The Rasputin Relic

Rating:
Summary: Curse or blessing?
Review: I happened upon this book purely by chance, having never heard of either it or its author. It was a good purchase, for I really did enjoy the book. The plot is a bit confusing, but it's no secret that it involves the supposed severed right hand of Rasputin, the "Mad Monk" of Imperial Russia. When it's discovered in a bank vault, a wave of unusual deaths seems to follow. The hero, a police chief, discovers other murders seemingly possibly connected to the hand, and there are various nefarious characters flitting in and out of the story. I found the premise of the book quite interesting, and since the action supposedly takes place in a (fictional) town not tremendously far from where I live, it had the special cachet of local interest. It's a good mystery, and worth reading, for a different take on the legend of Rasputin.