This is Max, Katherine Cecil Thurston’s story of a young Russian princess, who, disguised as a boy, flees to the Montmartre Quarter of Paris the night before her arranged marriage. Like everything Thurston wrote, it’s a fine read and a great adventure…Born Katherine Cecil Madden in Cork, Ireland, Thurston was a contributing author of short stories for various British publications such as Pall Mall Magazine, Gunter’s Magazine, London Magazine, Windsor Magazine, and others. Thurston’s novels achieved success not only in Great Britain but in the United States as well. Her best known work was a political thriller titled John Chilcote (as The Masquerader in the United States) published in 1904. It was on the New York Times Best Seller list for two years, ranking as the third best-selling book for 1904 and the seventh best selling in 1905. Her novels include The Circle, John Chilcote (aka The Masquerader), The Gambler, The Mystics, The Fly on the Wheel, Life, and Max.