(The Product Information states that this book has 320 pages. This is incorrect: it is shorter, 226 pages including both appendices.)
The book's title is very misleading: the title refers to a sensational theory floated towards the end of the book, but it is not this book's chief theme. The theory of the supposed "role of the Secret Service" in Rasputin's murder occupies relatively few pages.
The chief theme of the book is the Author's evaluation of the existing eye-witness accounts of the murder of Rasputin in 1916, notably the famous account by Prince Yussupov. The Author explains that these reports are full of inaccuracies, and possible inventions, and he offers his own estimation of what actually took place.
This evaluation of the eye-witness accounts is done in relentless technical detail: it occupies most of the first 180 pages of a 226-page book. In this assessment there are repeated references on almost every page to shots, shouts, entrances, doors, gates, guns, cakes, cars, poison, stairs, landings and courtyards, which can get a bit confusing for the reader.
The Publishers state that this book has "proof" of the involvement of the British Secret Services in the assassination of Rasputin. This is nonsense, the kind of evidence presented here does not support proof ! The Author tries to establish a connection between the murder and the B.S.S., and offers some possible leads, the principal one being a 95 year-old photograph of the bullet-wound in Rasputin's head. This evidence is made to stretch a very long way.
The wound appears to have been made by a bullet of .455 calibre, which happens to be the size of bullet used in a British Webley revolver, a gun sometimes employed by the Secret Service. The Author's theory is built around this possible but very tenuous link.
No expert has ever said that this wound, shown in the photograph, could ONLY have been caused by a Webley and no other gun. And even if it HAD been caused by a Webley, the wound is not "proof of the involvement of the British Secret Service", such a gun could easily have been used by someone unconnected to the B.S.S.
This book certainly does not present "proof" in this question: it is nothing more than an unlikely theoretical possibility. But in revisionist history it is nearly impossible to prove a negative, that something DIDN'T happen. This opens the door to speculative books such as this one.
The Description also suggests that there was a sexual connection between murderer and Rasputin. This is complete conjecture. This idea is supported by no evidence in the book which isn't circumstantial (the theory is surprising from a former policeman).
The book includes the 1916 post-mortem photographs of the wounds in Rasputin's body, together with some (not very clear) photographs of the scenes of the crime; there are no photographs of the supposed perpetrators.
In their Description the Publishers have sensationalised aspects of this book. They have given a very misleading impression of what it is actually about. The book may be of interest to readers keen on the technical evaluation of eye-witness reports. But the sensational suggestions at the end of the book about the involvement of the British Secret Service remain merely suggestions, completely unprovable (and unlikely).
Of course the Publishers have a product to sell, but if they greatly exaggerate the contents of the books they publish they will lose the confidence of the reading public. This publisher has certainly lost mine.
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