Comrade Valentine: The True Story of Azef the Spy-The Most Dangerous Man in Russia at the Time of the Last Czars

This book makes Azef comprehensible both as a political figure & as a human being. The author has created a singularly compelling & evocative portrait of a man, a way of thinking, & an endlessly fascinating place & time. To friends & followers, Azef was a rock: powerful, steadfast, & impenetrable. They speak of his quiet authority, his master of detail, his patience, determination, & concern for their welfare. But others declare him a repulsive personality. Their Azef is a cold & menacing figure feared for his cruel tongue & distrusted for his inscrutability -- a man in whom some essential human characteristic seemed always to be missing.