- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: William Morrow & Company (Aug 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 006000441X
- ISBN-13: 978-0060004415
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14.7 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,772,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Death Artist
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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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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A murder mystery involving the art world, with murders being staged to look like famous paintings and all the victims artists, collectors, dealers, museum directors, or gallery owners, is an intriguing and largely successful concept here, and Santlofer's own background as an artist gives him an insider's view of the intricacies of the business. The action is non-stop, with an amazing 8 - 10 deaths, some of them bizarre and truly ghoulish, as art historian Kate McKinnon Rothstein tries to outwit a clever killer by identifying the paintings the killer is imitating in his murderous tableaux. At least four red herrings and one car chase keep Kate and the reader occupied between murders, while the action moves from Manhattan penthouses to Hell's Kitchen, Long Island, and even Venice for the Bienale.
Unfortunately, the writing is formulaic, and the reader must wade through dozens of clichés, much wooden dialogue, and "push-button images" in order to enjoy the mystery. The clichés begin with the opening sentence-"Even before it all went bad she had the feeling it was going to be a rotten day"-and continue as the characters are introduced. Willie is "sick and tired of being referred to as a 'black artist.' I'm an artist. Period." William Mason Pruitt, president of the Board of the Museum of Contemporary Art, is a conservative, we understand--he is described as a friend of Jesse Helms, and he wears a Yale tie.
Kate McKinnon Rothstein comes from an ordinary background, something we know because her mother is depicted wearing a "J.C.Penney dress," while Kate wears designer clothes, $400 shoes, lives in a 12-room penthouse, and carries a Prada purse. And which of these characters do you think is the senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art--Floyd Brown or Schuyler Mills? Similes and metaphors are of the "he yelped like a pup" and "...spreading faster than a fungus in the rainforest" variety. The excitement here is obviously more visual than literary, and one can imagine this novel becoming a successful, if bloody, film. Mary Whipple
Format:Paperback
i stumbled upon this book at the airport one day, and despite the fact that there is usually little choice on the shelves, this book proved to be very good. Engaging and gripping from the start, it satiated both my need for a bit of r-rated violence and a good cop story/mystery. And unlike a good number of spy thrillers and stories, the plot in this book was very well thought-out and written (no plot holes of any kind). Full of characters you can really appreciate and get to know (and they are all incredibly flawed, which i really appreciated as well), it provides the reader with a story you can really sink your teeth into. The ending did sort of drag, but then it is generally how Americans write their stories, but other than that, get this book if you're looking for a good mystery with a 'realistic' serial killer.
Format:Paperback
This was my first JS novel, and i came upon it quite by accident as i d never even heard of the author before. As well as an author, JS is also a well known artist as is obviously reflected here in his debut novel. Not a page goes by where art isnt mentioned in some context or other and even the murders are staged to look like famous paintings. Myself, i m not into art at all, never entered an art gallery in my life (my loss, i m sure). But the author never failed to keep me equally entertained and intrigued from start to finish with the classic who done it question nagging at me all the time. Perhaps the red herring thrown repeatedly into the plot could have been avoided but they didnt lower my opinion on this book. Excellent dialogue and believable characters though perhaps Kate, the main character could have been introduced into a little bit more detail. Almost as good as Richard Montanari's The Rosary Girls. And hey, after reading this i feel like visiting an art exhibition sometime soon!
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