This is the first book I've read by Robert Masello,and I thoroughly enjoyed the blend of treasure hunting and historical fiction. The story also weaves in the Russian Romanov dynasty and the devastation of the Spanish flu.
The story lines converge when U.S. soldier is sent to Alaska to exhume the bodies of Spanish flu victims to determine whether the virus is, in fact, extinct. At the same time, a group of treasure hunters is also determined to get to the bodies, convinced that one of them holds the emerald cross of the title.
The multiple story lines and the blend of fact and fiction are all handled very well, and it's filled with thrills and suspense throughout.