Rating: 
Summary: Once you open this book, you will not put it down!
Review: It is the first day of the new year, 1917, and the first day of Chief Investigator Ruzsky's return to St. Petersburg from exile in Siberia. It should have been a chance at a fresh beginning. But amid the bitter winds and relentless snow of a hostile Russian winter, he finds himself burdened with the unwanted investigation of a double murder. The victims, a young woman and a slightly older man, are found on the ice in the shadow of the Tsar's Winter Palace. Naturally, this leads Ruzsky to wonder whether the killings are politically motivated. When one of the victims is identified as a Palace employee, his hunches seem to be on track. He and his Deputy Chief Investigator set to work doggedly ferreting out the murderer. But an arm of the secret police is working to derail them at every turn, while the Tsarina is personally demanding that he wrap up the case.In wartime Russia, a very shaky period in history --- indeed, for the world --- trusting the wrong allies could be fatal. Ruzsky's highborn status as son of the Minister of Finance would seem to be a position that would open some doors to help streamline his investigation. However, in the prevailing political climate, he finds it slams many shut on his inquiries. To complicate matters further, Chief Inspector Ruzsky's thorny family past --- and, for that matter, present --- can't help but distract him. The death of his youngest brother many years ago still greatly pains his father, who continues to blame Ruzsky. Dmitri, Ruzsky's surviving sibling, enthusiastically welcomes him home, despite the disapproving looks from their father. But while Dmitri appears very much in control of himself, he nonetheless is a man tormented by heavy guilt. Ruzsky's wife left him while in exile, taking his only son with her back to St. Petersburg and moving in with his father, brother and sister-in-law. She blatantly dares him to compete for his father's affection. As much as he would like to repair the marriage, if only for the sake of his beloved son, his fondness for the lovely ballerina, Maria, is growing into love. With all of this going on, it is a wonder the Chief Investigator has the time or the inclination to solve the murders. Facing the roadblocks thrown up from some rather unlikely sources, many policemen would throw in the towel. But then another body turns up, and then another. There is no stopping now. THE WHITE RUSSIAN is, first and foremost, a novel of mystery. But Tom Bradby intersperses plenty of historical snippets and multi-dimensional facets to build a vividly real tale. Then, when you add in an undercurrent --- a very strong one --- of romantic entanglements, you have the makings of a deliciously rich story. Bradby has a knack for moving his stories along. The action is unrelenting, and the characters are culturally distinct and full. Once you open this book, you will not put it down until you reach the last satisfying line. --- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
Rating:
Summary: compelling and haunting
Review: Set in St. Petersburg (mainly) in 1917, while WWI is still raging and the threat of a popular revolution is ever looming, Tom Bradby has successfully penned another tautly paced and perplexing murder mystery/thriller for us to enjoy. Three years ago, Chief Investigator Sandro Rusky took the responsibility when a callous landlord was killed while in police custody. For his negligence, Rusky was banished to Tobolsk in Siberia. Now, his exile is over and he's back in St. Petersburg and almost at once he's involved in a very grisly murder investigation. The bodies of a man and woman have been found on the ice of the frozen River Neva just outside the Winter Palace. The woman has been stabbed once but the man has been stabbed several times and viciously at that. Almost from the first several things about this violent crime perplex Rusky. For example, the location -- why was so public a site chosen for the murders? And then there is the evidence that seems to support the fact that the murderer had carefully stepped in the tracks of the couple before and after the crime, only stepping out of them before he struck. And finally the savagery with which (s)he had stabbed the man over and over again, together with the murderer's strange abandonment of the murder weapon... Even more intriguing is the fact that the Tsar's secret police, the Okhrana, seem to be inordinately interested in this crime. But if these little bits of facts are perplexing in themselves, it is nothing compared to Rusky's colleagues's attitude towards the crime. None of them seem anxious to solve these grisly murders -- esp when all avenues in this investigation seem to lead to the Imperial family. Are they wary because they fear that their involvement will net them a fate similar to Rusky's three years ago? Or are they just fearful because a bloody revolution seems inevitable right now? Not sure of whom he can rely on, and with his own load of crippling emotional baggage, Rusky is determined nonetheless to solve these murders no matter where it leads, whom it involves and what it costs him... My best bit of advice (aside from reading this book that is) is to avoid reading reviews that really deal with too much of the plot synopsis or plot development. It's enough to note that this is a really excellent novel and a worthwhile read and buy. Tom Bradby does a truly good job of drawing out the suspense factor via a few really good plot twists, as well as keeping the pacing taut and not allowing things to become too bogged down. Also nicely done was the manner in which he conveys the feel of doom and panic as the characters in the book come to grips with the fact that a way of life is over, and that change -- violent change -- is in the air, and that no one is at all sure which way to jump. You get the notion, when reading "White Russian" that Tom Bradby really knows what he's writing about. Rich, dark and atmospheric, "White Russian" is one mystery novel that should not be missed (and I'm not going to get into which of Bradby's books is better -- they're both equally excellent reads in my opinion). It's compelling and haunting, and is should be on the short-list for Best Mystery Novel of the Year.
