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The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy
A LitHub and Parade Most Anticipated Book of the Year
For fans of Ben Macintyre and Erik Larson, the gripping story of the assassination of Soviet revolutionary Leon Trotsky and the deadly game of cat and mouse that preceded it
On August 20, 1940, Leon Trotsky invited a man he knew only as Jacques Mornard into his study. Mornard waited for Trotsky to sit, then smashed an ice pick he had hidden in his raincoat into Trotsky’s skull.
For over a decade, Trotsky’s greatest enemy, Joseph Stalin, had been trying to arrange his murder. Stalin’s agents had hunted him across Europe and into a lonely, bitter exile in Mexico. He had liquidated Trotsky’s family and friends, and yet Trotsky had always escaped his clutches. The man who changed this all was Ramón Mercader, a minor Spanish aristocrat and Soviet agent who had posed as Mornard, a dissolute Belgian playboy, and infiltrated Trotsky’s inner circle.
In The Death of Trotsky, Josh Ireland traces the separate paths walked by each of these protagonists as they steadily draw closer and closer to that fateful encounter on August 20. Blending intimate historical detail and thrilling historical narrative, swinging from Moscow to Paris to Mexico, and taking in a cast of morally conflicted Russian spies, fanatical Mexican painters, and innocent American idealists, The Death of Trotsky delves into the lives of two fascinating, complex men locked in a life-or-death struggle that would bend the course of history.
For fans of Ben Macintyre and Erik Larson, the gripping story of the assassination of Soviet revolutionary Leon Trotsky and the deadly game of cat and mouse that preceded it
On August 20, 1940, Leon Trotsky invited a man he knew only as Jacques Mornard into his study. Mornard waited for Trotsky to sit, then smashed an ice pick he had hidden in his raincoat into Trotsky’s skull.
For over a decade, Trotsky’s greatest enemy, Joseph Stalin, had been trying to arrange his murder. Stalin’s agents had hunted him across Europe and into a lonely, bitter exile in Mexico. He had liquidated Trotsky’s family and friends, and yet Trotsky had always escaped his clutches. The man who changed this all was Ramón Mercader, a minor Spanish aristocrat and Soviet agent who had posed as Mornard, a dissolute Belgian playboy, and infiltrated Trotsky’s inner circle.
In The Death of Trotsky, Josh Ireland traces the separate paths walked by each of these protagonists as they steadily draw closer and closer to that fateful encounter on August 20. Blending intimate historical detail and thrilling historical narrative, swinging from Moscow to Paris to Mexico, and taking in a cast of morally conflicted Russian spies, fanatical Mexican painters, and innocent American idealists, The Death of Trotsky delves into the lives of two fascinating, complex men locked in a life-or-death struggle that would bend the course of history.
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 21, 2026
I spotted this title on Netgalley shortly after completing Victor Sebestyen's Lenin biography, and it immediately attracted me as a fitting sequel. Josh Ireland takes what to most of us is a one-line story (Trotsky is assassinated at close quarters in Mexico City with an ice ax, as part of an operation ordered by Stalin) and brings it vividly to life. He takes his time setting up the story with the assassination plot not really starting until the second half of the book. All of it is fascinating, and we get a real sense of what the NKVD (forerunner to the KGB) and the Stalinist terror were like. Oh yeah, Trotsky wasn't exactly a saint either, so if you are one of those readers who needs someone to root for this isn't for you. I did, however, feel considerable sympathy for the young American woman who was seduced by the assassin in order to get access to Trotsky.
This is for lovers of history and spy-thrillers alike. It manages to convey plenty of historical detail while remaining a page-turner throughout. Thanks to Netgalley and Dutton for providing me with a pre-release egalley.
This is for lovers of history and spy-thrillers alike. It manages to convey plenty of historical detail while remaining a page-turner throughout. Thanks to Netgalley and Dutton for providing me with a pre-release egalley.
February 24, 2026
The way that Ireland paints this whole "plot to rid the world of Trotsky" was so well done. I really appreciated the quotes, sources, and backstories on these lesser known characters of history. We might all know about Trotsky- but who were in his circle? What was his life living in exhile? What were the lives of his children? His spouse? Who was it that killed him? How did they close?
I overall loved how human this book made all involved parties- all except well... Stalin haha. Ireland did a great job at making Stalin feel as distant but ever watching from the Kremlin.
I learned so much and really enjoyed this!
Thanks to NetGalley and to Dutton for my ARC!
Publishes 2.24.2026!
I overall loved how human this book made all involved parties- all except well... Stalin haha. Ireland did a great job at making Stalin feel as distant but ever watching from the Kremlin.
