Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

It was a nice enough story, and I did get through the whole book in one day. I just didn't really connect with the story or characters. I'm actually unsure of the plot. Although it wasn't a match for me, it might be for you, so why not read a sample.

This was an intriguing read and the plot twists and turns had my head spinning. I would tell everyone to pick up this book!1

When Ruth Miller returns a dropped scarf to Elena Shilkov, she is whisked from a dreary shared house to a world of unimagined luxury.

The super-rich Russian wants a new personal assistant and won't take no for an answer.

Ruth gets accommodation, a credit card, and a complete wardrobe makeover.

And she's good at the job; distributing gifts, attending galas, dealing with the high-society movers and shakers fighting for Elena's attention.

Then the sinister truth begins to reveal itself, that nothing is quite what it seems in Elena's dangerous, deceptive world.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Exciting, topical and accurate, this was an excellent thriller concerning the murky lifestyle and excesses of Russian oligarchs.

The leading characters were well drawn and credible and Ruth in particular is intriguing and copes brilliantly with everything that is thrown at her.

I read this in a couple of sittings and throughly enjoyed it.

Not my normal genre and I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this story but whilst I found it a little long-winded in places, I did enjoy it and it kept my interest to the end - and i found it to be a satisfactory ending.

This is an excellent book, full of pace and action that gripped me from the beginning.

The reader meets Ruth when she survives a terrorist attack in a London’s café. Ruth is deemed a heroine: she picked up a grenade and threw it in the opposite direction and saved the lives of others, as well as her own.

One of the cafe’s guests was Elena Shilkov, a Russian oligarch, and her daughters. Elena tracks Ruth down and offers her a job, a place to stay, a new wardrobe and a credit card. For Ruth, a young woman brought up in the care system, it seems an opportunity of a lifetime. It would be silly to refuse.

Soon, Ruth finds herself living in Elena’s home and working for her. She seems to enjoy her new post and she proves to be an efficient and trustworthy worker. Elena and her family seem to like Ruth too.

Ruth seems dazzled by all the glamour and glitz of a rich lifestyle, something that she has never experienced. However, she soon discovers that things are not quite right in Elena’s household.

It also appears that Ruth has few secrets that she didn’t share with her new employer… If Elena finds out, then Ruth will be in deep trouble. Can Ruth get out before it’s too late?

That’s all I am willing to say about this book. I’ve read it in a space of two days, I felt that I had to finish it. Ruth and Elena were such strong female leads. I loved Ruth as a character: she was damaged, didn’t trust anyone, but at the same time she was fearless and wanted to make a better life for herself. Surprisingly, I quite liked Elena too: she was outspoken and thought that money could get her anywhere.

4.5 rounded up.

Why is the sight of a blonde woman with her two girls looking in a jewellers window something which attracts Ruth Millers attention? The blonde drops are very expensive scarf, Ruth returns it and three months later she finds herself whisked away from her dreary flat share into a well-paid job as a personal assistant. Who is the blonde you may well ask? Well, she’s a Russian Elena Shilkov, a philanthropist and wife of Yuri Shilkov, accountant and adviser to oligarchs. Ruth has a makeover including a designer wardrobe, a good salary, accommodation under credit card. Too good to be true? Well, this is a thriller and a darn good one at that and so of course it is!

You are engaged in the clever, contemporary novel right from the jawdropping start. The characterisation is excellent, Elena is a tour de force but she’s met her match in Ruth who is no pushover, in fact she has all the smarts. Despite this being an intense and exciting thriller there are moments of humour especially in the dialogue between the two women. The fast paced plot is clever and very believable and it’s written so visually it’s like watching a movie! As the title suggests there are multiple layers to this but what little doll lies at the centre of this as you unwrap the layers? Naturally that would be a spoiler! We have enigmatic characters with pasts, the mystery of the Orlov‘s and their empire and the dynamics between the family, we have politics, conspiracies, dilemmas and the security services – every component and more of a gripping novel. It’s got tension, suspense and multiple twists and turns to keep you hooked. The ending is good but could maybe have been a bit more kapow.