Rating:
Summary: A Dark Time
Review: Some early reviewers of The White Russian complained that it was not as "atmospheric" as Tom Bradby's earlier Master of Rain, which was set in 1926 Shanghai. I have to disagree. The White Russian is an all-around better book in that it is plotted with more depth and believability than the earlier novel, and the atmospheric elements are better integrated with plot and characterization. Master of Rain was enjoyable, but The White Russian is better than that. Bradby has set his second thriller to be published in the US in St. Petersburg, Russia, within weeks of the overthrow of Tsar Nicholas. It is New Year's 1917, dark and cold. There is little cheer. Russian troops are being slaughtered in World War I. Professional troops have been sent to the front, and only disgruntled reservists are left in the capital. There are food shortages, and the sense of unease is so great that some are willing to put a date to the explosion of revolution. Sandro Ruzsky has just returned to Petrograd, as his city is now called, following three years of exile in Siberia. He is a detective from a noble family, which has not welcomed him home. Within a day of his return, he is on the case of two very brutal murders-a man who turns out to be an American revolutionary and a young woman who was a nanny to the Tsar's son. The search for the killer will take Ruzsky to the Tsarina's sitting room, tenements of reeking squalor, his family home, and backstage at the Imperial ballet. The plot is tight and intricate without being ridiculously convoluted. The characters have meat and gristle. Within a very short time they will be plunged into terror and anarchy. It would be interesting to check in on Ruzsky on New Year's 1918 to see whether he or any of the other characters in The White Russian are still alive. Although Tom Bradby does not write with the existential ache of Martin Cruz Smith, he is able to touch the underlying disquiet of a time and place. This is a very evocative and satifying thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: Another superb historical mystery
Review: THE WHITE RUSSIAN by Tom Bradby (Bantam, 17.99)
Tom Bradby has written several novels in widely varied styles. First he wrote a couple of thrillers, SHADOW DANCER and SLEEP OF THE DEAD, then he moved onto his breakout book THE MASTER OF RAIN which was his first book published in the United States. MASTER takes place in 1926 Shanghai. This historical mystery was nominated for last year's Steel Dagger Award and was very well received. Now he returns with another superb historical mystery. This time we go to St. Petersburg, Russia in 1917 on the virge of revolution.
Two bodies are found on the frozen river, Neva. Sandro Ruzsky, chief police investigator, is assigned to the case. He manages to discover the identity of the bodies- one being a former member of the imperial household and the other is an American gangster. What is their relationship and who killed them? To answer these questions Sandro must visit the Palace of the Tzar in St. Petersburg, as well as the cities of Yalta and Moscow. The key to the murders might also lie with the ballerina, Maria Popova, a love of Sandro's. There are issues in Sandro's past that also need resolution including his relationship with his father, a Minister of the Interior, as well as his estranged wife and their young son.
There are several different types of novels in this book. In a sense, I wasn't sure where the author was going. He probably didn't know himself. Initially the plot is a straightforward police procedural with the backdrop of the historical location and era. However, as we began to explore Sandro's relationship with Maria, the love story of DR ZHIVAGO comes to mind. Finally, the historical events take over the plot and given the explosive nature of the politics at that time, this is actually quite appropriate. The depth of the characters, the complexity of the murders and the rich historical detail make this another exceptional work by this highly talented and versatile author.
