- Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
- Publisher: Harper; Reprint edition (Aug 7 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060004428
- ISBN-13: 978-0060004422
- Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 10.6 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,175,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Kate McKinnon, a former cop turned philanthropist, art impresario, and socialite, is a heroine straight out of a Judith Krantz novel, which is not necessarily a bad thing: you can always count the brand names Jonathan Santlofer drops on almost every page, even if you're not particularly intrigued by the mystery of who's behind a string of ritualistic serial murders that are carefully staged to resemble famous paintings only a woman with Kate's arcane knowledge and aesthetic judgment might recognize. Or you could figure out who's next on the killer's list faster than Kate manages to--she can't rule anyone out, not even her husband. Despite that rather silly red herring, she finally manages to get to the bottom of things in this stylish thriller from a painter whose fantasies of murder and revenge--on critics, collectors, competitors, and gallery owners, evidently--must have required a wider than usual canvas. -- Jane Adams
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Painter Santlofer turns his artists eye to murder in an alternately brutal and dishy debut whodunit about a New York cop¤turned¤art historian tracking down a serial killer who mutilates his victims to make them look like famous paintings. While many in the ostentatiously elegant cast of self-serving artists, curators, patrons and patronesses hide ugly secrets, only one takes the idea of the tortured artist to the extreme. His first victim, a museum board president with a taste for sadomasochism, is found in his bathtub, arm draped over the side in the same pose as Davids Marat. Inspired by both traditional and modern art and sensitive to color, line and light, the death artist next slashes the face of a female victim to match a Picasso portrait. It's enough to horrify but not to deter ex-homicide detective Kate McKinnon Rothstein, now a wealthy, beautiful hostess of her own PBS series. She puts her talents and her marriage to the test to pursue a criminal who seems to crave her appreciation for his handiwork. The exploration of the psychology of the death artist, along with gossipy insights into the politics of art, make this book a bloody funfest for the museum and gallery crowd, never mind that as Kate investigates sexual liaisons that cross social and moral boundaries, she uncovers an array of suspense novel cliches. When Santlofer, a Pratt graduate, NEA grant recipient and Yaddo board member, airs his insider views, his observations of art and the art world lift this enthusiastic if not totally original mystery to the ranks of a high-class art opening.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Kate McKinnon Rothstein, "Stretch" to the girls at St. Anne's, having hit six feet by age twelve, strode across the pickled-ash floor of her penthouse living room, her mules click-clacking to the beat of Lauryn Hill's hip-hop soul, which echoed through the twelve-room apartment. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Kate McKinnon Rothstein, "Stretch" to the girls at St. Anne's, having hit six feet by age twelve, strode across the pickled-ash floor of her penthouse living room, her mules click-clacking to the beat of Lauryn Hill's hip-hop soul, which echoed through the twelve-room apartment. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
This less than spectacular effort lacks originality,
By
This review is from: The Death Artist (Mass Market Paperback)
Serial killer novels are always in danger of becoming quite redundant. If they are read one after the other, they might appear to be difficult to distinguish. For example, cute and clever killings has been done again and again. Immediately coming to mind are the fine novels of John Connelly. Of course, Thomas Harris must always be conjured up with his Lechter novels. Jonathan Santlofer throws his debut novel into the mix and it is the very lack of originality that that I find most irritating.Kate McKinnon is an ex-cop who has become a famous art historian by hosting her own PBS series. People close to her begin to die. They are murdered and their bodies are arranged similar to famous paintings. Kate, a friend of the NYPD chief of police, is allowed to participate with the police in helping them crack this tough case. As she investigates, it soon becomes apparent that the killer is targeting her. Kate is an interesting protagonist and one the reader would like to meet. However, she appears a bit too tailor made for the role she plays. How many leave the police force to become famous art historians? I had a lot of trouble buying into this concept. However, once the reader accepts this, it is noted that she is very well created. The other characters are a mixed bunch-- some are sketchily developed and others are quite stereotypic. As noted previously, the killings lack originality in their very nature of trying to be unique. The plot races along quite nicely to the less than satisfactory conclusion. The killer is a character I did not remember meeting previously. In a sense, this is cheating. The bottom line, a less than spectacular effort in a book lacking originality and a bit too long.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Keep Shopping,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Death Artist (Mass Market Paperback)
The Death Artist certainly works as a page turner but fails to satisfy as a mystery, and the exploration of the New York art world is particularly weak (it's as if Sister Wendy decided to take up crime writing during a trip to the Big Apple). If you're looking for an art-related mystery, you should consider Iain Pears instead. Perhaps most unsettling about The Death Artist is the narrator's voice; however vague, there's something decidedly mean-spirited about it. Rarely if ever, does the reader identify or care about anyone in the book in any real way.
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Is A Debut Novel???!!!????,
By paul mason "dedarkone" (Barrie On) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Death Artist (Mass Market Paperback)
Kate McKinnon is an ex-cop socialite/art scholar/philanthopist lured back to her cop's lifestyle by a string of grisley murder's in New York's art scene. The plot sound a little trite? It could, but the author's superb skills as a novelist prevent this thriller from becoming trite. The main character of Kate is a very likable heroine, surrounded by a colourful cast of supporting character's with their own shadow's and demons making them feel very real at least to this reader. About two thirds of the way through I pondered if maybe Kate wasn't a little too perfect to maintain the gritty tone of the tale, yet Santofeler countered this potential pitfall nicely by upping Kate's paranoia to match the reader's reminding us that she could be a live person. This book does have some graphic description, yet it all is tied in with the plot as opposed to gratiutous voilence to sell copies. I was very much drawn into the art world, and explored the shadows and darkness along with Kate.This thriller isn't perfekt but I challenge fellow reviewers to show me a perfekt thiller and I'll ask yes but can you show me a perfect one? It is close enough for me especially considering what a strong first effort it is by the author and I eagerly await some mover and shaker in Hollywood to buy the movie rights to this book as it seems almost too adaptable to the big screen, so I recommend you read this book, but careful to massage your knuckles once in a while to prevent whiteness as you peruse this page turner.
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