As someone fascinated by Romanov history, I was eager to dive into In Search of the Romanovs. While I did enjoy the author’s detailed exploration of the events leading up to the 1917 revolution, I found myself a bit disappointed overall. The book didn’t uncover much new information, which left me wanting more when it came to digging into the mysteries surrounding this historical dynasty. That said, the topic remains endlessly intriguing, and I don’t regret reading it. It’s a decent overview for those new to the subject but might fall short for seasoned history buffs.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.

So informative! I never knew this stuff.

I've always been faistnicated by the Romanovs thinks in part to the movie Anastasia. Imagine my surprise when I learned that that's not what happened. But this book tells the story of two families the Romanovs and the family that tried first to same them and then were determined to find out what become of them.

An interesting book- part history, part family memoir- about one man and his family's connection to the last imperial family of Russia. I especially liked the story of his family's escape from Russia. Books about the Revolution typically focus on the Romanovs, but we see a family with no royal blood, in fear of their lives, attempting to flee. Will be interesting to anyone who is interested in the Russian Revolution, without needing much background or context.

In Search of the Romanovs is a compelling nonfiction exploration of one of history’s most enduring mysteries—the fate of Russia’s last royal family. Combining historical analysis with cutting-edge forensic science, Sarandinaki embarks on a personal journey to uncover the truth behind the murder of Tsar Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, and their children.

Sarandinaki skillfully weaves together historical records, scientific investigation, and his own family’s involvement in the search for the Romanovs’ remains. The book’s detailed account of the use of DNA technology to identify the remains offers new insights into a century-old mystery.

In Search of the Romanovs is a must-read for anyone interested in Russian history, royal intrigue, and the intersection of personal and historical quests. Sarandinaki’s dedication to uncovering the truth makes this book a standout in historical nonfiction.

Peter Sarandinaki turns his family’s personal history into an intriguing story spanning decades, continents, and scientific discoveries.

In this non-fiction account, Peter tells the story of his grandmother Anna’s childhood among the Russian nobility, then flight from the Bolsheviks.

Along the way, she met military men who had been among the first to investigate the deaths of the Romanovs. She spoke of a box containing a finger and a bit of cloth—relics from a time and a society that was lost forever.

But Peter weaves his family history together with observations about the Russian revolution, the effects of the Cold War, his own career as a naval officer, and the advancements of DNA technology to identify human remains.

Peter, as an American who speaks fluent Russian, played a unique and pivotal role in the search for the Romanovs.

This book was interesting; I appreciated his insights and the unique connection between his family and the Romanovs.

Check out this book if you’re fascinated by the Romanovs, Russian history, or the science of DNA.

Thanks to @netgalley and @univnebpressfor the eARC

I didn't know much about the Romanovs, I will admit; however, after reading this book I feel like not only did I go into a really well crafted story, but also learned a lot about such a prominent family. This book was a captivating and meticulously crafted historical detective story that blends personal family history with the broader narrative of one of the most tragic and enigmatic episodes in Russian history—the murder of the Romanov family.

Sarandinaki's writing is both engaging and informative, as he skillfully weaves together the disparate threads of historical records, forensic science, and family diaries. The book is particularly compelling in its exploration of how modern science, particularly DNA analysis, has helped to finally piece together the puzzle of what happened to the Romanovs.

"In Search of the Romanovs" is a must-read for anyone interested in Russian history, the Romanov family, or historical mysteries in general.

Thank you to NetGalley and Potomac Books for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a truly fascinating book. I have, over the years, read quite a bit about the family and had a fairly good frame of reference for the back story prior to reading . . . but this book had tons of valuable information, quite a bit of it information I had never seen. A compelling and tragic story, a page turner that was also very informative (and, in my opinion, important, as well). I was quite impressed and look forward to Mr. Sarandinaki's future work. 5 Stars !!

I really enjoyed this book, which had the potential to be dry and boring, but was anything but that. I had heard a little about the Romanov's but wasn't very familiar, prior to requesting this book. The way the author paces the book, and intersperses research with his family stories, kept the pace flowing and retained my interest. A fascinating but lesser known part of history.

