The compelling and poignant story of the arrest, captivity, and execution of the last tsar of Russia and his family during the revolution of 1917-1918 has been recounted-and romanticized-for decades. Now a new book explores the full range of events and reveals the thoughts, perceptions, and judgments of the individuals involved-Nicholas and Alexandra, their children, and the men who guarded and eventually killed them.

"An extraordinary book. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Western history."-Francine du Plessiz Gray, New York Times Book Review

"Steinberg and Khrustalev have achieved that rarest of things: they have produced a work of outstanding scholarship which is also an unputdownable read. It is not only the unwritten sequel to The Brothers Karamazov. As a bona fide 'royals' book, it is also the perfect antidote to Andrew Morton."-Niall Ferguson, The Sunday Times

"Useful . . . lucid analysis. . . . Contains several important never-before-published accounts of the assassination."-Joseph Finder, Washington Post Book World

"[The] book presents a portrait of the political exigencies and passions that determined the family's fate. The documents themselves are of primary interest, but the judicious tone of the introductions to each section offers a welcome contrast to the overheated speculation that has long surrounded the last Tsar."-Susan Jacoby, Newsday

Mark D. Steinberg teaches history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Vladimir M. Khrustalev is historian-archivist at the State Archive of the Russian Federation.