I learned so much and really enjoyed this!
Thanks to NetGalley and to Dutton for my ARC!
Publishes 2.24.2026!
March 13, 2026
Just finished The Death of Trotsky. I’d been meaning to read about Trotsky for a long time but never found a book that really grabbed me. Not until i saw this one. As soon as it was released i had to buy it.
It reads almost like a spy thriller. It's very fast-paced and just so entertaining. Of course I knew how the story would end, but I didn’t know much about everything leading up to it.
Highly recommended
It reads almost like a spy thriller. It's very fast-paced and just so entertaining. Of course I knew how the story would end, but I didn’t know much about everything leading up to it.
Highly recommended
March 8, 2026
Not only does a fight exist in our world between good and evil; a fight also exists between evil men and men who are even more evil. This book is the story of one such conflict. In The Death of Trotsky, author Josh Ireland showcases one of the most consequential fights in recent history. Each side claimed that progress was on its side; each side claimed to fight for the working man, for the proletariat, for the oppressed; and each claimed that the other was an enemy of progress, an enemy of the proletariat and of society itself.
In an exhilarating ride, Ireland lives up to the description of his book. It does, indeed, rival the works of Erik Larson and Ben Macintyre. Starting with the critical months following the death of the brutal Vladimir Lenin, Ireland narrates the struggle for control of the Soviet legislature and for control of the communist movement as a whole. Two men, both of whom had fought side by side during the bloody months of 1917, both of whom were fundamental pieces of the first successful Marxist revolution in world history, and both of whom claimed themselves, and not the other, to be the logical and only safe choice to succeed the deified Lenin.
Ultimately, the brutal Joseph Stalin would emerge the victor, leading to the exile and eventual assassination of his equally brutal opponent, Leon Trotsky. Ireland excels in telling the stories not only of these two men, but also of the others who were both the victors and the victims of the revolution that these two men had brought into being. The book follows the story of the Spaniard Ramon Mercader and his mother, who had fought alongside Soviet sympathizers in the Spanish Civil War and were then recruited by the NKVD to take part in the hunt for and death of the greatest foe to Stalin’s consolidation of power. It is a tale full of deceit, of double lives, of tragic ends; a tale of darkness and the worst kind of evil that can fill the human heart.
The book also follows the story of Marc “Etienne” Zborowski, who quickly rose through the ranks of Trotskyists in Paris, becoming the heir apparent following the death of Trotsky’s only surviving son, Lev (under suspicious circumstances), though he was on Stalin’s payroll. Finally, it follows the story of Leon Trotsky himself: exiled, knowing that Stalin’s agents would eventually catch up to him, yet unrepentant, perpetually convinced that he was the true force of revolution, the true arm of progress.
The book deals with some heavy topics. It is a book without hope, without redemption, without a theme other than despair, but it is a vital read to understand the heart of darkness, as Conrad termed it. Ireland does not conceal the evil behind either Stalin and his NKVD agents or the perversion of Trotsky and his Mexican allies Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. The book spends considerable time discussing the critical years of Stalin’s purge, when everyone who had even been remotely connected to Trotsky was disposed of, and all those who had too clean a record—as in, they had no known connections to Trotsky—also faced the pistol for “security concerns.”
From Moscow to Paris, from Norway to the outskirts of Mexico City, Leon Trotsky was a hunted man, and he knew it. Yet on that warm day in 1940, it would be the choices of one man, and one man alone, that would determine the destiny of this communist leader. This is the story of choices, both good and bad. It is the story of ideas, bad and worse. It is the story of a murder: the murderer and the murdered.
Though the outcome of the story was certain from the beginning—the title is, of course, an obvious spoiler—this book was nonetheless spellbinding. The narrative was easy to follow, though, at times, the names were not; it was hard to keep track of all the communists and Trotskyists in the who’s who of double agents. It was easy to sympathize with the exiled Trotsky. It was also hard to determine the author’s personal political agenda; his sympathy for Trotsky does not altogether convince me that he is a Trotskyist, though he certainly does not spare additional verbiage regarding Stalin.
The ideological framework and differences of the two men are also hard to determine. At root, however, I think this is not as much the fault of the author as it is the fact that the two revolutionaries were extraordinarily close to each other in purpose and in outlook: an atheistic Marxist belief in Hegelian progress. This leads me to the conclusion that neither Stalin nor Trotsky was a friend of the common man; both were, ultimately, concerned only with their will to power, as Hitler in Germany, Tito in Yugoslavia, Mussolini in Italy, and Mao in China all were.