I wanted to read this one, but I am unable to download the book because it is unfortunately archived.

Interesting case. Book kept me reading. Not really new i formation but still interesting. Having it written from a detective POV and as a fiction made it more of a story.

Absolutely loved this. A deep dive into what happened to the Romanvos before during and after their assassination told by an author with ties to the event. This one is compelling and ultimately sad - one wishes the outcome in history was different

I’ve always found the story of the Romanov family intriguing, so I was immediately all in on IN SEARCH OF THE ROMANOVS by Peter Sarandinaki. As a fan of historical true crime explorations, this was right up my alley, and did not disappoint.

The historical aspects of the book are enriched by Sarandinaki’s connection to it through his grandmother, Anna. I was drawn in by her childhood memories of fleeing her home (and eventually Russia) with her family, and the extreme danger they faced.

It’s easy to understand why the author felt compelled to pursue the search for the Romanovs and discover what really happened to the family. Weaving together the historical details and modern forensic science, Sarandinaki details the work that has gone into solving the mystery of what happened to the Romanovs, and brings their story closer to resolution in an engaging way. I look forward to reading more when the final pieces of the puzzle come together.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a very in-depth and researched book about what happened to the Romanovs. It also intertwined the author’s family history as well. The mystery of what happened to the Romanovs has finally been solved.

Thanks to NetGalley and University of Nebraska Press for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 7/1/2024. Practically everyone has heard the tragic story of Russia's final Imperial family, the Romanovs. The lies and the mangled murders and the slapdash burials and the decades-long cover-ups and rumors. That is only half of this book and, while it is a very impressive half, the half that lands best is actually the first part - the story of author Peter Sarandinaki's family and their connection to the murders, culminating in his deep desire to find the truth. You see, in one of those twists of real life being stranger than fiction, his grandmother Anna's grew up as one of the favored landed gentry, daughter to a great military officer who rose to the fight as part of the White Army during the revolution. More to the point, he was close friends with Nikolai Sokolov, the first formal investigator into the deaths of the Imperial family. Sarandinaki grew up listening to stories from his grandmother about her family's fight and flight in those turbulent years. He was especially taken with the stories about the box which Sokolov kept beneath Anna's bunk on the ship which brought them all to the Western hemisphere at last. The box containing precious documents and a scrap of graffitied wallpaper and some buttons and hooks and a finger - evidence of the violent murders at Ipatiev House.

So the book is a clear two parter with the first part being the very personal family history and reasoning behind Sarandinaki's connection to the Romanov murders and the second part being the long, winding road to the historical facts of the revolution, the murders, and the discoveries of the bodies. While quite a bit of the second half was well-known to me (true crime buff and Dr Maples' book is one of my favorite non-fiction reads), there were additional details and a sort of deep passion behind the story that is lacking in a lot of Romanov books. Sarandinaki cares and cares deeply. One could say he is even obsessed with the topic and, at times, I winced in sympathy for his wife as he devoted endless hours and energy toward making the right contacts, pushing the right buttons, going on the trips. But shouldn't we all care about truth? More to the point, you never felt like he was doing this for fame and glory. He honestly seems upset and worried over the idea of the family members never having a sanctified burial and recognition. There is an underlying fear, too, of how we can quickly mess things up if we don't trust science and follow due diligence, how lives can be ruined. The finding of the final two children was utterly new information to me and I found it just as affecting as he did. Just as I found myself sharing his outrage at loud dissenting skeptics denying all of the proof just to be contrary. I hope he continues to push. I also hope that he or another team can finally find two other victims of the revolution, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich (the man who never wanted to be an aristocrat!) and his secretary Nicholas Johnson.

Overall, it is a very thickly packed read between dates and names and places but it was a refreshing take with a more personal look at the Romanovs and how truth was pursued over the years. Thank heavens for hard work and dedicated people and scientific diligence.