Rating:
Summary: Another superb historical mystery
Review: THE WHITE RUSSIAN by Tom Bradby (Bantam, 17.99)
Tom Bradby has written several novels in widely varied styles. First he wrote a couple of thrillers, SHADOW DANCER and SLEEP OF THE DEAD, then he moved onto his breakout book THE MASTER OF RAIN which was his first book published in the United States. MASTER takes place in 1926 Shanghai. This historical mystery was nominated for last year's Steel Dagger Award and was very well received. Now he returns with another superb historical mystery. This time we go to St. Petersburg, Russia in 1917 on the virge of revolution.
Two bodies are found on the frozen river, Neva. Sandro Ruzsky, chief police investigator, is assigned to the case. He manages to discover the identity of the bodies- one being a former member of the imperial household and the other is an American gangster. What is their relationship and who killed them? To answer these questions Sandro must visit the Palace of the Tzar in St. Petersburg, as well as the cities of Yalta and Moscow. The key to the murders might also lie with the ballerina, Maria Popova, a love of Sandro's. There are issues in Sandro's past that also need resolution including his relationship with his father, a Minister of the Interior, as well as his estranged wife and their young son.
There are several different types of novels in this book. In a sense, I wasn't sure where the author was going. He probably didn't know himself. Initially the plot is a straightforward police procedural with the backdrop of the historical location and era. However, as we began to explore Sandro's relationship with Maria, the love story of DR ZHIVAGO comes to mind. Finally, the historical events take over the plot and given the explosive nature of the politics at that time, this is actually quite appropriate. The depth of the characters, the complexity of the murders and the rich historical detail make this another exceptional work by this highly talented and versatile author.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Historical Mystery Thriller!
Review: Tom Bradby does a remarkable job of setting the stage for a series of brutal murders in Russia on the eve of revolution. It is January 1, 1917. Bradby's St. Petersburg literally glitters during the last days of the monarchy. The descriptions of the beautiful city with its opulent Winter Palace, Peter and Paul Cathedral, exquisite architecture, the Neva River where the body of Rasputin was found, the flavor of various neighborhoods and squalid tenements, provide stark contrasts and give the novel a strong sense of reality, without bogging down in detail. The author obviously researched meticulously the period, characters and cityscape for "The White Russian: A Novel Of St. Petersburg."
The cold is bitter, the population tense. These are indeed turbulent times and this multi-layered novel unfolds parallel to historical events. Chief Investigator of the St. Petersburg Police Department, Sandro Ruzsky, has just returned from a three-year exile in Tobolsk, Siberia and is immediately involved in a double murder. The victims, a young woman and a man were found on the Neva's ice in front of the Tsar's Winter Palace. Within hours of discovering the bodies, the Okhrana, the Tsar's secret police, step in to take over the case. They make it very clear that Ruzsky's assistance is not needed. Sandro, tenacious and jaded, is compelled to pursue the investigation on his own. When the young woman is identified as a former palace employee, Ruzsky wonders if the murders are politically motivated. The Tsarina pushes for Ruzsky to solve the case immediately, while the Ohhrana sabotages him at every turn.
Sandro is the black sheep son of an aristocratic family. His father, the Minister of Finance, has banned him from visiting the family home - where his soon-to-be divorced wife and beloved son live. The Ruzskys are alienated and appalled that he chose a career in the police force rather that the Tsar's elite guards.
When a third murder takes place and the investigation leads Sandro closer to the Imperial Family, he faces a ruthless killer who taunts him at every turn, and also confronts his past and the woman he once loved. As the storyline accelerates, so do the unstoppable forces of revolution. Everything and everyone Ruzsky cares about is at risk.
This is a story of political intrigue, along with the historical social unrest of the times. Members of the doomed royal family are background figures, and the Tsarina is one of the characters. Love, passion, death, betrayal and revenge fill the pages, but above all, this is a mystery with a thrilling ending. The pace is quick and the action is constant. I especially enjoyed the character of Sandro Ruzsky, an extremely complex, honest man of the highest integrity. I couldn't put this super rich story down. Highly recommended!
JANA
Rating:
Summary: Worthy follow-up to The Master of Rain
Review: Tom Bradby is the latest hit mystery writer from Britain, following Robert Wilson, who wrote "A Small Death in Lisbon" a few years ago. Bradby's "The Master of Rain" was one of the best novels of a couple of years ago, a wonderful, atmospheric novel with multiple fascinating characters and a plot that was wonderful. If James Ellroy had written a historical novel set in 1926 Shanghai, with killers, corrupt cops, and women who have prostituted themselves to buy food, it would look a lot like "The Master of Rain." "The White Russian" is a wonderful follow-up to "The Master of Rain," again an atmospheric novel, this time set in the Petrograd of 1917, where a compromised police investigator (Sandro Ruzsky) is looking into the killing of a couple on the frozen River Neva. The detective is a disgraced nobleman, partially rejected by his family and just returned from 3 years in exile for the death of a suspect in a killing, killed himself by the other prisoners in jail.
