2011 Books – Shadow Pass

Last year I came upon a new author, Sam Eastland. His book Eye of the Red Tsar was one of those – oh look, cool title, I’m into anything dealing with the Romanov dynasty, let’s pick it up – books. I loved it and couldn’t wait for the next book to come out.

Shadow Pass is book two of the series and it’s just as fascinating as book one. Detective Pekkala is back on the hunt for a murderer, but this time he’s not working for Tsar Nicholas II, he’s working for Josef Stalin and on top of dealing with an entirely different people, he’s dealing with the problems of working in a communist country.

Not only do we see Pekkala work on this new case, Eastland still manages to weave in remembrances from Pekkala’s past of working for the Tsar and sets up the contrast between then and his present day. I love the fact that Eastland does that, because it’s that connection to Nicholas II that makes Pekkala’s character so intriguing.

These first two books have been so much fun to read. I love a good mystery/suspense book and I’ve always been fascinated with the history and culture of Russia – so it’s a win-win for me. Now I’m eagerly awaiting book three to be released. Pick the two books up, sit back and have some fun. A good way to enjoy a rainy day.