The Art Thief
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Product Description
Product Description
The disappearance of a priceless Caravaggio in Rome and the famous 'White on White' by Russian painter Kasimir Malevich in Paris heralds the start of a series of seemingly unconnected art crimes across Europe. Fitting the pieces together as they follow a trail of bluffs and double-bluffs, bizarre clues and intellectual puzzles, Inspector Jean-Jacques Bizot in Paris and Harry Wickenden of Scotland Yard come to realize that what at first appears a spate of random thefts is all part of a single master plan, and that they are being led ever deeper into a baffling conspiracy. This fiendishly clever debut thriller takes us behind the scenes of the elite fine art world of auction houses, academia and museums to offer a fascinating view of art history, witty, fast-paced dialogue and an ever-surprising plot that twists its way from Rome to Paris to London and back again.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was disappointing with an obvious plot, a broken storyline and too much lecturing of the reader.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Oh my, where to start with this book. The only positive I can think of is that the author obviously knows his stuff and is passionate about it. But if you are looking for a `witty, fast-paced' novel that takes you on a `breathtaking journey', as was the description on the back of the book, give it a miss, because it is extremely misleading! The pace was excruciatingly slow. As for `witty' - there was no wit in this book at all, unless the author considers one of the characters calling his students `turkeys' or `sheep' was funny, or maybe one character repeatedly mistaking his vibrating phone in his pocket for something else...
This book is more like a non-fiction work on art, art history, art crimes and is very informative in that respect but it felt like the author was cramming in as much of this stuff as he could, a lot not necessary. It made reading very hard-going - I felt like I had been reading for ages but it turned out that it was only a few pages! I was so tempted not to finish this book but I stuck it out, but my God it was painful. I kept hoping that soon the pace would pick up but it never did and was possibly one of the most boring books I've ever read.
The ending I found most unsatisfactory. The writing style was atrocious - sometimes I thought that the dialogues the author wrote could never possibly take place in real life, so stilted. There were quite a few characters in the book, none of them particularly likeable and while the author tried to develop them, he didn't succeed, only giving us bits and pieces. And why does nearly everyone in the book smoke (and no I'm not from the anti-smoking brigade)? One other thing that really annoyed me - and not only in this book - some of the book is set in France, and Italy. Most of the book is in English but quite often you have French sentences or Italian ones - now my French is reasonably good and I know a bit of Italian so it's not that I don't understand the meaning - but what on earth is the purpose of this? To prove the author knows French and Italian? Most irritating.
In short, do not believe a word in the product description as none of it is true. If you want a dissertation on art etc. go ahead and read it - otherwise give it a miss.
This book is more like a non-fiction work on art, art history, art crimes and is very informative in that respect but it felt like the author was cramming in as much of this stuff as he could, a lot not necessary. It made reading very hard-going - I felt like I had been reading for ages but it turned out that it was only a few pages! I was so tempted not to finish this book but I stuck it out, but my God it was painful. I kept hoping that soon the pace would pick up but it never did and was possibly one of the most boring books I've ever read.
The ending I found most unsatisfactory. The writing style was atrocious - sometimes I thought that the dialogues the author wrote could never possibly take place in real life, so stilted. There were quite a few characters in the book, none of them particularly likeable and while the author tried to develop them, he didn't succeed, only giving us bits and pieces. And why does nearly everyone in the book smoke (and no I'm not from the anti-smoking brigade)? One other thing that really annoyed me - and not only in this book - some of the book is set in France, and Italy. Most of the book is in English but quite often you have French sentences or Italian ones - now my French is reasonably good and I know a bit of Italian so it's not that I don't understand the meaning - but what on earth is the purpose of this? To prove the author knows French and Italian? Most irritating.
In short, do not believe a word in the product description as none of it is true. If you want a dissertation on art etc. go ahead and read it - otherwise give it a miss.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Pretentious throughout
Firstly, I must note that the author certainly knows his art history, and he likes to talk about it. A lot. Read more
Published 6 months ago by joevascotia
Dan Brown with an A-level in Art
It's quite pretentious and convoluted in places. If you are a big fan of Dan Brown but want something a little more highbrow, then this may be for you, but anyone else may want to... Read more
Published 15 months ago by JB Reeves
Buy something else
I bought this because I needed something for a long flight and I was in a hurry.
Truly the worst book I've read in years. Plot badly thought through. Characters awful. Read more
Truly the worst book I've read in years. Plot badly thought through. Characters awful. Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2009 by James H
really rather wonderful
This book sparked an interest with the mention of Carravaggio (an artist Ive studied) and the National Gallery ( one of the best gallery's Ive been to) I havent read a book in a... Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2009 by keri
Don't waste your time (or your money)
This was the most dreadful book I've read in years. The characterisation was banal - ridiculous stereotypes from decades ago. And has the author ever visited London? Read more
Published on 20 Sep 2008 by Judith Barnard
not a fan
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. Read more
Published on 7 May 2008 by No Name
The Author Certainly Knows About Art
Noah Charney was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1979. After graduating, he moved to London, where he studied at the Courtauld Institute and received a Masters for his work on... Read more
Published on 14 April 2008 by J. Chippindale
Good story and fascinating background
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. Read more
Published on 27 Mar 2008 by Damaskcat
average whodunnit
This is an enjoyable detective story and along the way you'll pick some interesting bits and pieces about the art world. Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2008 by Helen
The worst book I've read in a long time...
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. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2008 by M. G. Upton
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