The Mad Monk’s emerald cross, unearthed by one of the Alaskans, could be the key to the whole situation. The modern-day action is broken up with the fall of Rasputin and a group that worshiped him. The ice is melting and the virus could still be active so Frank and a crack team of scientists head to assess the situation. 'The Romanov Cross' holds readers' attention from the beginning to the very end.You may think that ‘The Romanov Cross’ doesn’t belong on a site like this but much if you look under the surface, much like the heroes have to under the Alaskan ice, there is a little bit of supernatural.įacing a court martial for doing the right thing morally but not professionally, army epidemiologist, someone who studies the outbreak of diseases in controlled populations, Frank Slater, is plucked from unemployed to travel to Alaska to investigate a colony that was destroyed by Spanish flu almost a century ago. 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.

The Romanov Cross by Robert Masello