And it was this will for power that would lead to the demise of Leon Trotsky, abandoned by nearly all; killed in the most merciless way imaginable, alone, defenseless, long since exiled from his native land, in a Mexico City house, betrayed by one of his few remaining allies.
In an exhilarating ride, Ireland lives up to the description of his book. It does, indeed, rival the works of Erik Larson and Ben Macintyre. Starting with the critical months following the death of the brutal Vladimir Lenin, Ireland narrates the struggle for control of the Soviet legislature and for control of the communist movement as a whole. Two men, both of whom had fought side by side during the bloody months of 1917, both of whom were fundamental pieces of the first successful Marxist revolution in world history, and both of whom claimed themselves, and not the other, to be the logical and only safe choice to succeed the deified Lenin.
Ultimately, the brutal Joseph Stalin would emerge the victor, leading to the exile and eventual assassination of his equally brutal opponent, Leon Trotsky. Ireland excels in telling the stories not only of these two men, but also of the others who were both the victors and the victims of the revolution that these two men had brought into being. The book follows the story of the Spaniard Ramon Mercader and his mother, who had fought alongside Soviet sympathizers in the Spanish Civil War and were then recruited by the NKVD to take part in the hunt for and death of the greatest foe to Stalin’s consolidation of power. It is a tale full of deceit, of double lives, of tragic ends; a tale of darkness and the worst kind of evil that can fill the human heart.
The book also follows the story of Marc “Etienne” Zborowski, who quickly rose through the ranks of Trotskyists in Paris, becoming the heir apparent following the death of Trotsky’s only surviving son, Lev (under suspicious circumstances), though he was on Stalin’s payroll. Finally, it follows the story of Leon Trotsky himself: exiled, knowing that Stalin’s agents would eventually catch up to him, yet unrepentant, perpetually convinced that he was the true force of revolution, the true arm of progress.
The book deals with some heavy topics. It is a book without hope, without redemption, without a theme other than despair, but it is a vital read to understand the heart of darkness, as Conrad termed it. Ireland does not conceal the evil behind either Stalin and his NKVD agents or the perversion of Trotsky and his Mexican allies Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. The book spends considerable time discussing the critical years of Stalin’s purge, when everyone who had even been remotely connected to Trotsky was disposed of, and all those who had too clean a record—as in, they had no known connections to Trotsky—also faced the pistol for “security concerns.”
From Moscow to Paris, from Norway to the outskirts of Mexico City, Leon Trotsky was a hunted man, and he knew it. Yet on that warm day in 1940, it would be the choices of one man, and one man alone, that would determine the destiny of this communist leader. This is the story of choices, both good and bad. It is the story of ideas, bad and worse. It is the story of a murder: the murderer and the murdered.
Though the outcome of the story was certain from the beginning—the title is, of course, an obvious spoiler—this book was nonetheless spellbinding. The narrative was easy to follow, though, at times, the names were not; it was hard to keep track of all the communists and Trotskyists in the who’s who of double agents. It was easy to sympathize with the exiled Trotsky. It was also hard to determine the author’s personal political agenda; his sympathy for Trotsky does not altogether convince me that he is a Trotskyist, though he certainly does not spare additional verbiage regarding Stalin.
The ideological framework and differences of the two men are also hard to determine. At root, however, I think this is not as much the fault of the author as it is the fact that the two revolutionaries were extraordinarily close to each other in purpose and in outlook: an atheistic Marxist belief in Hegelian progress. This leads me to the conclusion that neither Stalin nor Trotsky was a friend of the common man; both were, ultimately, concerned only with their will to power, as Hitler in Germany, Tito in Yugoslavia, Mussolini in Italy, and Mao in China all were.
And it was this will for power that would lead to the demise of Leon Trotsky, abandoned by nearly all; killed in the most merciless way imaginable, alone, defenseless, long since exiled from his native land, in a Mexico City house, betrayed by one of his few remaining allies.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advance copy of this book of history that details the efforts of one of the last centuries worst leaders to eliminate a man he considered his most mortal of enemies.
I remember the first time I came across the name Leon Trotsky, a moment that has stayed with me over the years. I was reading Richard Hoyt's Trotsky's Run, a book that I think was a comic thriller, like most of Hoyt's books. I was in high school, maybe, middle school, so this was a long time ago. The opening of the book dealt with the death of Trotsky, no real need for spoiler warnings, as this is known history, by an ice ax. I have no idea why this stayed with me, as the book I read it from has not. Yet it has. Something about a political assassination, something that was real and documented, but sounding like it was from a James Bond knock-off. I have read a few books about Trotsky since, both fictional and nonfictional. This book I think will also stay with me, for not only does the author cover the assassination, but the many other lives that were lost, based on the paranoia and hatred of one of the darker figures of 20th century history. The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy by Josh Ireland is a true crime story, a story of war in the shadows, of revolution, revolutionaries, and of course the murderous instincts of those in power.
