Petrograd

There aren't many murders with more intrigue attached to them than the 1916 assassination of Grigori Rasputin poisoned, stabbed, shot, and drowned in short order. Gelatt turns this still-unresolved event into a tight, dialogue-heavy spy thriller built on evidence that the plot to kill the mad monk was stirred up by the British SIS, intent on keeping Russia at war with Germany. The hero of sorts is British spy Cleary, who uses his connections in the aristocracy to hatch the plot and his romantic dalliances with a young Bolshevik to help turn the revolution. Even with the inevitability of the outcome, the drama stays propulsive, shifting the focus to how Cleary can escape the tightening noose once he's left out to dry by his country and his Russian allies. Talented newcomer Crook, newly enlisted for Mike Mignola's B.P.R.D., drapes the period settings in moody shadows and grim orange hues, while the smart layouts and craggy-featured faces grind out tension by the pound. A sharply executed graphic novel, good for more than just historical espionage fans.--Chipman, Ia. Copyright 2010 Booklist

In this historical thriller, Gelatt and Crook vividly depict the 1916 events in Russia that led to the murder of Rasputin. Gelatt carefully weaves together several threads into a tense, taut tale, as peasants, members of the Russian aristocracy, and the British Secret Service plot to kill the Mad Monk. This version is inspired by a longstanding rumor that a British spy participated in the assassination-a rumor that has recently developed more historical credence through the discovery of forensic evidence. Crook is a rising comics star; his sepia artwork, full of shadows, sharp angles, and anguished expressions, does much of the storytelling; particularly noteworthy are the panels without dialogue that brilliantly portray the complex emotions of a people at war and on the verge of revolution. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

As World War I rages across Europe, a combat veteran-turned British Intelligence officer named Cleary splits his time between parties with members of Petrograd's aristocracy and infiltrating revolutionary groups determined to end the Russian empire. After his superiors discover that Russia may declare peace with Germany, thus dooming hopes of a British victory, they charge Cleary with carrying out a plot to destabilize the monarchy by encouraging his friend Prince Yussopov to assassinate the Tsar's most trusted advisor, Grigori Rasputin. Cleary's horrified but follows orders nonetheless, only to find the prince both enthusiastic and fantastically ill-equipped for the bloody task. Soon, Cleary finds himself caught between the machinations of his own government and the opportunistic leader of the Tsar's Secret Police force. Cleary is a fascinatingly conflicted protagonist, haunted by memories of combat and increasingly aware of how those in power too willingly shed blood to preserve the status quo. VERDICT A tense, compelling espionage thriller woven together from real events, invented characters, and speculation. Gelatt ("Pariah" series) imbues even minor characters with rich inner lives, and Crook's (B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Vol. 1) moody illustration imbues scenes of sly manipulation and thrilling action with a sense of impending doom and moral decay.