The Secret Daughter of the Tsar
Debut novelist Laam seamlessly interweaves the stories of three different women from three different times and places into a cross-century thriller. Veronica, a stymied PhD candidate in present-day Los Angeles, desperate to dig up some new information on the Romanov dynasty, falls under the spell of an enigmatic man of mystery, who just may have blood ties to Nicholas and Alexandra. Lena, a trusted servant in the Russian imperial court on the eve of the Russian Revolution, is entrusted by Czarina Alexandra with an explosive, history-altering secret. Charlotte, a former ballerina who unwittingly holds the key to the Romanov legacy, fights for survival in Nazi-occupied Paris. Romance and intrigue abound as each woman struggles with the burdens of history. Laam does a nice job of pacing as she fits the puzzle pieces together before the satisfying big reveal. --Margaret Flanagan