Helen Rappaport's most recent book is the acclaimed No Place for Ladies: The Untold Story of Women in the Crimean War (Aurum). A fluent Russian speaker and specialist in Russian history and 19th-century women's history, she was the Russian consultant in 2002 to the National Theatre's Tom Stoppard trilogy, The Coast of Utopia. She is also the author of biographical reference works on Joseph Stalin, Queen Victoria and women social reformers. She and William Horwood are co-authors of Dark Hearts of Chicago (Hutchinson, 2007), a thriller about journalist Emily Strauss of the New York World.
Stunning, chilling and poignant, this is how history books should be written. * Alison Weir * That perfect but rare blend of history, sense of place, human tragedy, drama and atmosphere -- Susan Hill Helen Rappaport brilliantly assembles the intricacies of the story in untroubling prose with some colourful re-imaginings to make this account utterly compelling. * Daily Telegraph * To coincide with the anniversary (of the death's of the Romanovs), their last wretched days have been chronicled in an explosive new book. Using previously overlooked documents and witness accounts, it tells the story of the family's final moments in unprecedented detail. * Daily Mail * A deeply touching anniversary tribute * Independent on Sunday *