Unfortunately, this felt like when you're trying to cook spaghetti, throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. Parts of this were interesting, even if you have knowledge on Rasputin, but, on a whole, it seems unfocused.

Perhaps a unique look at a man who as graduated from human to spectre. Rasputin the ‘mad monk’ which led the imperial family to their doom. The use of Russian sources introduces a new perspective to this story. Split into 3 parts the book is effectively structured, well researched and written.

The author manages to avoid the standard cliches about Rasputin, Russia and the Imperial court. Perhaps it’s the Russian heritage of the author that aids the fresh approach of this work.

Interesting, engaging and through. I really enjoyed this book.

this was very well researched, but the writing was somewhat flat and pedestrian at times which made it a bit boring in places. still, it was very informative.

As a huge fan of Russian history I couldn't resist reading more about Rasputin. Whilst there is a plethora of books regarding this mystical figure this is another great one in its cannon. Thoroughly interesting and well put together.

DNF about halfway through

I am so conflicted about this book, I feel like it didn't bring anything new to the table and if you know Russian history then this will offer nothing knew to you, I felt like the author was very sympathetic to Rasputin and this was like a little Ode to him.

This book was very heavy on the dates with a rundown of who was doing what on exactly what date and I got a little bogged down with it all.

Not one I would recommend

I was very excited to get this book as I love history and Russia has always been of interest to me. Sadly, this book was just too dry for me to ever really get interested. It takes an author with true skill to make history not dry to read and unfortunately Nelipa doesn’t have that touch in this book.

The book seemed to be repetitive in providing information about happened to Rasputin that may have extended the book length unnecessarily. It was somewhat difficult to stay engaged.

This work is based upon the report of Vladimir Rudnev, investigator into Rasputin's influence over the Tsar (28.03.1919), revised and updated again since its publication in 2010.

Its divided into three parts: (1) biographic information about Rasputin and his life; (2) the cold case review of the murder; and (3) connecting the murder with the downfall of the Russian Empire.

"It has happened! .... Because of an empty and shortsighted obstinacy of one women - the final catastrophe happened."

This is a well researched, heavily detailed tome with a huge cast of characters (imperial, political, noble). Nelipa's use of records obtained from Russian sources gives insights into how this man was viewed by the Russian royal family and the Russian nobility. She explores the many differing sources to provide explanations behind the mythology of both the man and the murder.

It would probably have made for easier reading had I had the actual book in my hand so that I could have easily referenced those involved. Personally, I preferred Part 2 - the cold case analysis.

Awesome story. Can’t wait to read more from this author!!!

I've always been told those at the very top and those at the very bottom have a lot in common; The Russian royal family, their friends and Rasputin were a perfect, if deadly, fit. Rasputin's death always leaves me awed, but laughing- I mean, his murderers did everything they could to kill him and the guy just would not die! Ineptitude on their part or immortal on his, amazing. Nicholas always struck me as an ineffectual leader. Wasn't very smart on his part to leave Alexandra and Rasputin in charge for even an hour. Seems to me he would have listened a bit harder to his subjects.... Anyway, the book covers a lot of territory and has more detail than anyone but the most die hard fans of the story will care about. It's a shame the kids were executed along with the parents. seems someone could have stepped in and just forced them into exile as the royals everywhere were about to be washed up anyway. I know WW1 wasn't brought on by their death, but revolution seems to have been in the air everywhere- sick of royals, I suppose, and everyone wanting more freedom fro their sort. Interesting read, but mainly for folks really into it.

This was a laborious read, not for lack of interesting material, Rasputin and that period of Russian history is immensely fascinating, but the way it was presented in this book was not so much. I feel as though this book could use another pass by an editor, it gets a little repetitive and rambly and I think that the points could have been equally made with less text.

I've been interested in the last tzar for years and have read a great deal about the tzar his family and the circle surrounding him I could never understand why Rasputin managed to integrate so much into a family that was so isolated the book Showed how charismatic Rasputin actually Was and how much they relied on hjm it is fascinating reading and would i highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in that part of Russian history
I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review from netgallery

Wonderfully immersive, well-researched and well-written account of Rasputin’s murder and the events leading up to it.

DNF about halfway through

I had no idea what exactly the author was trying to tell me apart from the fact that Rasputin was poor and misunderstood and the people who killed him were immoral, evil monsters. Anything else got lost by the author throwing every single name and date she could find at us. So you know exactly what person X did on day Y but it's not really clear what you should make of that.

She also doesn't let you forget that she speaks Russian so we get sentences like 'the masses accused the empress of being a Nemka (German)' [pos 1554]. Look. Nemka just means German (woman). It's not an untranslatable word with special connotations. You could have just written 'accused the empress of being a German'.

We also get gems like 'Guiseva's appearance shows a nasal deformity that exaggerated her coarse, peasant appearance.' [pos 799] about a woman who tried to murder Rasputin. Because only ugly people could hate that angelic saintly creature...

Despite my curiosity about the religious mystic, Rasputin, I found author Margarita Nelipa's biography about him, Killing Rasputin, somewhat difficult to read. That was partly due to the confusing Russian names and my confusion over some of the historical details and the timing of events. The text on my e-copy, provided free by Netgalley, was also difficult to read, with not a lot of white space or enough line breaks. Still, this book will interest those with a scholarly interest in this almost mythical man.

