Rome: In the small Baroque
church of Santa Giuliana, a
magnificent Caravaggio altarpiece
disappears without a trace in the
middle of the night.
Paris: In the basement
vault of the Malevich Society,
curator Geneviéve Delacloche is
shocked to discover the
disappearance of the Society's
greatest treasure, White-on-White by
Suprematist painter Kasimir
Malevich.
London: At the National
Gallery of Modern Art, the museum's
latest acquisition is stolen just
hours after it was purchased for
more than six million pounds.
In The Art Thief, three
thefts are simultaneously
investigated in three cities, but
these apparently isolated crimes
have much more in common than anyone
imagines. In Rome, the police enlist
the help of renowned art
investigator Gabriel Coffin when
tracking down the stolen
masterpiece. In Paris, Geneviéve
Delacloche is aided by Police
Inspector Jean-Jacques Bizot, who
finds a trail of bizarre clues and
puzzles that leads him ever deeper
into a baffling conspiracy. In
London, Inspector Harry Wickenden of
Scotland Yard oversees the museum's
attempts to ransom back its stolen
painting, only to have the
masterpiece's recovery deepen the
mystery even further.
A dizzying array of forgeries,
overpaintings, and double-crosses
unfolds as the story races through
auction houses, museums, and private
galleries--and the secret places
where priceless works of art are
made available to collectors who
will stop at nothing to satisfy
their hearts' desires.
Full of fascinating
art-historical detail, crackling
dialogue, and a brain-teasing plot,
Noah Charney's debut novel is a
sophisticated, stylish thriller, as
irresistible and multifaceted as a
great work of art.
"A vivid, marvelously readable look
at the world of stolen art. The
fascinating tale keeps you
constantly wondering -- does this
really happen? Noah Charney knows
his stuff."
-
Steve Berry, New York Times
bestselling author of The
Alexandria Link
"Noah Charney offers us a masterful
thriller filled with revelations."
- Javier Sierra,
New York Times bestselling
author of The Lady in Blue
"A thrilling, literary page-turner,
The Art Thief paints
portraits of lovers, frauds,
innocents, and scholars, all
presented in Charney's sharp, fresh
voice. This exciting debut
establishes young Noah Charney as
the curator of crime."
- Jennifer
Finney Boylan, author of She's
Not There