The death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924 opened both a power vacuum and a powder keg in Russia, as different sides vied to lead the burgeoning USSR. Leon Trotsky, was smart, witty, gifted with an ability to speak, and to inspire. Joseph Stalin, was short, walked with a limp, ugly, mean, bitter, and yet had the gift of finding the secrets of those around him, secrets that let him control others. Added to this was a terrible paranoia, and a hatred of Leon Trotsky, who did his best to embarrass Stalin on numerous occasions. Trotsky lacked support and the ability to wine and dine others, which gave Stalin a chance to seize power. Soon Trotsky was losing respect, and losing friends, either through arrests, murders, or people ignoring him. Soon Trotsky was exiled, sent first to Europe then to Mexico, where he began to work on a biography of Stalin. Stalin set about plans to assassinate Trotsky, while also eliminating those close to Trotsky, including his family. And soon not even the far shores of Mexico were safe.
The book is both a biography of an assassination, and an examination of Communist politics in the twenties up to the forties. There were plots, plans, assassination attempts, and a lot of successful acts. Ireland does a very good job of telling the story, with its many diverse characters and locations, and never losing the reader. The research is quite good, with lots of details, all footnoted, with some new information. Ireland does a good job dispelling a lot of rumors, and getting right to the heart of the story, one that really does read like a thriller in many ways. Even if it sounds much to fictional. Ireland also does a good job of describing what like was like for the paranoid Stalin, seeing enemies and threats everywhere, and Trotsky, who knew that he was on Stalin's kill list, yet never took his security that seriously.
A very well written account that never lags, or gets bogged down. Ireland has written a very taut history, a bit of LeCarré amid the history. A very riveting accout, and one that will stay with me. I look forward to reading more by Josh Ireland.
I remember the first time I came across the name Leon Trotsky, a moment that has stayed with me over the years. I was reading Richard Hoyt's Trotsky's Run, a book that I think was a comic thriller, like most of Hoyt's books. I was in high school, maybe, middle school, so this was a long time ago. The opening of the book dealt with the death of Trotsky, no real need for spoiler warnings, as this is known history, by an ice ax. I have no idea why this stayed with me, as the book I read it from has not. Yet it has. Something about a political assassination, something that was real and documented, but sounding like it was from a James Bond knock-off. I have read a few books about Trotsky since, both fictional and nonfictional. This book I think will also stay with me, for not only does the author cover the assassination, but the many other lives that were lost, based on the paranoia and hatred of one of the darker figures of 20th century history. The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy by Josh Ireland is a true crime story, a story of war in the shadows, of revolution, revolutionaries, and of course the murderous instincts of those in power.
The death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924 opened both a power vacuum and a powder keg in Russia, as different sides vied to lead the burgeoning USSR. Leon Trotsky, was smart, witty, gifted with an ability to speak, and to inspire. Joseph Stalin, was short, walked with a limp, ugly, mean, bitter, and yet had the gift of finding the secrets of those around him, secrets that let him control others. Added to this was a terrible paranoia, and a hatred of Leon Trotsky, who did his best to embarrass Stalin on numerous occasions. Trotsky lacked support and the ability to wine and dine others, which gave Stalin a chance to seize power. Soon Trotsky was losing respect, and losing friends, either through arrests, murders, or people ignoring him. Soon Trotsky was exiled, sent first to Europe then to Mexico, where he began to work on a biography of Stalin. Stalin set about plans to assassinate Trotsky, while also eliminating those close to Trotsky, including his family. And soon not even the far shores of Mexico were safe.
The book is both a biography of an assassination, and an examination of Communist politics in the twenties up to the forties. There were plots, plans, assassination attempts, and a lot of successful acts. Ireland does a very good job of telling the story, with its many diverse characters and locations, and never losing the reader. The research is quite good, with lots of details, all footnoted, with some new information. Ireland does a good job dispelling a lot of rumors, and getting right to the heart of the story, one that really does read like a thriller in many ways. Even if it sounds much to fictional. Ireland also does a good job of describing what like was like for the paranoid Stalin, seeing enemies and threats everywhere, and Trotsky, who knew that he was on Stalin's kill list, yet never took his security that seriously.