The dead are a young girl and a middle-aged man, stabbed to death. The two turn out to be a nanny for the young son of the Tsar, and a labor agitator and rabble-rouser from Chicago. As Ruzsky and his partner, Pavel Miliutin, are confronted by various characters, from the local head of the Okhrana (the precursor to the KGB) to various other revolutionaries and characters in pre-Revolutionary Petrograd (one of the annoyances of the book is the subtitle on the cover, which mentions St. Petersburg, the name of which was changed in 1914).
This is one of the better books in the last few years. It has a sort of Chandleresque air to it, with a definite tinge of Russian also, to the point you can at times almost smell the borsht. My one complaint was the ending, which made little sense to me, and seemed kind of anti-climactic. This is one of those books like Chandler, however, where the plot is secondary to the atmosphere and the characters. I enjoyed this novel a great deal, and would recommend it to almost everyone.
Rating:
Summary: First Rate Historical Thriller
Review: Tom Bradby's The White Russian is an intriguing historical thriller set in the dying days of Tsarist Russia in early 1917. The book's strength is its writing; Mr. Bradby does an excellent job in evoking the desperate milieu of this jittery city on the eve of revolution. And most, but not all of his characters are well realized and thus quite believable, including his hero, Inspector Sandro Ruzsky, his deputy Pavel, and the enigmatic Maria Popova. The story starts conventionally enough: two bodies are found on the frozen waters of the Neva on New Year's Day, brutally murdered. When the Okhrana quickly become involved, it is clear that these killings have a political dimension. And when the trail leads back to the Tsar's household, it is clear that these murders are bound up in the events of the day, including the swirling rumors and plots to depose the Tsar. That's a great story line, and Bradby uses it well to illustrate the historical novel aspect of this book. With that backdrop, he can explain the vying political forces, the role of the Tsar's secret police, the role terror played in late 19th century and early 20th century politics in Russia, etc. And all of this is extremely well done; these issues are so integral to the story that its not as if you are being force fed history. You learn about these issues as the story line naturally progresses. My only complaint about The White Russian is that I found the villainous Vasilyev (the head of the Okhrana) to be a less well realized character than some of the others, and for that reason, I thought the denoument a little bit of a let down. But that's a quibble that should not deter readers. Overall, I thought this was a very entertaining read. If readers have not read Bradby's The Master of Rain, his earlier novel set in Shanghai, I also recommend it heartily.
Rating:
Summary: First Rate Historical Thriller
Review: Tom Bradby's The White Russian is an intriguing historical thriller set in the dying days of Tsarist Russia in early 1917. The book's strength is its writing; Mr. Bradby does an excellent job in evoking the desperate milieu of this jittery city on the eve of revolution. And most, but not all of his characters are well realized and thus quite believable, including his hero, Inspector Sandro Ruzsky, his deputy Pavel, and the enigmatic Maria Popova. The story starts conventionally enough: two bodies are found on the frozen waters of the Neva on New Year's Day, brutally murdered. When the Okhrana quickly become involved, it is clear that these killings have a political dimension. And when the trail leads back to the Tsar's household, it is clear that these murders are bound up in the events of the day, including the swirling rumors and plots to depose the Tsar. That's a great story line, and Bradby uses it well to illustrate the historical novel aspect of this book. With that backdrop, he can explain the vying political forces, the role of the Tsar's secret police, the role terror played in late 19th century and early 20th century politics in Russia, etc. And all of this is extremely well done; these issues are so integral to the story that its not as if you are being force fed history. You learn about these issues as the story line naturally progresses. My only complaint about The White Russian is that I found the villainous Vasilyev (the head of the Okhrana) to be a less well realized character than some of the others, and for that reason, I thought the denoument a little bit of a let down. But that's a quibble that should not deter readers. Overall, I thought this was a very entertaining read. If readers have not read Bradby's The Master of Rain, his earlier novel set in Shanghai, I also recommend it heartily.
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