THE STORY:

Rivka Ganuke, barely surviving her birth, was thrust into a conflicted world at the onset of the 20th century, a world of want, poverty and danger, a misogynistic world which had forever deprived women of equality. She rebelled at the obligation to fulfill age-old roles steeped in superstition and was denied the right to continue her education despite her brilliant mind.

Surviving a rape attempt and a vicious pogrom, she escaped her village and traveled alone, seeking refuge in the home of her successful uncle. She soon became aware of his repressed passions and a secret, double life. This led to her unwilling inclusion and the start of a journey which would change the course of history. Eventually won over to her uncle's cause, she fell in love with its leader.

Steeped in spy-craft, she undertook a danger filled journey which required every ounce of her courage and intellect. She "graduates" to become a spy in the palace of the Tsar of Russia, where she is befriended by the princess Anastasia and is relentlessly pursued and abused by the monk, Rasputin. Trusted by the royal family, she is forced to become a witness to, and a participant in, their execution and burial.

The tale concludes in modern times with post Soviet Russia's effort prove the deaths of the royal family to offset the renewed devotion to the royals by the Russian Orthodox church. Rivka is the only remaining survivor among those who know the truth. Part biography, part researched, historical fiction, this novel has been judged a great read by a variety of professional editors.