A very well written account that never lags, or gets bogged down. Ireland has written a very taut history, a bit of LeCarré amid the history. A very riveting accout, and one that will stay with me. I look forward to reading more by Josh Ireland.
June 11, 2025
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn called it "The Big Solitaire," the idea being that all of the comrades who survived the October Revolution and who were not fully aligned with Stalin were, one by one, having their cards flipped over, slowly and remorselssly. And the single biggest card to be flipped was that of Leon Trotsky.
It is, I think, reasonably common knowledge where, when, and how Trotsky was assassinated (Mexico City, 1940, ice axe to the brain). Other than that, I don't think that I have given Trotsky much of a thought since I finished college, must less about his sad end. (I narrowly escaped having a degree in Soviet Studies in 1990, just as the Soviet Union was undergoing its death throes.) So I fell upon Josh Ireland's book with enthusiasm. THE DEATH OF TROTSKY is almost comparable to CASE CLOSED, one of my favorite books of all time, Gerald Posner's masterly dissection of the Kennedy assassination. The main point of differentiation is that there isn't much in the way of mystery related to Trotsky's death. (I almost said "conspiracy," but while there is no evidence pointing to Oswald conspiring with anyone, there is plenty of evidence, which Ireland elucidates, about Trotsky's assassin conspiring with Soviet intelligence.)
The other obvious point of comparison here is to THE DEATH OF STALIN, which of course was a broad comic farce. There are multiple comic moments in THE DEATH OF TROTSKY, but none of them are farcical--they result due to Ireland's bone-dry wit. At one point, a seemingly guileless young Polish student wanders into the orbit of Trotsky's son, who in turn comes to trust him implicitly. "He could not have been more wrong," Ireland observes, before turning to an analysis of just how badly this one agent had penetrated the European efforts of the Trotskyites.
Ireland specializes in just these sort of chewy historical nuggets. Why was Trotsky in Mexico in the first place? I had never given this a second's worth of thought, but Ireland has the answer: because Diego Rivera invited him, because of course he did. Did this result in Trotsky trying to shag Frida Kahlo? It did indeed, and Trotsky was successful.
The only drawback, I think, is that there is a comic-opera brilliance to THE DEATH OF TROTSKY that somehow manages to elide the fact that Trotsky was one of history's great monsters, eclipsed in his generation only by Stalin, and that if fate had decreed that Trotsky and not Stalin was running the show in the Thirties the world might look very different but still have been incredibly bloody. But Ireland has a fascinating story to tell, two heavyweight-class antagonists at the center, and a whole gaggle of Soviet functionaries and starry-eyed idealists, and one mysterious Spaniard at the center of it all who managed to fool everyone. Highly recommended.
It is, I think, reasonably common knowledge where, when, and how Trotsky was assassinated (Mexico City, 1940, ice axe to the brain). Other than that, I don't think that I have given Trotsky much of a thought since I finished college, must less about his sad end. (I narrowly escaped having a degree in Soviet Studies in 1990, just as the Soviet Union was undergoing its death throes.) So I fell upon Josh Ireland's book with enthusiasm. THE DEATH OF TROTSKY is almost comparable to CASE CLOSED, one of my favorite books of all time, Gerald Posner's masterly dissection of the Kennedy assassination. The main point of differentiation is that there isn't much in the way of mystery related to Trotsky's death. (I almost said "conspiracy," but while there is no evidence pointing to Oswald conspiring with anyone, there is plenty of evidence, which Ireland elucidates, about Trotsky's assassin conspiring with Soviet intelligence.)
The other obvious point of comparison here is to THE DEATH OF STALIN, which of course was a broad comic farce. There are multiple comic moments in THE DEATH OF TROTSKY, but none of them are farcical--they result due to Ireland's bone-dry wit. At one point, a seemingly guileless young Polish student wanders into the orbit of Trotsky's son, who in turn comes to trust him implicitly. "He could not have been more wrong," Ireland observes, before turning to an analysis of just how badly this one agent had penetrated the European efforts of the Trotskyites.
Ireland specializes in just these sort of chewy historical nuggets. Why was Trotsky in Mexico in the first place? I had never given this a second's worth of thought, but Ireland has the answer: because Diego Rivera invited him, because of course he did. Did this result in Trotsky trying to shag Frida Kahlo? It did indeed, and Trotsky was successful.
