by
In 1915, Simon Temple, a young naval officer from northeast England finds himself aboard RMS Guardian, patrolling the North Sea as part of the Germany blockade. By midyear, he's in St. Petersburg, Russia on a private assignment for King George. The three-month task turns into three years, embroiling him in the intrigues of two royal families, Russian politics and British espionage. As the Russian revolution consumes the country, Simon’s cover is threatened, and his safety compromised. He must escape the chaos before he's captured, but his scheme becomes complicated when two others unexpectedly join him in a hasty departure.
High seas adventures. Russian vistas. Royal intrigue. Political exposé. The stuff of which spies are made. Tsarina’s Crown is a fast-paced, historical drama that leads the reader from World War I at sea to the desperation of the Russian revolution. Full of action and intrigue. And just a little romance.
A few days before Christmas, Simon surveyed the horizon from the bridge.
“Sublieutenant Temple,” the Officer of the Watch said, “a word please?”
Simon set the binoculars on a console and followed the Officer of the Watch, Commander Alexander Douglas, into the communications room. “How may I help, sir?” he said.
“Seaman Smythe has intercepted a coded message,” Douglas replied, his Scottish burr sounding thicker as if to emphasize his concern. “It appears to be in German, and I’m wondering whether it makes any sense to you.” He gestured, and Smythe handed a sheet of paper to Simon. “Captain Hartford mentioned a while back that you’re a linguist.”
Simon nodded and read the note. He toyed with his neatly trimmed, russet beard as he contemplated and reread the words for certainty, then returned the page to the signalman.
READ MORE“It appears to be a communication between two friends,” Simon said. “One on a submarine, the other on land.” Simon considered the message further. “I suspect that, if either commanding officer were aware of the communiqué, the two men would be locked up for breach of protocol, possibly more.”
He chuckled, then sobered in response to the commander’s scowl.
“One is lamenting about enduring the holiday on a balmy beach with polar bears and a bunch of drunk submariners, while the other is dreaming of a Tannenbaum—a Christmas tree—and a pretty face, his sweetheart no doubt, even though he’s locked in a sardine can.”
COLLAPSEon Chanticleer Book Reviews:"Jerena Tobiasen delivers a sharp, first-rate novel in Tsarina’s Crown, first installment in The Nightingale and Sparrow Chronicles, capturing a precise panorama of Russian politics and British espionage during a delicate period in time."
"Tobiasen's lucid writing and adept storytelling capture the culture and intricate details during one of the biggest social and political upheavals of the twentieth century. She takes us behind palace walls of both Britain and Russia, offering readers a globetrotting experience as we glimpse into the intrigues of the aristocracy amid controversy and fiery protests."