It's a beautiful story about a personal connection to the uncovering of the Romanovs' bodies that spans the ages, and the journey to confirm those bodies. As someone fascinated by the Russian revolution, and the downfall of the Russian monarchy, I find this book riveting and hard to put down because it pieced together the parts that other stories didn't really express or touch upon, so I learned more from reading this book than any other Romanov book before. 5/5, highly recommend.

This book gave a unique look into one of the greatest mysteries of Russian history, because the author is a Russian himself, whose relatives were closely acquainted with the Romanovs. The story explores not only the immediate family of Tsar Nicholas II, but also gives Russian history extending back to the late 15o0s. Details of the Romanovs' imprisonment and murder are given, as well as the abdication and murder of Nicholas' younger brother, Mikhail Romanov. I learned about the difference between Bolsheviks and those loyal to the tsar(the White and Red Armies). The author is a reader, and references several books about the Romanovs for further study.
The only thing I didn't love about the book was one sentence in which the author makes a reference to his sub conscience. This seemed like an anti Christian phycological statement, but again, this was my only complaint.
Very informative account of the search for the Romanov corpses that started in the 1920s and ended in the early 2000s. Highly recommend.
Thank you to Net Galley for giving me this book in advance.

In Search of the Romanovs is a biographical memoir of one families pursuit to find the truth of what happened to the famed Romanov family.

The story follows Anna from Childhood to adulthood, as she leaves behind her home to flee from the Russian Revolution.

In a unique way of combining historical events with forensics, diaries, and recollections of his family’s history, Peter Sarandinaki uncovers this incredible mystery.

I will admit, while I’ve always been intrigued in the Romanov family and the mystery behind their story, I was not super knowledgeable about the factual history.

This was a fascinating tale about one family’s legacy to find out the truth.
The beginning, where we are learning about Anna, her history, and the connection to how her family would help solve the case was a little hard to follow. However, I do not think that was any fault of the author. I believe it was from my own lack of understanding on the matter.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Potomac publishing, and Peter Sarandinaki for the arc!

In Search Of The Romanoffs, A families quest to solve one of history‘s most brutal crimes by Peter Sarandinaki is a great book that turns from a mystery to an autobiography to a biography to an investigation that all makes for one great read. When Zar Nikolai Alexander and his family were murdered they were all buried together but when the bodies were found two were missing his only son Alexi and one of his daughters either opal or Anastasia but what I didn’t know is there were also two other bodies missing, that of the grand Duke Mikal Alexander in his secretary and Long time friend an English man named Nikolai Johnson. The author is a relative of the family and when he talks about his grandmother Anna’s remembrances of Russia it shows you a whole new landscape besides the communist rigid unforgiving country most Americans have come to know. Instead we are treated to the beautiful landscape the museums the quaint little villages of her childhood and so much more, including her and her mother‘s bravery in there final escape from the country they love. We also get to learn things about the victims and we get to hear from the Murderers and last but not least Mr. Sarendiniki’s and many others long time quest to find the lost bodies. Since the day the victims were murdered people have been trying to make money off of their brutal murders in Mr. Sarendiniki spent almost as much trying to set things right. This is a great book and one I definitely recommend to any history fan it was so good I absolutely loved it and totally totally recommend it. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.#UniversityOfNebraskaPress, #NetGalley, #PeterSarandinaki, #InSearchOfTheRomanovs

Thank you Netgalley & Potomac Books Publishing for an eARC ♥️

I've always been fascinated by the Romanovs, and this book totally drew me in. Born in the Soviet Union, I'm super familiar with Russian history, and I've watched tons of documentaries about the Romanovs dynasty. But this book still managed to surprise me with its unique perspective and personal touch.

Peter Sarandinaki’’s family connection to the Romanovs makes the story feel personal and real
. I loved how he wove together history and mystery to create a narrative that's both informative and engaging. The author's got some valuable insights into Russia's complex past, and their passion for the subject shines through on every page.

Even with my background knowledge, I found myself learning new things and seeing the Romanovs in a new light. This book's a must-read if you're into the Romanovs, Russian history, or just a good story. It's a personal and powerful look at a pivotal moment in history that resonates deeply with me.♥️