The only drawback, I think, is that there is a comic-opera brilliance to THE DEATH OF TROTSKY that somehow manages to elide the fact that Trotsky was one of history's great monsters, eclipsed in his generation only by Stalin, and that if fate had decreed that Trotsky and not Stalin was running the show in the Thirties the world might look very different but still have been incredibly bloody. But Ireland has a fascinating story to tell, two heavyweight-class antagonists at the center, and a whole gaggle of Soviet functionaries and starry-eyed idealists, and one mysterious Spaniard at the center of it all who managed to fool everyone. Highly recommended.
February 24, 2026
“The Death of Trotsky” is a very detailed and comprehensive examination of the 1940 assassination of Ivan Trotsky in Mexico City, ordered by Joseph Stalin. Author Josh Ireland researched extensively and employs clear, straightforward prose to impart to readers the who, what, where, when, and why of that murder.
When I began this history, my knowledge of the Russian Revolution, the birth of the Soviet Union, and the men who led it was not extensive. I came away from the work feeling that I’d learned a fair amount about:
1. The roles of Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin in creating the USSR;
2. Upon Lenin’s death, Stalin’s rise to power and his hatred of Trotsky, whose views on and vision for communism and how the USSR should be governed differed greatly from his;
3. The participation of various individuals in the Spanish Revolution;
4. Trotsky’s and his family’s exile in Europe and then Mexico where they stayed for a time with the artist Diego Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo;
5. "The Terror” inflicted by Stalin on millions of Soviet citizens during the 1930s;
6. The role of the NKVD (forerunner to the KGB) in both “The Terror” and the plot to assassinate Trotsky;
7. The characters of Stalin and Trotsky;
8. The characters of various individuals charged with killing Trotsky;
9. A failed attempt to kill Trotsky involving a full-fledged assault on his Mexico City compound; and
10. A detailed description of how Soviet agent Ramón Mercader over a period of months ingratiated himself with Trotsky and his family and then killed Trotsky with an ice axe as they met in Trotsky’s home office.
For me, the book’s greatest strength—it’s attention to detail—is also, at times, a weakness. In some instances—such as the attempts on Trotsky’s life and Stalin’s interactions with various henchmen—it makes for riveting reading. But often, the book seemed to go down diffuse pathways filled with minutia, as well as many-too-many names, leaving me confused and wondering: why am I reading this? Ink devoted to some of that material might have been better spent more thoroughly describing Trotsky’s and Stalin’s conflicting views on communism, Soviet governance, and the USSR’s role in world affairs. In other words, I wanted to know more about why Stalin hated Trotsky so much that he ordered his assassination.
Otherwise, I thought this was a well-researched, well-written history highly suitable for the libraries of those interested in Soviet history, the history of communism, or Ivan Trotsky and Joseph Stalin and the conflict between them.
My thanks to NetGalley, author Josh Ireland, and publisher PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for providing me with a complimentary ARC. All of the foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.
When I began this history, my knowledge of the Russian Revolution, the birth of the Soviet Union, and the men who led it was not extensive. I came away from the work feeling that I’d learned a fair amount about:
1. The roles of Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin in creating the USSR;
2. Upon Lenin’s death, Stalin’s rise to power and his hatred of Trotsky, whose views on and vision for communism and how the USSR should be governed differed greatly from his;
3. The participation of various individuals in the Spanish Revolution;
4. Trotsky’s and his family’s exile in Europe and then Mexico where they stayed for a time with the artist Diego Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo;
5. "The Terror” inflicted by Stalin on millions of Soviet citizens during the 1930s;
6. The role of the NKVD (forerunner to the KGB) in both “The Terror” and the plot to assassinate Trotsky;
7. The characters of Stalin and Trotsky;
8. The characters of various individuals charged with killing Trotsky;
9. A failed attempt to kill Trotsky involving a full-fledged assault on his Mexico City compound; and
10. A detailed description of how Soviet agent Ramón Mercader over a period of months ingratiated himself with Trotsky and his family and then killed Trotsky with an ice axe as they met in Trotsky’s home office.
For me, the book’s greatest strength—it’s attention to detail—is also, at times, a weakness. In some instances—such as the attempts on Trotsky’s life and Stalin’s interactions with various henchmen—it makes for riveting reading. But often, the book seemed to go down diffuse pathways filled with minutia, as well as many-too-many names, leaving me confused and wondering: why am I reading this? Ink devoted to some of that material might have been better spent more thoroughly describing Trotsky’s and Stalin’s conflicting views on communism, Soviet governance, and the USSR’s role in world affairs. In other words, I wanted to know more about why Stalin hated Trotsky so much that he ordered his assassination.
Otherwise, I thought this was a well-researched, well-written history highly suitable for the libraries of those interested in Soviet history, the history of communism, or Ivan Trotsky and Joseph Stalin and the conflict between them.
