Imperial Legend by Alexis S. Troubetzkoy

A Russian tsar defeats Napoleon, triumphs in Paris, begins reforms in his own country, and then fakes his death and lives out the rest of his life as a monk in Siberia.

Sounds stranger than fiction, right? Sometimes the truth is.

In Imperial Legend, Troubetzkoy examines that records and the circumstances of the death of Russian Tsar Alexander I in 1826. Alexander had lived a robust life until moving with his ailing wife to Taganrog for her health. Then he mysteriously became ill with a sickness scholars have not been able to identify and died. His body languished in Taganrog for several months while the court in St. Petersburg sorted out who was to be the new tsar. When his body was finally delivered to St. Petersburg, only the immediate family viewed it at midnight in the darkened church.

Several years later a monk named Feodor Kuzmich appeared in Siberia who was much loved by the people, but seemed to have some amazing talents for a monk. He carried himself well in any situation and spoke several languages. His correspondence was found in the personal effects of several Russian dignitaries including that of the future tsars, Nicholas I and Alexander II.

Speculation has been rampant that Feodor and Alexander are one in the same, that Alexander gave up the throne to live his life away from the burdens of ruling a large country.

Troubetzkoy's book details the history of the Romanov family and the coup that placed Alexander on the throne as well as the speculation about Alexander's death and the investigations into it.

Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Size 12 is Not Fat is the first book in the Heather Wells Mystery series. It is written by the author of the Princess Diaries series but this series is directed toward adults. Heather Wells is a washed up pop star who recently dumped her boyfriend when she caught him cheating on her. Her mother ran away to Brazil with all of Heather's fortune, leaving Heather penniless and careerless. She has also started putting on a little weight. In an attempt to get back on her feet, she gets a job as an assistant resident director for a dorm - I mean, residence hall - in New York City, so she can take a few classes for free. In Size 12 is Not Fat, a co-ed is killed elevator surfing and while the police are comfortable writing the incident off as an accident, Heather is not. She decides to do her own investigating and finds a completely different explanation and the killer.

The series is continued with Size 14 is Not Fat Either where a cheerleader's head ends up in a cafeteria stew pot. Not wanting her dorm to be labelled the 'death dorm', Heather investigates this crime also, even though her friends warn her not to. Through her investigation, Heather learns about the initiation rituals of sorroties and fraternities and some secrets about the basketball coach. Heather again finds the killer when the police have come up empty. Perhaps, Heather should think about a major in criminal justice.

The third book in the series Big Boned is scheduled for publication in January 2008.