Full disclosure: I grew up with the author, went to college with him, and am still friendly with him.

This book was full of new info I didn’t know. It was a good weekend read to refresh with a non-fiction book!

I have no idea what's up with this book but it is so dull. I wanted to read it because I really enjoyed the movie The Death of Stalin and I wanted to see the real story. There is so much good content available and for some reason this book doesn't hit a single high point. The structure is really weird - bouncing back and forth between intrigue within the Soviet government, the American government's response, and this strange interlude about anti-Semitism under Stalin that goes nowhere and has nothing else to do with the rest of the book. It was just really not holding my attention. I could barely finish it.

The title is misleading. Stalin's illness and death are wrapped up in the first 25-30% of the book, with the majority of Rubenstein's account addressing the consequences of the dictator's death. As others have pointed out, the effects of Stalin's death are more engrossing than its circumstances. The author effectively surveys how the news was received by the politburo, foreign communist parties, the USA, the Vatican and elsewhere.