The Master Craftsman - A Novel

Kelli Stuart

From Shelf: 2022 Reads

When Ava Laine's dying treasure-hunter father entrusts to her his mission to find a missing Faberge egg, she has no idea how high the stakes will climb--or how her allegiances will be tested. Join the hunt in this lavish, dual-time narrative that plunges you into the 1917 Russian Revolution, the fall of the Romanovs, and long-buried Soviet secrets.

In 1917, Alma Pihl, a master craftsman in the House of Faberge, was charged to protect one of the greatest secrets in Russian history--an unknown Faberge Egg that Peter Karl Faberge secretly created to honor his divided allegiance to both the people of Russia and the Imperial tsar's family. When Alma and her husband escaped Russia for their native Finland in 1921, she took the secret with her, guarding her past connection to the Romanov family. Three generations later, world-renowned treasure hunter Nick Laine is sick and fears the secret of the missing egg will die with him. With time running out, he entrusts the mission of retrieving the egg to his estranged daughter, Ava, who has little idea of the dangers she is about to face. As the stakes are raised, Ava is forced to declare her own allegiance--and the consequences are greater than she could have imagined. This modern-day treasure hunt from award-winning author Kelli Stuart transports you into the opulent and treacherous world of the Russian Revolution to unearth mysteries long buried. *** "Employing dual plot lines, Stuart weaves the fascinating history of the creation of Faberge's Imperial Easter Eggs for the Romanov family together with a contemporary tale detailing the search for a (fictional) secret egg."--Booklist