Master Craftsman - by Kelli Stuart (Paperback)

About the Book

When Ava Laine's dying treasure-hunter father entrusts to her his mission to find a missing Fabergé 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.

Book Synopsis

In 1917, Alma Pihl, a master craftsman in the House of Fabergé, was charged to protect one of the greatest secrets in Russian history--an unknown Fabergé Egg that Peter Karl Fabergé 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.

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"Employing dual plot lines, Stuart weaves the fascinating history of the creation of Fabergé's Imperial Easter Eggs for the Romanov family together with a contemporary tale detailing the search for a (fictional) secret egg."--Booklist

From the Back Cover

"Compelling, exhilarating, and richly imagined, The Master Craftsman is historical fiction at its best."--Patti Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis

In 1917, Alma Pihl, a master craftsman in the House of Fabergé, was charged to protect one of the greatest secrets in Russian history--an unknown Fabergé Egg that Peter Karl Fabergé 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.


"The Master Craftsman is the perfect blend of intrigue, suspense, history, and romance. This novel has it all!"--Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things

"This novel was a delightful escape."--Susie Finkbeiner, author of The Nature of Small Birds

"Part contemporary, part historical, part treasure hunt, part mystery . . . this book is unlike any you've ever read."--Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials