While I knew the story about the last Tszar of Russia, Nicholas Romanov, Alexander tells the facinating story as if he had witnessed all the events the last weeks of the Romanov family in captivity and then their execution. If you enjoy or want to experience historical fiction, this is a great book. Don't worry - you won't get bogged down in Russian history nor do you need any background material). Make sure you read to the end for a big twist in the ending! Dicussion questions can be found on author's site, thekitchenboy.com.