Instructional, but disappointing
I had high hopes for this book, as the reviews present it as a nail-biting page turner. While it was educational, illuminating, and sporadically engaging, in general I found it to be overly detailed and quite slow. It was also very painful to read in such detail about the torture and humiliation of the royal family, and particularly of the young prince. I realize there is no way around historical truth, but reader be warned: there are many painful pages in this book. At times, it's like reading a book about the worst child abuse imaginable. I also became tired of the endless details that seemed to drag this book down. It would have been better if it had been edited more liberally.