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I am convinced I had already read this book and Goodreads was right-it's been 4 years. It's always nice to spend time with Inspector Pekkala.

Pekkala and Kirov, his assistant, are hot on the trail of a found painting , The Shepard, and who might have initially stolen it. There's a chemist specializing in nerve agents and his brother who's part of cult known as the Skoptsy. Throw in Rasputin, the Romanovs, and Stalin and you have a thrilling ride through history.

I usually don't like alternating time lines but this one works really well. You have to know how the painting ended up out of the hands of the Tsar and into a crypt in Germany. And I liked the back and forth aspect-learn a little past and then learn how Pekkala is going to move forward with his investigation.

Overall, I love this series and found that even though this was probably a reread, I really enjoyed the journey.