RASPUTIN. FALL OF A STARETS
JFB:0007
A historical novella about the involvement of the British Secret Service in the murder of Gregori Yefimovich, alias ‘Rasputin’ an illiterate peasant from an isolated village in Siberia who came within an inch of exerting a critical influence over world events.
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‘Our troops are dying by the tens of thousands on the Somme. If Rasputin, through his influence with the autocrats of Russia, concludes a separate peace with Germany, 350 000 German troops will be liberated from the Eastern front to fight in France and Belgium, the consequences of which do not bear thinking about.’
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[Memo from Lt. Oswald Rayner to Head of British Intelligence, September 1916].
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Lt Rayner was also involved in an assassination attempt on the life of Josef Stalin when he was the editor of Pravda, at the beginning of his road to power.
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The novel is written as a memoir by Oswald Rayner. The characters described in the account were real people, acting within the dates and events of their time, although the dialogue is mostly invented.
Selling points
The book has proved very popular since its launch in November 2024. This may be down to recent Russian history with the invasion of Ukraine and the obvious conflation of the names ‘Rasputin’ and ‘Putin’. It is an easy-to-read historical novel that has broad general appeal, since everyone is familiar with both of these names and has some inkling of the influence both these men have exerted on Russian life.