The permafrost has begun to melt, exposing bodies from a colony that was wiped out by the dreaded Spanish flu of 1918. "The Romanov Cross" holds readers' attention from the beginning to the very end.Army epidemiologist Frank Slater is facing a court-martial, but after his punishment is mysteriously lifted, he 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. There are even elements of a ghost story and outright horror.Īll these elements shouldn't work together, but they do. Add Slater's story and a modern-day flu epidemic possibly killing millions of people and the stories come together.
The mixture of their love story, the history of what happened to the Romanov family and the depth of Anastasia's despair during her escape would make a terrific stand-alone novel. The love story between Anastasia and the soldier tears at the heartstrings.
In a second narrative, Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II, miraculously survives and escapes with the help of a young soldier.Īnastasia has a piece of jewelry given to her by the mad monk Rasputin that promises to protect her from harm. The same year the plague killed so many, the Romanov family in Russia was murdered. The exposed bodies might contain the deadly virus, and if they do, Slater must make sure the contagion doesn't start again. His expertise is needed in Alaska, where a burial site containing victims of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic has begun to erode. Surprisingly, he's given no jail time, but he soon learns why. "The Romanov Cross" (Bantam), by Robert MaselloĪrmy epidemiologist Frank Slater does the right thing - and is court-martialed for his actions - in Robert Masello's latest novel, "The Romanov Cross."ĭuring sentencing, Slater is stripped of his military credentials and pay.
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