The Romanov Cross by Robert Masello

In the spirit of keeping in the thriller genre at least for another few days, after long deliberation I decided I'd begin work today on The Romanov Cross by Robert Masello. This will be the first novel I have read by this author but I read some places that his work is comparable to that of one of my favorite authors Steve Berry. Of course I don't know if that's true but we shall see... Actually I'll let his work stand on its own but I can see how someone who writes historical fiction can be interested in two authors who primarily work in that same genre. That was quite a rant I went on but seriously, I am looking forward to this read. I love historical fiction mixed with thrills and suspense. Historical fiction gives me an excuse to look up moments in history as well as compare where the author has decided to bend the truth substantially. Anyway, I know Robert Masello needs no introduction seeing as though he is an accomplished author already but I am looking forward to seeing how well his experience in writing translates on the page. Let's read!

Synopsis:  Army epidemiologist Frank Slater is facing a court-martial, but after his punishment is mysteriously lifted, Slater is offered a job no one else wants—to travel to a small island off the coast of Alaska and investigate a potentially lethal phenomenon: The permafrost has begun to melt, exposing bodies from a colony that was wiped out by the dreaded Spanish flu of 1918. Frank must determine if the thawed remains still carry the deadly virus in their frozen flesh and, if so, ensure that it doesn’t come back to life.


Frank and his handpicked team arrive by helicopter, loaded down with high-tech tools, prepared to exhume history. The colony, it transpires, was once settled by a sect devoted to the mad Russian monk Rasputin, but there is even more hiding in the past than Frank’s team is aware of. Any hope of success hinges on their willingness to accept the fact that even their cutting-edge science has its limits—and that the ancient wisdom of the Inuit people who once inhabited this eerie land is as essential as any serum. By the time Frank discovers that his mission has been compromised—crashed by a gang of reckless treasure hunters—he will be in a brutal race against time. With a young, strong-willed Inuit woman by his side, Frank must put a deadly genie back in the bottle before all of humanity pays the price.