Overall, I love this one and genuinely couldn’t put it down.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review

This fast paced conspiracy thriller has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster ride, and will certainly keep you on the edge of your seat. The ending is too neat and in dissonance with the darkness and brutality of the rest of the story, but overall a decent read.

You know the old adage, “If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is”? Well look no further than The Russian Doll, if you want proof of it!

Russian oligarchs are business oligarchs of the former Soviet republics who rapidly accumulated wealth during the era of Russian privatization in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

This then is the backdrop for The Russian Doll. When Ruth is caught up in the bombing of a London cafe, she bravely intercepts a grenade that was heading towards two little girls, and effectively saves their lives. Their mother Elena Shilkov just happens to be a Russian Oligarch. Ruth was only there to return a scarf that Elena had dropped, and within a few weeks has been offered a job with the Russian and her family, a job that that made Ruth gulp in disbelief. The fantastic salary, the designer clothes, attending functions that money couldn’t buy. Can it be true? And what exactly will she have to do in return for this life of unbelievable luxury?

Well Ruth is about to find out. She can’t believe her luck - until the truth begins to reveal itself.

This one drew me in immediately, and thereafter, as it quickly revealed the dark side of the Russian elite, with lots of twists and unbearable tension at times. A riveting read that, (had the ending been stronger), would have been a 5 star rating for me. Terrific, all the same!

The ridiculously versatile Imogen Robertson has done it again. I zoomed through her smart and twisty thriller, The Russian Doll. Layer upon layer of intrigue and deception in the shadowy world of the Secret Services and the ultra-rich.

Rating: 3.0/5

Although this is the first novel that has appeared under the name of Marina Palmer, it is actually a pseudonym for Imogen Robertson, who has written a number of books in the historical fiction genre as well as collaborating with other writers on co-writing projects. Having recently completed a political thriller with former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson, she has now penned her first solo foray into the world of contemporary thriller fiction with "The Russian Doll". There was much that I admired and enjoyed about this book, but by the end I also felt slightly frustrated and disappointed that it hadn't lived up to its potential.

The novel opens very strongly and impressively with the author succeeding in creating a real sense of confusion around an incident that takes place - blurring events of the immediate past and the present. This opening is both disconcerting and intriguing. It grabbed my attention and drew me in immediately. The premise, too, was an interesting one and it is easy to understand why comparisons have been drawn between this and the television series, "McMafia". At times "The Russian Doll" also felt more like a screenplay than a novel.

The characterisation is generally pleasing. For the most part, I enjoyed the strength and charisma of the two lead female characters, Ruth and Elena. That said, I was much less taken with the rather sickly and unnecessary romance element that kept popping into the narrative, which I felt undermined Ruth's character and the story as a whole.

Sadly, in spite of all the aforementioned positive aspects, the quality did become somewhat patchy as the storyline progressed. Considering how impressively the novel had opened, the narrative, style and plot did subsequently become a bit ropey at times. There were sections that seemed inappropriately simplistic or rushed, and the plot developments came across as being excessively convenient or relying on leaps of faith.

On the whole, "The Russian Doll" is still an enjoyable and entertaining read, but it could have been so much better if the quality that was evident in the earlier sections had been maintained throughout.

I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Books.

This was such an interesting book to read. Full of twists and turns!

It’s focused on the world of Russian crime families and the lives they live. Ruth, being dropped into all this, doesn’t know the whole truth about what’s happening behind closed doors. I loved the story development where Ruth realises just what she’s got herself into and deciding what to do about it.

I definitely would not have done what Ruth did and agreed to the job!

Marina Palmer drops the reader into the murky world of Russian oligarchs living in London, giving us a glimpse into the machinery of political manipulation and their world of super wealth. 23 year old Ruth Miller is from a deprived and rough background, supported by foster parents in Middlesbrough, a northern girl who finds herself working as a temporary administrative assistant in London. She is lonely, exploring the city, when she finds herself inadvertently injured in a West End cafe terrorist incident, saving the life of Elena Shilkov and her 2 daughters. Several weeks later Elena makes Ruth an offer she can't refuse, working as her social and charitable PA, living in the Shilkovs well protected luxurious home in South Kensington, paid an extraordinary salary, with a new designer wardrobe and a credit card.

