The House of Special Purpose [Paperback]

Christopher Hyde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2004

November, 1941. A shocking artifact is rumored to exist from the days of the Bolshevik Revolution. On its trail: news photographer Jane Todd, Scotland Yard Inspector Morris Black, a Nazi assassin, a mysterious countess, and the lethal head of NKVD operations in America. Because what it reveals could change the course of history...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Taking a page from Dan Brown, Hyde (The Second Assassin, etc.) stuffs his new thriller with tons of historical data, introduces a lost artifact of enormous importance and shifts point of view often to keep the cliffhangers coming. Although the format is familiar, it is very well done. In this case, the grail is a lost piece of film that supposedly shows the brutal execution of the family of Tsar Nicholas II in 1918. The action takes place in 1941, as the world teeters on the brink of a second devastating world war. Photographer Jane Todd and Scotland Yard alum Morris Black are tapped by spy boss Ian Fleming (in his pre-novelist days) to investigate the existence of the film. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that much more is at stake than a mere historical curio—the film, if it's valid, would prove that the bloodline of Nicholas ended on that fateful night, and his vast fortune sitting in bank accounts around the world would default to its possessors. The plot grows bewilderingly complex, and the cast of characters mushrooms. Readers looking for faster, leaner thriller fare will find themselves backtracking or just plain giving up, but the book's intended audience will delight in Hyde's rich period detail, wealth of historical research and labyrinthine story line.
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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451411080
• ISBN-13: 978-0451411082
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre For Hyde, February 11, 2005

By 

J. Wesemann "The Best Knee Boarder In The World" (Poplar Bluff, Mo. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The House of Special Purpose (Paperback)

I fell in love with Hyde's 3 previous historical thrillers, 2nd Assassin, Wisdom of the Bones, and The Gathering of Saints. House of Special Purpose however was below average. It started out good, but just did not have the thrilling narrative that the previous 3 thrillers possessed. What they had in spades this one has barely enough. It was interesting however, as Hyde's historical thrillers are, the conspiratorial pose set amongst real historical figures and events lends these books a great tangible feel. The JFK assassination, and the Battle of Britain. This Hyde thriller just didn't quite pull it off. I enjoyed it and finished, but just didn't love it, I guess it had big shoes to fill.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good But Not Up To Par For Hyde!, September 13, 2004

By 

bobbewig (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The House of Special Purpose (Paperback)

The House Of Special Purpose by Christopher Hyde is an entertaining historical thriller but it is not as good as some of this author's previous works (eg., Wisdom Of The Bones, The Second Assassin, A Gathering Of Saints, etc.). The plot involves the search by various international spies (Russia, Germany, England and the U.S.) for a film rumored to exist from the bloody days of the Bolshevik Revolution. This film could have a major impact on the balance of power in the war that is sure to involve the U.S. In typical Hyde fashion, his story is filled with real events, historical figures and true-to-life atmosphere that allowed this reader's interest to be held throughout the book. However, The House Of Special Purpose does not provide the level of sustained suspense that I found to exist in Hyde's other books. To me, Hyde made the book longer than it needed to be to be truly suspenseful in order for him to incorporate as many of the research findings as possible he uncovered about the people and events surrounding this period. It's not that these historical facts aren't interesting. They are, but at the same time they tended to detract from the excitement of the plot. As a consequence, while this book started off as if it would warrant a rating between 4-5 stars, by the time I finished it, I felt it did not deserve more than a 3 (possibly 3 1/2) star rating. Overall, The House Of Special Purpose is a good book and one that you'll probably enjoy if you like historical thrillers. It just does not live up to the high expectations I've come to expect from this author.

5.0 out of 5 stars The secret film, March 24, 2009

By 

Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The House of Special Purpose (Paperback)

Anyone reasonably interested in early 20th century Russian history will immediately recognize the significance of this title. It is the name given to the house where Nicholas II and his family were killed in 1917 on Lenin's order. The plot of this extremely well-written bok posits that a motion picture film of the killing was made at the time, and then spirited out of Russia and eventually given to Trotsky during his exile in Mexico.

In late 1941 the film seems to have reappeared and the agencies of many governments, the U.S., Great Britain, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union all want possession of this film, each for their own particular purposes. The protagonist from Mr. hyde's earlier book "a Gathering of Saints", Morris Black, is once again thrust into the middle of a very confusing situation.

Once again, a young Ian Fleming is involved in the action, and there is another beautiful American woman who is teamed with Black in the search for the film. There are many actual historical characters in this book, along with the fictional ones, and the action is fast and furious.

The climax comes in Hawaii during the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor, which really makes for exciting reading. This is a page turner, and will probably keep you up much later at night to continue to read than you had originally planned.