From Publishers Weekly
Truman, daughter of Harry and Bess, centers the latest in her Capitol Crimes series, starring Washington, D.C., insiders Annabel and Mac Reed, in the often corrupt world of international art. Although the title incident doesn't occur until nearly the last chapter, the pace of the preceding action is breathless. As the National Gallery prepares for a special Caravaggio exhibit, senior curator Luther Mason happens to "discover" a lost Caravaggio masterpiece while in Italy. Installing the original in the exhibit but making plans to replace it afterwards, Mason, aided by cultural attache Carlo Giliberti, commissions two forgeries?one to send back to Italy and the other to sell to an underground art dealer who believes he is buying the original. In the meantime, Mason must deal with his scrounging son, Julian, and his mistress and gallery assistant, Lynn Marshall, who is angling for a quick promotion. Along for the ride is well-known art critic, the asexual M. Scott Pims, who adores intrigue. After four murders, the players who remain meet for a thrilling chase from Rome to Abruzzi. The amiable Reeds?Annabel is a gallery owner and Mac a law school professor?are in top form here.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
YA. Truman introduces readers to an art world in which theft, forgery, blackmail, and murder are everyday occurrences, and big money is the catalyst. Senior curator of the National Gallery of Art, Luther Mason, is planning a brilliant exhibition of Caravaggio paintings, culminating with the "surprising" discovery of a work that has been lost for hundreds of years. The commission of two expert forgeries of the lost painting propel Mason, the staff of the museum, the wife of the Vice-President of the United States, and the government of Italy into a dangerous treasure hunt. Truman writes comfortably and simply. By using a modern literary device, she forces readers to synthesize events and information presented in the beginning of the book into the plot. An entertaining mystery.?Debbie Hyman, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
