 2012
Lots of needless foreshadowing killed the thrill. I truly found some decisions of the protagonist extremely unbelievable. I don't know if his decision somehow is a long thought out vengeance plan, to be carried out in rest of the series, but this book really left me unsatisfied.
September 9, 2016
I liked this book. War is ugly and this book showed that in grim detail. I am somewhat fascinated with Russian history, both old history and things that have occurred in the last century. It is during the last century that they seem to have struggled with identity. They have been constantly evolving, changing, and searching. This book deals with takeover after the death of the Romanovs.
Overall, I liked the character development and the sense of place in this. So 3 stars.
Overall, I liked the character development and the sense of place in this. So 3 stars.
March 14, 2013
A wonderful first novel in the series. Yes, Sam ones write under this pseudonym, and I therefore expected it to be a bloody good novel. I was surprised how good it was......and read the whole book inside 30 hours. Simply, a wonderful read.
March 27, 2013
A good mystery and I'll probably eventually move on to the next in the series.
December 29, 2021
Back in the 1990s I became obsessed with a young up-and-coming author named Paul Watkins. His first novel, NIGHT OVER DAY OVER NIGHT, written when he was just twenty-three, is the stunning narrative of a young German soldier who is thrown into the Battle of the Bulge. Descriptions in that book (“ersatz coffee”) still pop into mind when I think of it.
Over the years, I collected -and read- every book that Watkins wrote, attended every signing he did in the cities that I lived in, and even convinced him to sell me his first novel when it was out of print and nearly impossible to find.
Then, poof. It was as if Watkins had disappeared or died. There was nothing being published by him. No word of what had become of him.
Out of curiosity and some concern for what happened to him, I recently did a few online searches and discovered that Watkins has been writing a historical mystery/thriller series under the pen name Sam Eastland. The series features Inspector Pekkala, the former private eye for the Tsar of Russia, who is still fighting crime in Stalin era Russia. The first book, EYE OF THE RED TSAR, is a strong debut. Bof all, the Watkins wordsmith magic remains intact under the nom de plume. I’ll be reading more of these Sam Eastland books and am so happy to be reacquainted with a favorite author, Paul Watkins.
Over the years, I collected -and read- every book that Watkins wrote, attended every signing he did in the cities that I lived in, and even convinced him to sell me his first novel when it was out of print and nearly impossible to find.
Then, poof. It was as if Watkins had disappeared or died. There was nothing being published by him. No word of what had become of him.
Out of curiosity and some concern for what happened to him, I recently did a few online searches and discovered that Watkins has been writing a historical mystery/thriller series under the pen name Sam Eastland. The series features Inspector Pekkala, the former private eye for the Tsar of Russia, who is still fighting crime in Stalin era Russia. The first book, EYE OF THE RED TSAR, is a strong debut. Bof all, the Watkins wordsmith magic remains intact under the nom de plume. I’ll be reading more of these Sam Eastland books and am so happy to be reacquainted with a favorite author, Paul Watkins.
May 7, 2018
Tsar Nicholas and his family, Stalin, and the revolution are key to the story of Pekkala, a detective in the new Soviet Russia. Pekkala is the guide through that chaotic time of history. He is on the path to discover the truth of the Tsar's fate and the location of his treasure. The author has created a plausible scenario involving what might have happened to these historical figures. Pekkala, as befits all fictional detectives these days, is a damaged man with a passion for doing the right thing. He is an interesting guy to spend time with.
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