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The Gilded Seal
 
 
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The Gilded Seal (Paperback)

by James Twining (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
Price: £4.18 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

The Gilded Seal + The Black Sun + The Double Eagle
Price For All Three: £12.16

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  • This item: The Gilded Seal by James Twining

    In stock.
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  • The Black Sun by James Twining

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  • The Double Eagle by James Twining

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Product details

  • Paperback: 576 pages
  • Publisher: Harper (2 Jun 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0007230419
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007230419
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 62,843 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
Praise for The Gilded Seal: 'James Twining knows how to grip' The Times Literary Supplement 'Ripping Stuff' Daily Sport 'The narrative is fast-paced and the result is highly entertaining' Peter Gutteridge Praise for The Black Sun 'A story that harks back to the Nazis, Hitler and a legendary treasure. What more could you want? If there's a better thriller this year I would like to see it.' Jack Higgins, bestselling author of Without Mercy and The Eagle Has Landed 'An exciting, suspenseful and fast-paced novel' Bookreporter.com Praise for The Double Eagle 'A carefully constructed tale straight out of the Dan Brown mould of thriller writing' Sunday Sun 'This would make the perfect Tom Cruise movie' Independent on Sunday 'A captivating, engrossing debut,!a fast-paced tale of international crime and skullduggery written with style and panache. Twining is a worthy successor to Forsyth, Follett, and Higgins. Highly recommended' Christoper Reich THE DOUBLE EAGLE 'This is an auspicious beginning for a fledgling series' Publishers Weekly 'Brilliantly written with numerous double crosses taking place, James Twining has created a delightful and thought-provoking protagonist. Along with deceit, shattered promises, and murder all going hand in hand The Double Eagle is certainly a pacy novel' Shots 'The Double Eagle will leave you breathless, but never dizzy. Solid debut work' Ladsmag

Product Description
The most audacious heist in history is about to commence, and Tom Kirk is right in the middle of it! Whilst investigating the theft of a stolen Da Vinci, reformed art thief Tom Kirk is confronted with the horrifying sight of a cat nailed to the wall where the painting once stood. He instantly recognises the sign as a greeting from his old enemy Milo. Then Tom finds out that a long time friend in Seville has been murdered and whilst visiting his friend's daughter Eva, she is kidnapped by Milo. Suddenly Tom finds himself in a frantic race against time to save her life. Meanwhile, in New York, FBI agent Jennifer Browne has been asked to investigate a possible art fraud. The trail leads to an Iranian art dealer who denies all knowledge, but when a lawyer who he had dealings with is murdered, Jennifer knows she has stumbled across something very sinister. Are the reappearance of Milo, Eva's kidnapping and the theft of the Da Vinci connected? Are Tom and Jennifer's paths destined to cross again as they descend into a maelstrom of betrayal and murder?

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The Gilded Seal
78% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
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3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Caper, 13 Nov 2007
By C. Green "happily low brow" (Faringdon, Oxon, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This review is from: The Gilded Seal (Hardcover)
James Twining's first novel, The Double Eagle, was a fast paced, enjoyable conspiracy/caper story. It introduced us to retired art thief Tom Kirk, his former fence/current business partner Archie and FBI Agent Jennifer Browne.

His second novel, The Black Sun, had less caper and more conspiracy, with Tom Kirk caught up in a plot involving lost Nazi treasure. It was also less enjoyable, lacking some of the spark that characterised his debut, although it remained a solid and entertaining thriller.

The Gilded Seal however, is very much a return to Twining's Double Eagle form. In fact in many ways it surpasses his debut and could easily be characterised as the author's best book so far.

Essentially a tale of two halves, it reunites Kirk and Agent Browne and thrusts them into a myriad of different interlinked plots revolving around stolen artworks, forged artworks and hidden artworks. Brought into the mix are corrupt art dealers, mercenaries turned art thieves, self-serving law officers with political aspirations, forgers of fine art and Japanese mobsters. At the centre of it all lies the world's most famous painting; The Mona Lisa.

