The Tsar's Banker

by Stephen Davis

Philip Cummings hated change, but when his high-flying job at the Bank of England takes him to Russia he’s caught up in the chaos, turmoil, violence and vengeance of the Bolshevik Revolution. Philip must survive double-cross and cold-blooded murder if he’s to bring the beautiful Countess Sophie Tagleva, her wounded brother, a chest full of the Tsar’s jewels and secret papers out of Russia, and free them from the clutches of all the fighting factions swirling around them.

An exciting, fast-paced historical thriller, immaculately researched, this is the first in a series following Philip Cummings and his family through two world wars and beyond.

“A financial version of A Woman of Substance.”

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

Stephen Davis is an an award winning writer, a broadcaster and the author of two business books and contributor to over twenty-eight business magazines and a speaker. He is also an entrepreneur runs a successful business consultancy and a video production company.

Librarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Sheila Wyver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast, easy to read story of Philip who works for the Bank of England being sent to Russia to collect jewels to be housed in the B of E to support any of the Tsars relatives coming over to visit England. He gets caught up in the revolution, falls in love with Sophie Taagleva and her war wounded brother and tries to get out of Russia. A fast moving adventure story, gives interesting historical facts but all a bit too neat.

[Sandra Rugina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Very good historical research, good action, and a good starting point for a longer saga. I recommend it, I think it should get more attention.

[Andy Lopata · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a friend and former co-author of a business book with Stephen Davis, I looked forward to reading The Tsar's Banker. Given our relationship, it's hard to be completely objective and you find yourself thinking about the author's craft more while reading than you would normally do so. Despite this, I really enjoyed the book and still found myself completely engaged with the plot and its characters, which is surely the main objective from a novel.

It's clear that a remarkable amount of research has gone into a novel that spans an incident-packed period of Europe's history, starting before World War 1, taking in the Russian Revolution and finishing just before the breakout of the Second World War. The author has taken statements from historical personalities and historical incidents and incorporated them almost seamlessly into the plot, giving an interesting and different insight to ordinary lives in well documented times.

It possibly goes on slightly longer than needed, with one extra plot twist that might be considered unnecessary but overall it's an enjoyable read and recommended.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set during a period of time that changed the world, this tale is well-researched. Adventure, romance, history - what's not to love.