One Night in Winter (The Moscow Trilogy) - Historical Fiction Novel Set in Soviet Russia - Perfect for Book Clubs & Cold War History Enthusiasts

I am acquainted with Montefiore's extraordinary writing, historical research and the way he tells the Russian story. I have read his book "Stalin: The Court of the Red Czar" which was wonderful and gave me a very detailed look into Stalin's dark personality and heavy handed thirty-year rule. This book was very different - it was a narrative dealing with experiences of those who were at the top of Russian society and how quickly they could fall at one man's whim. It began tragically, as a stupid role-playing game went terribly wrong and became linked to a "conspiracy" to overthrow the great Bolshevik system (begun by Lenin and continued, in all it's terror, by Stalin.) How could such a game have such an disastrous outcome. Simply, because every action-every gesture could be misconstrued. Why? Because absolute dictatorial power based on terror always has the possibility of being challenged-questioned or destroyed. Every word-every action is judged, gossiped about and spread. The "enemy" (whoever that is) is everywhere.Have read numerous books on Russian history, "One Night in Winter" really gives an awesome (and terrifying) description of the secretive and paranoid atmosphere in which the Russian people lived (under the Czars as well as Lenin and Stalin.) We should not forget that Stalin did not initiate this atmosphere in Russia (for it already existed to some degree.) He just crafted it as his own to wield more and more power and terror over millions of his own people.Montefiore's narrative is wonderful and compelling. This tale of several very privileged families (and one family marked forever by the brand of "treason) who are thrown into the political, state-controlled meat-grinder that was Stalin's Russia. Many of his characters are captured both as individuals (with passion, hopes and dreams) but also ultimately as tragic chess pieces which only serve one purpose- THE GOOD OF THE STATE!!!!In the end "One Night In Winter" really did help to set the stage for the reader to understand the uncertainly and hopelessness of the Russian experience during these dark days. As a read each person's experience, I found myself thinking "What would I have done in that same situation?" I am not sure if I would have done anything differently. Sometimes people make choices in terrible situations and no choice is really a good one.Thanks Mr. Montefiore for a really interesting, well researched and well told novel!!!