The Master Craftsman

April 15, 2022
Employing dual plot lines, Stuart weaves the fascinating history of the creation of Faberg�'s Imperial Easter Eggs for the Romanov family together with a contemporary tale detailing the search for a (fictional) secret egg by Ava Laine, estranged daughter of the famed treasure-hunter Nick Laine. Stuart imagines that master craftsman Karl Faberg� designed the secret egg to depict his conflicted support for the people of Russia during the revolution, while also honoring Czar Nicholas, who commissioned the House of Faberg� for these dazzling masterpieces. In 1917, Faberg� entrusted Alma Pihl, a talented young female master craftsman, with getting the egg safely out of Russia, which she did a few years later when she and her husband escaped to Finland. In the present day, Ava is aimlessly drifting through her twenties when she and her mother are called to Nick's deathbed and asked to take up Nick's final epic quest through Russia and Finland to find the hidden treasure. The historical details are well-researched and the contemporary story line will keep readers in suspense until the novel's final twists.

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