My thanks to NetGalley, author Josh Ireland, and publisher PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for providing me with a complimentary ARC. All of the foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.
September 2, 2025
The Death of Trotsky by Josh Ireland offers a detailed look at the history of the conflict between Trotsky and Stalin as well the lengths to which Stalin went to exact revenge on anyone he felt even remotely wasn't loyal to him personally.
The parts that are primarily laying out the facts read very well, making connections and showing what was or might have been causal for various acts. I think where this book excels is in the parts where we get recreations of what happened (based on research and contemporary accounts). These offer the best of both nonfiction writing and thriller/suspense fiction writing. History is a narrative, or narratives, so being able to tell a good story is as vital as simply writing out the facts and assumptions.
Some who are heavily influenced by the West's Cold War rhetoric about socialism in general will mistakenly make it sound like there would have been little difference between the bloodshed Stalin caused and the bloodshed that would have occurred had Trotsky been the leader. Ignore that extreme just as quickly as you ignore the one that claims everything would have been rosy under Trotsky. The big difference is that Stalin didn't simply consider himself superior to those around him (in the way any insecure person feels such superiority, like Trump for instance) but he didn't care about human beings or human life, by his own words. Trotsky wouldn't have shied away from violence while the revolution was in progress (plenty of evidence of that) but there isn't a significant reason to believe that once in power he would have taken every comment and every disagreement as a crime punishable by death. So there is more than just a minor difference in how the rest of the 20th century would have played out had Trotsky taken over from Lenin.
One thing we can certainly take away from this is what happens when a weak-minded but strong-willed person gains power. They use it for their own ends, will unhesitatingly trample those who dare to question or oppose him, and will do things like use the military to fight their battles and eliminate, throw whatever means they can, everyone different from what they want. There are leaders today who fit this mold, both in small countries and in major powers. They must be stopped before there are more reigns of terror.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
The parts that are primarily laying out the facts read very well, making connections and showing what was or might have been causal for various acts. I think where this book excels is in the parts where we get recreations of what happened (based on research and contemporary accounts). These offer the best of both nonfiction writing and thriller/suspense fiction writing. History is a narrative, or narratives, so being able to tell a good story is as vital as simply writing out the facts and assumptions.
Some who are heavily influenced by the West's Cold War rhetoric about socialism in general will mistakenly make it sound like there would have been little difference between the bloodshed Stalin caused and the bloodshed that would have occurred had Trotsky been the leader. Ignore that extreme just as quickly as you ignore the one that claims everything would have been rosy under Trotsky. The big difference is that Stalin didn't simply consider himself superior to those around him (in the way any insecure person feels such superiority, like Trump for instance) but he didn't care about human beings or human life, by his own words. Trotsky wouldn't have shied away from violence while the revolution was in progress (plenty of evidence of that) but there isn't a significant reason to believe that once in power he would have taken every comment and every disagreement as a crime punishable by death. So there is more than just a minor difference in how the rest of the 20th century would have played out had Trotsky taken over from Lenin.
One thing we can certainly take away from this is what happens when a weak-minded but strong-willed person gains power. They use it for their own ends, will unhesitatingly trample those who dare to question or oppose him, and will do things like use the military to fight their battles and eliminate, throw whatever means they can, everyone different from what they want. There are leaders today who fit this mold, both in small countries and in major powers. They must be stopped before there are more reigns of terror.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
July 27, 2025
Thanks to Josh Ireland, Penguin Group Dutton, and NetGalley for access to the Advanced Reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Trotsky is a very interesting person in history. An alternative and rival to Stalin, he was seen by many as a better choice and a voice for the ideals advocated by Lenin. This well researched book provides the background for the Stalin / Trotsky rivalry and the ruthlessness taken by Stalin to eliminate not only Trotsky, but anyone not deemed sufficiently loyal to him.
Well written and deeply researched, this is a fascinating story. Trotsky and members of his family are ultimately tragically betrayed by those close to them, even though the warning signs were clear. An interesting account of Russian history and the death of a world leader. Recommended.
Trotsky is a very interesting person in history. An alternative and rival to Stalin, he was seen by many as a better choice and a voice for the ideals advocated by Lenin. This well researched book provides the background for the Stalin / Trotsky rivalry and the ruthlessness taken by Stalin to eliminate not only Trotsky, but anyone not deemed sufficiently loyal to him.
Well written and deeply researched, this is a fascinating story. Trotsky and members of his family are ultimately tragically betrayed by those close to them, even though the warning signs were clear. An interesting account of Russian history and the death of a world leader. Recommended.
