Preface ix
Acknowledgments xv
Cast of Principal Characters, Places, and Terms xix
Prologue 1
1. The Outsider 3
2. Seeker and Teacher 15
3. Nicholas and Alexandra: Waiting for a Friend 31
4. The New Rasputin 39
5. The Church Strikes Back 49
6. The Romanovs' Holy Fool 57
7. The Captain's Mysterious Report 67
8. Black Boars Become Bishops 77
9. "You Are Our All" 87
10. "God Has Heard Your Prayers!" 97
11. Spiritual Crisis 107
12. The Woman with the Missing Nose 117
13. Disaster Lurks in Moscow 131
14. The Tsar Takes Charge and Loses Control 143
15. Rasputin Conquers the Russian State 155
16. The Church at the Feet of a "Low Hound" 167
17. "Our Friend's Ideas about Men Are Sometimes Queer" 177
18. Shadows Come at Twilight 185
19. The Assassin 197
20. Murder at the Palace 207
21. The Aftermath 215
22. Who Really Killed Rasputin? 225
Epilogue 233
Notes 241
Bibliography 263
Photo Credits 271
Index 273