Llegaría el día en que el misterio de la sería descubierto. Los rumores dicen que esa joya forma parte del fabuloso tesoro de los Ivanoff, una pieza que fue vista por última vez sobre la tiara de una princesa rusa presuntamente asesinada durante la Revolución Bolchevique. El catálogo de Christie ’s anuncia la venta de una «magnífica esmeralda de 45 quilates, sin defectos» y la identifica simplemente como «propiedad de una dama». A las pocas horas, los corredores de Bolsa y los políticos más poderosos del mundo se movilizan excitados por la inminente venta en Ginebra.

"Una fina y perfecta esmeralda de 45 kilates", así es como está descrita en el catalogo e identificada "Propiedad de una Lady"... sólo eso. Pero se rumorea que no es otra que el tesoro legendario de Ivanoff. Un ambicioso reportero americano lo está investigando y puede hacer que los maten a ambos...

In the midst of the Russian revolution, a very rich prince and his family were targets of the revolutionaries. The prince and princess were killed and the rest of the family were presumed dead. However, they have survived and the granddaughter of Prince Ivanoff has sold an emerald that could only be one of the Ivanoff jewels. The KGB, the CIA and one other mysterious player are hot on the trail of this granddaughter, believing she will lead them to the Ivanoff billions that are in a Swiss bank, and the deed to some very important mines.
The story is told partly in the present day and partly in flashback. The history of practically everyone involved with the emerald and the missing Ivanoffs is laid out in this book. Sometimes flashbacks can be either confusing or boring, but these are neither. In fact, the action and characters in the present day pale in comparison with those of the past.
The sentence structure is sometimes awkward and confusing. Pronouns are overused to the point that it's hard to tell to whom the pronoun is referring, especially in the beginning of the book. Also some clauses are misplaced so that the subject and verb agreement is somewhat stultified. As I got interested in the story, however, I didn't notice it as much unless I really couldn't figure out who or what they were referring to.
The climax of the novel is exciting and satisfying, although there was one element, which I can't reveal, that I thought rather unnecessary. Actually, it seemed a little like the author changed her mind about how the book would end at the last second, but it still works.
I would recommend this book to fans of family saga novels, but probably not mystery and suspense novels. ( )

From my review on Amazon:
This is the first book by Adler that I have read and I must say, I'm very much in love with it. I have had a fascination for all things russian, especially about the russian royalty which all but vanished during the revolution of 1917 and after. Its a tale beautifully told, the characters are very dignified and characterised by charm thats old world. I felt myself gradually slipping into the world Adler spun and feeling surreal one of the days at work, since that world felt so real instead.
I wondered a little about the way she took the characters to their destinies, but I suppose the magic wouldnt have been the same with any other way. The main character - Missie, does seem perfect - beautiful, graceful, generous and very loving and it was very easy for me to understand why the story revolves around her rather than any other. Its a must for any romantic at heart. ( )