Enthralling. This is a really interesting and very well researched book. It discusses the theories of how Rasputin was killed. It looks at the theories of why he was killed. Every detail has been well documented. Rasputin has become a mythical larger than life character. This book breaks those images down and tries to describe what he was like and his role and why he had enemies. There is a lot to this book. It is a really interesting read and I would definitely recommend it.

I am more than ready to believe that Rasputin got a bad rap. I'm also more than happy that the book is based on source material written at the time. Unhappily though, this book is so turgid and poorly written that I could not even get through the first chapter.

The author writes with no felicity or style. I felt as if I was reading a legal brief or police report, it was that dull. When a story is as dramatic as Rasputin's, it's not unreasonable to expect more. It's also not unreasonable to wish that somewhere there is some explanation of Rasputin's hold on the royal family. Exploring and explaining that might go a long way to explaining how he has been portrayed. But I found little of this.

Perhaps in her concluding chapter she does some of this, but I couldn't bear to read that far!

Margarita Nelipa presents a very thorough and meticulously researched study of Rasputin's murder and subsequent investigation. Ms. Nelipa packed every chapter with her own translations of primary source material. At times, the narrative was weighed down by cited material (there were over 1800 endnotes).
Ultimately, this is a thoughtful study of Rasputin including his relationship with the imperial family, the political chaos that centered around him, his murder, and the subsequent investigation. I particularly enjoyed Ms. Nelipa's analysis of the autopsy.
Killing Rasputin requires a bit of work to get through, but it is a worthwhile endeavor

“Aristocrats viewed Rasputin as engaging and modest, traits that allowed him to mix amongst them. Despite his clothing and unusual appearance, it was his sincerity that appealed to them. His pragmatic thoughts became wisdom, which contrasted with the esoteric mysticism that pervaded high society. The problems stemmed from rumors that spoke of Rasputin’s divine gift of healing and prophesizing. Those supposed qualities made him immensely popular.”

Those very qualities later became questionable and it wasn’t long before he was seen as vulgar, beneath the very people who first were enthralled by Rasputin. That he was a character is partially due to myths, rumors and the mysteries surrounding his life, as well as his death. I’ve always had an interest in the doomed Romanov family and the man that they welcomed into their bosom. A wandering msytic, self-proclaimed holy man, healer, or was he a dirty, ignorant peasant not fit to lick the boots of high society? It depends on which books you read, whose stories you believe. Here, Margarita Nelipa skips speculation and studies sold evidence. From his humble beginnings to befriending Emperor Nicholas II and his family, the murder of Rasputin and the ever changing tumult history and revolution that followed, this book explores it all. Who wanted Rasputin dead? Who didn’t?

How fast his fall, media campaigns against him, exposing him as a charlatan, questioning his belief in natural remedies. Of course Rasputin was a part of a political storm, simply being a part of high society during a hot time in Russia’s history. With lies circling about Rasputin’s sexual ‘exploits’ as noted in this book, the Empress too was smeared. Gossip, however whispered, can be the downfall of many. The truth was that the young Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich was better when Rasputin was near, and what mother, desperate to keep her child healthy and of this earth wouldn’t have faith in his presence?

Taking fabrications and using common sense and logic to find truth, much of what was said to damage Rasputin were impossibilities, simply for his station in life. Unfortunately Rasputin wasn’t one to challenge the falsities written about him, being a holy man. Maybe he wasn’t all the amazing, colorful, wild things he has been accused or praised (depending who you ask) of being, but he has held our fascination for over a century.

Which version is to be believed of his murder? Who masterminded the crime? What brought these conspirators together? Was Rasputin lured to his death, believing he was meeting with Nikolai II’s niece? With accounts, eye witnesses, Nelipa finds the holes and shares them with the reader. What did the British have to do with anything? Did they really believe Rasputin was an ‘evil influence’ on Russia and it’s people? As stated in the book, “Once the Russians eliminated Rasputin, they allegedly steered back onto the correct (British) course and continued fighting the war.” Who murdered him is known, but what were the triggers?

The people were turning on the emperor, as were the aristocrats, feeling the rupture between the dynasty and the Russian people could be laid at Rasputin’s peasant feet. They believed it was Rasputin that was guiding them, and he had to go. All of this is well known, but not everyone is aware of why Alexandra Fyodorovna was vastly different from other aristocrats. Already there were criticisms aimed at her, for enjoying her motherly duties, more consumed by love for her children than the social scene, surely her bond with Rasputin fed the fire. The sad diary entries shared throughout this book are nothing short of heartbreaking.

Rasputin was an outsider, many felt he weaseled his way in, bending the ear of the family in ways others of higher station never could. That in itself is enough to feed hate. It’s a fantastic gathering of material that sheds light on the life and death of Rasputin, and the influence he had on history. Sorting through the murky depths of lies and truth, it is an eye opening read. Certainly the fiction of Rasputin was far more interesting than the reality, but you cannot dispute facts. I always believed him to be a monk, a mystic, a psychic- I have heard everything, but this book lays much of it to rest. He wasn’t the depraved sex craved monster some have painted him, he was despised by the wealthy, the prominent and who can fight the powers that be when they so chose to turn on you? No one then and likely no one now. Time is a funny thing, truth has a way of crawling out of the dark tunnels of the past but not without the attention, blood, sweat and tears of writers like Margarita Nelipa. I am not an expert on Russian history but this book has changed the things I thought I knew about Rasputin.

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