not a fan
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I really wanted to like this book, but overall I found it tedious. Over the top descriptive language leads to an irritating and somewhat cringe worthy read. Perhaps there is some future authoring potential within Mr. Charney, but I'm not holding my breath. He tries far too hard and has ended up with a book that feels utterly forced, full of cheese-ridden characters that annoy rather than engage you. It's a Da Vinci Code cash in that is not worth wasting your hard earned cash on.
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Caricatures not characters
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Ienjoyed the art history bits, as this is my hobby. The plot was very convoluted. The book is let down by the lack of credible characters. These are stereotypical caricatures. Especially bad are the detectives (both English and French) and Professor Simon Barrow. No intelligent academic would address his students in such a manner. I think that the author tried too hard to create memorable characters and failed lamentably.
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Good story and fascinating background
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I found all the information about art thefts and the art world in general very interesting. The plot was complex and there was a neat twist at the end. Da Vinci Code it is not, especially as it is more literary in style. I did rather like the French detective and the apparently stupid English one - who wasn't actually at all stupid. Some of the more minor characters were less convincing but this did not detract from the book as a whole. I loved the description of Portobello Market which came over as flamboyant and sinister by turns. The style is crisp with humorous dialogue which comes over as authentic.
I have only two criticisms - the author's repeated use of the word 'perpendicular' for 'vertical', which I'm surprised an editor didn't pick up on - and the fact that the Italian stolen painting and the search for it seemed to feature very little - except at the beginning and the end, even though this painting was vitally important throughout. I'm sure both of these points are down to the book being a first novel, and I look forward to reading his next book.
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average whodunnit
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This is an enjoyable detective story and along the way you'll pick some interesting bits and pieces about the art world. The descriptions are slightly clumsy in places and at times, like the overweight food-obsessed French detective, tend towards pure caricature rather than characterisation, but even so the action keeps the story moving along. The main drawback is that Charney chose to set his story in the UK when he clearly has little awareness of British English - it's surprising how distracting it is to hear all these Americanisms coming out of the mouths of allegedly British characters.
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The worst book I've read in a long time...
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It's difficult to know where to start with this book - so many things wrong with it, it's a case study in somebody trying too hard. I guess he thought he could write the next Da Vinci Code, but all he's ended up with is the next consignment for the bargain bin.
Completely superficial characters, a highly self-conscious use of adjectives (what is the obsession with using armadillo-like as an adjective - only an armadillo is really like an armadillo), and the least believable plot twists I've seen in a long time (and I've read some trashy novels). If you've read recent newspaper articles about high-end art theft you'll know most of the factual stuff covered in here. The rest is not worth bothering with.
Only read this if you're desperate.
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United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada