The Black Sun - Softcover

Twining, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007190174 ISBN 13: 9780007190171

Publisher: Harper, 2006

Synopsis

High adventure, mind--blowing suspense. Tom Kirk, the world's greatest art thief, is back on another life--threatening mission. In London, an Auschwitz survivor is murdered in his hospital bed, his killers making off with a macabre trophy -- his severed left arm. In Fort Mead, Maryland, a vicious gang breaks into the NSA museum and steals a World War II Enigma machine, lynching the guard who happens to cross their path. Meanwhile, in Prague, a frenzied and mindless anti-Semitic attack on a synagogue culminates in the theft of a seemingly worthless painting by a little known Czech artist called Karel Bellak. A year has passed since Tom Kirk, the world's greatest art thief, decided to put his criminal past behind him and embark on a new career, on the right side of the law . Then three major thefts occur, and suddenly Tom is confronted with a deadly mystery and a sinister face from the past.

About this title

About the Author:

James Twining was born in London but spent much of his childhood in Paris. After graduating from Oxford University with a first class degree in French Literature, he worked in Investment Banking for four years before leaving to set up his own company which he then sold three years later, having been named as one of the eight "Best of Young British" Entrepreneurs in The New Statesman magazine. James lives in London with his wife and baby daughter.

From Publishers Weekly:

Those hoping for a more original plot than that found in Twining's first book, The Double Eagle, will be disappointed with this thriller again featuring Tom Kirk, a London-based ex-CIA agent and former professional art thief. Kirk is trying to go straight when he's recruited for a British MI6 operation to thwart a group of neo-Nazi extremists known as Kristall Blade. Tom wants no part of it until shown that his longtime enemy, Harry Renwick, is one of the conspirators. Soon Tom and partners Archie Connolly and the lovely Dominique de Lecourt are off on a Da Vinci Code–like treasure hunt complete with maps, codes, secret safety deposit boxes, car chases, gun fights and those favorite WWII staples, Eichmann's "gold train" and the lost Russian Amber Room. Veteran thriller readers, especially those who specialize in the Nazi subgenre, will find few surprises. Kirk, a muted, low-key character, spends far too much time brooding about his complicated backstory; the man could use a strong dose of caffeine and less shopworn material to break him out of his lethargy. (Dec.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0007190174
• ISBN 13: 9780007190171
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 592