Cook, a historian, author, and TV presenter, re-investigates the overthrow and murder of the Romanov family by drawing on new forensic evidence from the recent discovery of the bodies of Alexei and his sister Maria in Russia and newly discovered British and Russian Secret Service records. He describes the proposed British rescue of the Imperial family, which was led by Major Stephen Alley; the impact of World War I; what led up to the revolution in 1917; the Secret Service mission to discover the truth about the Romanov deaths; and the discovery of their bodies. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)