To Ruth's surprise, she turns out to be remarkably good at her job, her blend of street smarts and good memory hold her in good stead in the face of her naivety at the eyeopening heart of the world of extreme privilege and power that opens up. She develops a close relationship with Elena, the two of them intuitively recognise in the other the tough background each has experienced, and it is not long before Elena begins to view Ruth as her protege to be tutored in the world of business, whilst Ruth sees at first hand the corruption at the heart of the British government. However, Ruth is unaware of the dangerous realities of working for Russian oligarchs as she answers Elena's emails, dispenses largesse to the needy, organises conferences at exclusive hotels, researching and providing appropriate rewards for the 'Sir Tobys' of the British establishment for political favours.

Ruth finds herself in deadly danger, surrounded by disappearances, murders, extortion, blackmail, troll farms and fake news, and the presence of the intelligence services that begins to encroach on her life, leaving her feeling trapped, living in fear and terror. As she tries to find the truth of what is going on, Ruth is a woman with her own secrets, she doesn't know who she can trust, she is on her own, will she be able to survive against all the odds? This is a dark and intense exciting thriller that resonates with our contemporary realities. It makes for utterly riveting and compulsive reading, packed with suspense and tension, and with numerous twists and turns. I think this will appeal to many crime, mystery and thriller readers. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

this was such an interetsing book to read, that had a such a compelling story along with mystery, suspense ad twists that were unpredictable. I was totally gripped

Definitely a five star read for me! The story illustrates how murky the lives of the uber rich can be and just how easy it is to be bought! Fabulous characters playing out an engaging storyline.

What an absolutely fascinating book with brilliant twists! I had never read anything about Russia's influence in London before, but it was so well researched and really gave me an insight into the crazy and dangerous lives of the uber-rich.
We meet the protagonist, Ruth, who saves a woman and her daughters from an attach in a London cafe, and from there we are taken on a brilliant journey with Ruth as she is drawn deeper and deeper into a completely different world filled with crime.
This is the very definition of a page turner which I really couldn't put down, I just had to know what happens next! I would really recommend this to any thriller fan.

It is no small feat working for a family of Russian oligarchs, no matter how enticing their lifestyle may appear at first sight… That is the hard learned lesson by the protagonist who takes the reader onto a crazy journey, into the lives of the fabulously and dangerously rich. Loved this book!

A fine contemporary thriller with some nice twists and turns.

First off, although Marina Palmer may be a new name to readers, her alter-ego Imogen Robertson will be well-known to readers of historical fiction books. So, this new venture into contemporary thrillers intrigued me.

When office worker Ruth Miller inadvertently saves the lives of a woman and her children during a terrorist attack on a London café, she has no idea what changes are about to take place in her life. Within weeks the woman has offered her a job as her PA, and she is swept up into the privileged life of Russian oligarchs, society events and cash-for-favours.

It's not long before Ruth begins to suspect there are darker things going on in the lives of her boss and her family, and soon she is involved in shady deals and suspect relationships. The story moves along at a fair pace, with twists, mysteries and revelations all served up in a timely fashion. There are some nicely observed scenes involving the rich and famous, the privileged and the not-so-privileged, and the world that is light years away from normal.

I enjoyed the book, and the characters are well rounded enough for me to love / hate / despise them as appropriate. And there's a nice sense of claustrophobia that's builds up as Ruth realises just what she's gotten herself into.

Definitely recommended for thriller and conspiracy fans everywhere.

This is a real page turner and I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. Ruth is hired by a rich woman, Elena, offered five grand a month to work for her as a PA, after Ruth saves her and her daughters from a grenade by throwing it across the cafe, where it is about to go off. She initially tries to think about it, but when she sees her room. so luxurious compared to her room at home, and her new office, that and the salary and the new clothes she is promised all persuade her to accept the offer. Then she is drawn deeper and deeper into a world of crime, like murder, but who is to blame? The reader will have to read the book to find out, The story has a lot of twists and turns, but I will not spoil it by saying any more. Highly recommended.