RIVER OF DREAMS

A treasure hunter and a writer reunite in this sequel as the duo’s search for a fortune in Fabergé eggs pits them against the KGB.

Six years ago, Bobby McAllister and Granger Lawton put their heads together to discover a long-lost treasure. Now international treasure hunter McAllister returns to the U.S. to rope Lawton into another adventure. The valuables this time? Fabergé eggs. McAllister currently owns six, and the Russians want all of them. That’s because the KGB has been buying or stealing Russian antiquities and selling forgeries to private collectors. KGB agents even assaulted and robbed McAllister’s brother-in-law after he won a Fabergé egg in an auction. In a global trek that spans such places as London and Switzerland, McAllister and Lawton learn what they can from a forger while evading various threats. By the time they reach St. Petersburg, there’s another fortune to seek—a “Fabergé treasure” that a thief allegedly stole in the early 20th century. Russian spies, however, are everywhere, and the friends lose loved ones, suffer betrayals, and face the business ends of numerous guns. Ferguson’s second installment of a trilogy takes a notable turn, favoring espionage over treasure hunting. Still, backstories covering both world wars prove a worthy foundation, whether it involves KGB agents or the Fabergé fortune. At the same time, the recurring protagonists share a delightfully complicated relationship; just because they respect and admire each other doesn’t mean they don’t verbally spar. Sadly, McAllister’s motivation (and the narrative drive) is sometimes tepid; he’s essentially bored with his billionaire life. Lawton, the more intriguing of the two in this installment, has a much more dramatic pull because he bases certain decisions on his desire for revenge. Like the preceding book, the novel maintains a steady pace with plenty of action and ever changing locales.

Dual heroes scour for valuables and tangle with spies in this often enthralling outing.