Review of The Romanov Cross by Robert Masello

The Romanov Cross by Robert Masello is an interesting read that kept my attention the whole way through. A recently disgraced epidemiologist Dr. Frank Slater is tasked with leading his crew on a job that no one wants.  This job leads him to the Alaska where an extremely severe health risk has surfaced with the discovery of a grave from a colony that was wiped out by Spanish flu. For those of you who are history buffs, the Spanish flu of 1918 killed millions of people and was one of the deadliest disasters in history. Increased travel during this time helped to spread this deadly virus to many parts of the world including America.

Dr. Slater's team is comprised of people at the height of their professions and are able to decipher if the flu is still a risk to the people of Alaska. The suspense and thrills come in once there is evidence that treasure hunters have been exposed. If rogue treasure hunters aren't enough to entice someone to read this novel I add that there are wolves. Big, scarey, tough, mean, killer wolves. Yes! 

This novel had interesting characters such as Dr. Slater and Nika who are given enough depth for the reader to root for them. I even found the greedy, insanely stupid treasure hunters to be interesting. There weren't too many characters in this story which I highly appreciate. It often times gets to be too much going on with the introduction of secondary characters who do nothing to move the story forward. Luckily Masello spared us of that gear-grinder in this novel.

In conclusion, The Romanov Cross was really fun to read. It's smooth transitions between history and the present will be fun for readers who enjoy their fiction with a serving of history. The supernatural occurances add to the suspense in the book in a realistic way since there aren't many quinessential gun battles.  Oh! And did I mention there are wolves? Just had to throw that back out there. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and I look forward to reading others I missed by this author. Fans of Steve Berry will find this book worthy of the space on their to-read lists. ****

Romanov Cross Your Heart... Hope To Die

Currently, I'm at 40% in and I can see why Robert Marsello is a great author. The novel is descriptive with well developed characters so far. Even the bad guys are dimensional and interesting. What I've learned so far is that Dr. Frank Slater is currently in Alaska because the permafrost is melting and there's a serious health risk to the natives of Inuit if this problem continues. At one point in history there was a devastating flu that pretty much wiped out a whole slew of people and the discovery of a coffin from the early 1900s has placed the Inuit island at risk again.

Harley is the lucky fellow who discovers a cross in the coffin and instantly thinks this is his meal ticket. This guy is your quinessential bad guy who is greedy but doesn't actually know what the ramifications of his actions are. He's definitely not the brightest crayon in the box but I've found that when money signs are blinding one's vision, that tends to be the case. In order to add to the suspense of the title, he and his crew go back to rob more graves if they can find them. The only problem they anticipate having is with Dr. Slater's group and possible natives... or wolves. Yes Wolves!

What's also nice about The Romanov Cross by Robert Masello, is it's smooth transitions between the Romanov empire and their history. Many Russian history enthusiasts know that their reign did not end well. Although there is a lot of fictional licensing Masello is taking advantage of, I do not feel that it is in any way implausible and is quite fun to rewrite history. These alternate histories are why we love fiction. The what ifs and maybes are why people like me love historical fiction with a hefty dash of suspense.

Although there isn't much suspense yet, I definitely know it will be coming. The two groups are going to come barreling into each other seeing as though at the point I am in the book, they have both arrived to the island. This element of mystery is my motivation in reading faster. The comparisons to Steve Berry make complete sense to me now. As I have mentioned before I am one of his biggest fans and only have four books to go before I can shout to the mountaintop that I have read all his novels. Yay for me! The only huge glaring difference I see is in the amount of depth Masello has chosen to go into with his bad guys. Of course they are carbon copies of most thriller novels in the sense that they are motivated by greed, but they are also well described. I look forward to reading the rest of this novel. Dare I say mid-novel that I am a fan?

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.