We know, in broad outlines anyway, the actual outcome of this episode - one of the early rumblings of the turmoil that ultimately became the Russian Revolution. And the narrative style in this book is not particularly dramatic, the flamboyant language being saved for the speeches of the protagonists themselves (which may well be accurate). Nevertheless, the book is as difficult to put down as a good novel. The tensions and uncertainties of all the parties are vividly described. The book appears to be thoroughly researched and is supported by extensive endnotes. The author's restraint in not attempting to 'imagine' the details of undocumented scenes ('we can be sure that...', 'certainly...', etc) means that the reader does not have to keep referring to the notes for substantiation, so the notes don't interrupt the flow of the story, but make an interesting read in themselves. Although Bascomb is apparently not a trained historian, his historical commentary, mostly saved for the end of the book, makes sense and does not over-reach. Overall highly recommended.