Its an intricate plot full of twists and turns, which builds up to an explosive set piece robbery. Then, in an audacious but very effective move, Twining pulls several significant twists out of the bag that leaves the reader questioning everything that has happed until that moment and sends the whole book spinning off in a new and unforseen direction.

Its all done with great pacing and clever plotting. It also refuses to take any of the simple options open to it. Characters remain true to the personalities they have been given and motives even amongst the story's heroes retain an element of grey. There is no resorting to cliche or having characters act against type simply to keep the story moving along.

It manages to do the latter without any artificial assistance. From the first page the story moves at a lightning pace, both figuratively and literally; flitting from Spain, to Scotland, to New York, to London, to Paris and on to Cuba. This, along with well written action, keeps the excitement palpable and constant throughout.

Are there any weaknesses? Yes, and they're the sort that usually aflict novels of this type. Outside of three or four recurring central characters, who have benefitted from two or three novels to grow and develop, most of the individuals featured in the book are little more than one dimensional sketches or glorified plot devices. There are also a few whiffs of clambering on Dan Brown's band wagon with a plot that revolves a work by Lenardo DaVinci. In the books defense however, the former doesn't detract from the appeal of the book and is to be expected in a book of this sort. To draw comparisons with DaVinci Code would also be unfair, as this is a very different book in terms of content, style and focus. It is, I have to say, also far superior to Brown's blockbuster.

This could well be Twining's real break through bestseller, thrusting him further into the literary limelight. If it does then it is entirely deserved, because as a novel of its type The Gilded Seal really is that good.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it, read it love it., 14 Feb 2008
This review is from: The Gilded Seal (Hardcover)
This is a highly entertaining thriller. The pace is unrelenting and the action reads like a Die Hard film. A terrific story weaved with interesting history had me turning those pages like there was no tomorrow. James Twining knows how to write a good story. His third book (so far) is probably better than his previous two which are also highly enjoyable affairs.
Bottom line:
If you want to lose yourself in a good book and learn a few things along the way then read this book. Nice one, James. Thank you!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Something Missing?, 17 Jul 2008
By Mr. T. Armstrong "armytrb" (Torquay, Devon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Having read both of James Twinings previous books, I was particularly looking forward to the third instalment of adventure with Tom Kirk. As before the book is fast paced and well constructed, however, I felt that there was something missing from the previous books or maybe it was just that the character has now ran his course.

The book is a good read and the story keeps you engaged throughout without ever reaching any great heights. A good book but not as good as Double Eagle or Black Sun for me.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars good book
another good book from JT, carries on the story well from the previous two. Recommended.
Published 7 days ago by A. Platt

5.0 out of 5 stars superb read
having only just fininshed this novel i was very inpressed james twining seems to be able to take the reader from start to end effortlessly the only problem i had with this book... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Richard John Taylor

4.0 out of 5 stars Do These People Ever Go to the Toilet?
I really enjoyed this book - it is extremely fast paced, moving from Scotland, England, United States, Spain, Paris & Cuba effortlessly and quickly. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Charlie_Crocker

5.0 out of 5 stars WOULD MAKE A FANTASTIC FILM
I THINK MATT DAMON WOULD BE IDEAL TO PLAY TOM KIRK. I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK AND AGREE ITS THE BEST SO FAR. I CANT UNDERSTAND WHY ITS RANKED 107,308 IN AMAZON SALES. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Peter Lewis

4.0 out of 5 stars Third Book in the Tom Kirk Series

James Twining was born in London but spent a great deal of his childhood in Paris. He graduated from Christ Church, Oxford with a first-class degree in French Literature,... Read more
Published 18 months ago by J. Chippindale

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic this is 5+ stars!!!!! Bang up to the minute with the painting just being found in real life!
James Twining just keeps getting better and better! This is his best book so far, such an exciting read keeps you gripped from the very first page to the last. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Giblin

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