Event Year: 1974

The Reincarnation of Angie

Hoods snatch a stockbroker, and his sister hires Rockford for $23.64, because Jim's in the yellow pages and her big brother instructed her not to dial the cops. Jim's protective of the naive 25 year old bookkeeper, despite the tiny fee, because he fears her brother is dead, and she can't accept that her only relative, who's always taken care of her, may be mixed up in a securities scam. … Continue readingThe Reincarnation of Angie

Absolute Beginners

Nicholas has now been tsar for nine years and refuses to share his absolute authority with a parliament urged by social reformers. Now married and in London, Lenin is founding his own more radical brand of Marxism and manoeuvres to divide the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party and its publication Iskra from his primary rival Julius Martov. He befriends Leon Trotsky, and despite ill health, at the Second R.S.D.L.P. Congress, Lenin moves to consolidate control. One by one, moderates and liberals are side-lined or expelled, leaving the party split into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. Meeting at the grave of Karl Marx, many former comrades bid him farewell. … Continue readingAbsolute Beginners

The Last Tsar

Tsar Alexander III doubts the ability of his son and heir-apparent, Nicholas, to inherit the Russian throne. The young tsarevich is similarly apprehensive. Despite his longstanding affair with St Petersburg ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska and the disapproval of his mother over his marriage choice, he is resolved to marry Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, seemingly the suitable match. Traveling to Germany, Nicholas II is supported in this by his relatives, including his cousin Kaiser Wilhelm and Alix’s grandmother, the ageing Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Meanwhile, the autocratic conservatism of the Imperial Government has resulted in discontent among factory workers, under the ægis of the revolutionary Vladimir Lenin. … Continue readingThe Last Tsar

Requiem for a Crown Prince

On 30 January 1889, tragedy strikes the House of Habsburg when liberal Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary and his young mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera are found dead at the hunting lodge at Mayerling in the Vienna Woods, 24 km southwest of the capital, in an apparent murder-suicide by Rudolf. In Vienna, and at Mayerling, imperial officials contrive to hide the events of the Mayerling incident to prevent a massive public scandal, misleading the emperor and the empress about the true nature of the deaths. Rudolph’s letters and the report by Professor Widerhoffer finally reveal the truth to the royal couple. The episode, narrated in hindsight, ends with news of the assassination of the Empress in 1898 in Geneva. … Continue readingRequiem for a Crown Prince

The Honest Broker

With Germany united under Prussia, Bismarck seeks a stabilizing alliance with the Austrians and Russians through the League of the Three Emperors. His plans extend to influencing the Kaiser’s grandson Wilhelm. In 1888, Wilhelm I and his successor Frederick III, both die (the Year of the Three Emperors). Kaiser Wilhelm II rapidly assumes the throne; Bismarck is forced to resign when his policies and political style clash with those of the young emperor. The ageing chancellor seeks support from Vicky, but she spurns him and blames his meddling for her estrangement from her son. … Continue readingThe Honest Broker

Pastoria Prime Pick

A farming hub has more business than it can handle, including giving Rockford the business. The PI's car breaks down near the boomtown, after a source Rockford contacts in a divorce case steers Rockford there. While his car is being worked on, Rockford is quickly entangled between an underage motel worker and her jealous cop boyfriend, and in a double-cross over a narcotics deal. Is it just another tricky day for unlucky Jim, or is bucolic New Pastoria a sunny sin city ? … Continue readingPastoria Prime Pick

The English Princess

In the hope of promoting a liberal and united Germany, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert arrange for their eldest daughter Victoria ‘Vicky’ to marry Prince Frederick ‘Fritz’ of the Kingdom of Prussia. However, despite her love for the heir apparent and their growing family, the British princess is unprepared for the constraints of her new life in Berlin. Her politically liberal views and her influence over her husband clash with those of Otto von Bismarck and the Prussian doctrine of iron and blood. Bismarck wins influence over the Kaiser and surprises Europe with swift victories during the decisive Austro-Prussian War and Franco-Prussian War. … Continue readingThe English Princess