August 13, 2025
Ireland's deep dive into the complex web of infiltration/betrayals that took place leading up to the death of Trotsky was a compelling read, but not one for amateurs. The storyline isn't exactly linear, and there is a lot of emphasis placed on the backstories of certain side characters that muddled the central plot. As other readers have mentioned, Trotsky's death isn't exactly the most obscure event in history (and there are multiple other books covering it) but none weave in as many narratives/ color in as much detail as to the motivations behind the actions of each of the key players in the story. The book is heavily character-driven and a wildly entertaining read that doesn't shy away from exposing some of the more inglorious sides to well-known figures- like, was this how I had to find out that Trotsky was cucking Diego Rivera? And that he was an a-hole father to his son??
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Josh Ireland has taken what was already a mysterious and spellbinding story about the assassination of Leon Trotsky, and has turned it into a page-turning work of nonfiction that reads as good as any spy thriller of the past decade. There were moments in my reading where I genuinely forgot that this was a historical narrative rather than an old-fashioned cat-and-mouse story. I don't often describe books as "cinematic," but this one merits the moniker! Once one gets past how well-written and paced the book is, it also sheds new light on the tragic final years of Trotsky and how it influences his political thought, and does so in a way that is accessible for both experts in Soviet history and newcomers alike.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC; I have received no other compensation from the publisher or author in exchange for this review.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC; I have received no other compensation from the publisher or author in exchange for this review.
March 12, 2026
If you like books by Ben Macintyre, then you will also like this one. It is a very compelling read that helped me understand the real dangers of assassination by spy agencies. Along the way we learn much about Trotsky, Freda Khalo, Diego Rivera, and a cast of lesser but important characters.
Whereas Macintyre somehow let you inside every character, no matter their politics, Ireland lacks this skill. Stalin gets only dark colors, Trotsky, Khalo and Rivera are portrayed as eccentric but without a sense of what really makes them tick as humans.
I think this is due to Ireland's inability to hide his politics. I sensed that all these people seemed mad or wrong to Ireland. Or maybe Macintyre is just far more skilled in the art of writing.
Whereas Macintyre somehow let you inside every character, no matter their politics, Ireland lacks this skill. Stalin gets only dark colors, Trotsky, Khalo and Rivera are portrayed as eccentric but without a sense of what really makes them tick as humans.
I think this is due to Ireland's inability to hide his politics. I sensed that all these people seemed mad or wrong to Ireland. Or maybe Macintyre is just far more skilled in the art of writing.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3 Stars! Thank you to Dutton for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions in this review are my own.
The Death of Trotsky is an in-depth look at the political rivalry between Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Two historical figures I know a bit about, but I was not as familiar with their deep connection & story. So, the premise of this book really intrigued me! While learning about Stalin & Trotsky you also get a look at the political landscape in Russia.
I suggest this book if you're interested in learning about this time period & political figures in Russia. This is a very well researched book!
The Death of Trotsky is an in-depth look at the political rivalry between Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Two historical figures I know a bit about, but I was not as familiar with their deep connection & story. So, the premise of this book really intrigued me! While learning about Stalin & Trotsky you also get a look at the political landscape in Russia.
I suggest this book if you're interested in learning about this time period & political figures in Russia. This is a very well researched book!
March 9, 2026
An interesting book, read on a cross-country flight which might be why it seemed to drag once we got to the actual infiltration and trust-building. Dinged my review a star because of adopting the annoying trend of not footnoting (simply piling up a list of sources at the end with a snippet of text, like the reader is supposed to know to go there. Willing to have numerous asides at the bottom of the page, but not note on sources? Disrespectful of the reader, in my opinion.
January 14, 2026
Forgive the comparison but this struck me like a Keystone Cops series or a long game of Spy vs Spy. Everyone trying to kill someone or avoid being killed by someone but hey, hey, that’s the Russian way of politics.
Can you try to govern without poisoning or defenestrating someone that doesn’t fall in with Putin & his oligarchs? Nobody is falling for your assassination games, guys. 😏
Can you try to govern without poisoning or defenestrating someone that doesn’t fall in with Putin & his oligarchs? Nobody is falling for your assassination games, guys. 😏
October 3, 2025
Reviewed for Library Journal. My Goodreads rating isn't related to my professional review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy! I really enjoyed this book. The author does a good job bring together all the different players in the story that ultimately led to Trotsky's death.
March 9, 2026
Follows the story of Trotsky and his assassin, like the Titanic and the iceberg, and the convergence of the twain as the assassin insinuates himself into the old revolutionary's inner circle.
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