The Final Faberge: A Novel of Suspense [Hardcover]

Thomas Swan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1999

The third Inspector Jack Oxby mystery pits the Scotland Yard detective against killers in pursuit of a priceless Fabergé egg that disappeared the night before the onset of the Russian Revolution.

A world-renowned art collector challenges Oxby to locate the mysterious Fabergé Imperial egg which the monk Grigori Rasputin commissioned as a gift for the Tsarina Alexandra but mysteriously disappeared the night of his assassination. From England to New York to St. Petersburg, Oxby discovers the history of the "objet d'art" that’s been shrouded in almost a century of scandal, betrayal, and murder.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On the night of his murder in 1916, Grigori Rasputin picks up a Faberg? Imperial Easter egg he'd commissioned as a gift for Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna. In 1963, Vasily Karsalov loses the egg in a rigged poker game. More than 30 years later, Vasily's son Mikhail, now known as Mike Carson, has become a U.S. citizen, the owner of several car dealerships. At the opening of a new showroom, Carson is visited by Sasha Akimov, an old family friend, who tells Carson how his father was cheated out of the egg. Before revealing more, Akimov is shot. Meanwhile, in London, Det. Chief Insp. Jack Oxby takes a leave from Scotland Yard to accept a commission from the Forbes family to determine if Rasputin's Imperial egg still exists and, if so, to find it. New York City police detective Alex Tobias is investigating Akimov's murder when a meeting with Oxby provokes him to join the dangerous, cross-continental search for the precious artifact. Swan carefully intertwines the search for the murderer and the search for the egg so that the novel's numerous coincidences appear believable. And while Oxby doesn't sound the least bit English, he is charming and disarmingly intelligent. With only two other entries (The Da Vinci Deception and The C?zanne Chase), Swan's series of art world mysteries has a short history, but its clever premises and excellent characters earmark it for a long future. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A King Tut-like curse apparently appends itself to anyone searching for Faberg?'s legendary last-made Imperial egg, missing since the death of Rasputin. Scotland Yard's Inspector Oxby learns this only after beginning his own search for a famous art collector. An exciting blend of fact, exotic climes, and intrigue.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1St Edition edition (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557043825
• ISBN-13: 978-1557043825
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,669,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This is not a mystery., October 20, 2001

By 

J. R. Nikoleit (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Final Faberge (Paperback)

This book is not a mystery story. It is a thriller. Don't expect to be challenged to figure out who the bad guys are, you are told who they are immediately. Not that this approach is wrong, there are plenty of good stories that don't make you guess.

The main problem with this book is that there is no logic behind the action. The main bad guy has no motive for his actions. Impossible coincidences are routine. Plot points are dropped never to be seen again. (What is the significance of the gems in the egg?) The conclusion makes no sense.

On the other hand, a friend I lent the book to said she liked it. Turn off your mind and you might too.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enlightens as it entertains, October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Final Faberge: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

In 1916 Petrograd, Rasputin picks up the Imperial Easter Egg he commissioned master artisan Peter Carl Faberge to create. Rasputin loves the work and dubs it "The Egg of Eternal Blessing." He places a near perfect sapphire and diamond inside the egg. Rasputin intends to give the Faberge egg as a present to Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna. That very night, friends kill the enigmatic monk. Nikolai Karsalov stealthily steals the egg.

In the 1990's, Mike Carson owns several car dealerships. An old family friend from Russia, Sasha Akimov visits Mike and informs him how his father lost Rasputin,s egg in a rigged poker game around the time of the Kennedy assassination. When someone murders Akimov, NYPD detective Alex Tobias investigates. Meanwhile, New Scotland Yard Inspector Jack Oxby takes a leave of absence to accept a job to find the missing Faberge. Jack and Alex meet and connect murder with the egg.

THE FINAL FABERGE, the third entry in the Oxby art mysteries, is a wonderful tale that takes readers across the globe in a non-stop story line. The intertwining of the two cases strengthens the plot especially when Mr. New York and Mr. London join forces. As with THE DA VINCI DECEPTION and THE CEZANNE CHASE, Thomas Swan instills this tale with warm characters, deadly villains, and a fabulous art mystery that will entertain sub-genre readers.

Harriet Klausner

3.0 out of 5 stars So much potential, just no delivery, August 19, 2008

By 

Michael G. Sengstack "msengstack" (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Final Faberge: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

This book had everything I like going for it: art crime, Russian history, Faberge, and real life characters like Kip Forbes. While it is a very nice read, it fails to deliver on suspense and several plot lines. Thereare many loose ends that are not wound up, and the reader ceases to care about them. Coincidences abound and there is very little that links certain points together other than incredible chance. It is a good, quick read and very entertaining but lacks the power of some of my favorites like The Eight which delivers incredible well. I have not read any of the authors other works and will perhaps seek them out, but I am still in need of a new literary to entice me to read their entire body of work. I am open to suggestions if anyone has them.