This book is a fascinating combination of true-crime reporting and historical biography, made possible by some pretty impressive research work. For obvious reasons, the Soviet state did its best to hide the truth about what really happened to the imperial family, where, and when. They did so not only by destroying the evidence, but by actively promoting disinformation, false or mistaken "eyewitnesses," and even taking advantage of the claims of "Anna Anderson," all of which still bedevil attempts to get to the bottom of these events.

Much of the virtue of this book is described in the Note on Sources at the end, where Helen Rappaport describes her use of Soviet and Russian sources, many of which have not only never been available in the West, but in fact have seldom attracted notice beyond Ekaterinburg/Sverdlovsk. Although I admit to not being up to speed on all the literature on this topic, it's hard to believe there could be as complete or as thorough an investigation of the murder of the Romanovs, making use of these resources, available in English. That makes this essential reading for anyone with an interest in the Russian dynasty, in the red revolution, or in the dynamics of early Soviet government.

Though the Romanov family's final days, and ultimate slaughter, are of course the focus of this book, the book also contains well-done biographical portraits of the Tsar, Tsaritsa, the four grand duchesses, and the Tsarevich Alexey that remind us the family's destruction was not only a political act but a crime against individuals (the family plus their retainers, eleven souls in total). That all makes for a book that is notable, not only for its research, but also for its storytelling. I definitely recommend it. ( )

This is a fascinating account, told in meticulous detail, about what exactly the title of the book is: the last days of the Romanovs. It was obviously well researched, but frankly what struck me most was the vicious and cruel way that the Romanovs were ultimately disposed of. It's as if they were, to the Communists, evil incarnate, not to be accorded any humanity whatsoever. ( )

While Last Days was a very enjoyable read, some aspects of the book were annoying and inappropriate in my view. I have read the authors explanation of her method of constructing the story but it does not exuse the lapses into sentimental historical fiction and religious fervor.
The author seems desperate to convince us that the Romanovs were saints and that the Orthodox church was and remains Russia's only true saviour.
Given the Western world's endless fascination with the death of Nicholas and Alexandra and their family, and the many books on the subject, very few of us need to be convinced of the tragedy.
The mix of self centred superstition, meaningless ritual, the occult ,and narcotics addiction that made up Alexandra's inner life is a harder sell and the author tries far too hard.
That is a shame because otherwise the book is very well written and researched and a very enjoyable read. ( )

Helen Rappaport does an excellent job with the very last days of the Romanov family. I'd recommend this book to anyone familiar with the story and era. However, for those not familiar with the story and this era in history, I would strongly suggest they read Massie's Nicholas and Alexander first then Rappaport's The Last Days of the Romanovs for a truly complete overview of early 20th century Europe and Russia as well as the political and social circumstances that led to the Romanovs days in Ekaterinburg. ( )

I freely admit to not knowing all that much about the Romanovs or their time in history. Though I must mention that my favorite Disney movie growing up was "Anastasia." I loved the idea that the girl had somehow survived the massacre.

This book is an eye opening look at what really happened, and not only that, what lead up to the deaths of the Romanovs. While at times, some of the information got a bit much to handle, for the most part it was very informative. I would eagerly recommend it to those who want to learn about the Romanovs. ( )