ART KILLS

Van Lustbader, Eric

ISBN 10: 0786708891 / ISBN 13: 9780786708895

Published by Carroll & Graf, New York, 2002

About this Item

Appears unread.; Tess Chase, a no-nonsense appraiser with a taste for martial as well as fine arts, is in pursuit of a long-lost painting by Raphael. It entangles her in a case of deadly sibling rivalry between the heirs to the empire of East Coast crime boss Rocco Bravanno, dividing Tess's loyalties between the charismatic Anthony and his stunning sister, Jackie, both of whom have a natural lust for art and palate for murder. Uncovering a web of conspiracy and shifting alliances, Tess strives to rescue the painting from its abductors and to save Jackie from a miserable marriage to a man with betrayal in his blood. More than a Raphael is at stake in this murderous tale of envy and revenge, and Tess has yet to learn who the real traitor is. ; 8 x 5 x 0.5 inches; 87 pages.

Seller Inventory # 8568

Bibliographic Details

• Title: ART KILLS
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf, New York
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786708891
• ISBN 13: 9780786708895
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Mystery & Suspense::T - U - V

About this title

Synopsis

Tess Chase investigates the circumstances surrounding a lost Rembrandt stolen from a hit-and-run victim's briefcase.

Reviews

Tess Chase is into the arts fine and martial as the heroine of this slender, mildly diverting thriller, in which the allegedly genteel milieu of art dealing intersects with the sleazy world of a notorious New York crime family. When a car deliberately hits and kills Howard Lenz, "a dodgy little art dealer," on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue across from the (fictitious) Empire State Museum of Art, art consultant Tess witnesses the crime. She follows the man who steals Lenz's blood-stained briefcase and discovers it contains a Raphael that was only rumored to exist. The priceless painting is being fought over by warring factions of the Bravanno crime family, one led by the urbane, ruthless Richard Sanborne (who married Jacqueline Bravanno, a Mafia daughter), the other by Antony Bravanno, Jacqueline's estranged brother. Tess finds herself in the middle of a plot that's too complex to unfold seamlessly in a mere 80 pages. She's a great concept for a heroine an intelligent, sophisticated woman who's not afraid of violent confrontation but she remains a concept. Lustbader's attempts to render her humanity seem contrived (as does Tess's short, bittersweet romance with Jacqueline). Similarly, most of the minor characters, such as the Mafiosi lieutenants, are crude, familiar caricatures of their type. Though the prose is at times vivid, nothing is as fully developed as it should be, and the ending feels forced. The book reads as if it were a treatment for a movie, lacking the dramatic unity that would make it a truly satisfying short work. (Jan. 4)Forecast: With rights sold to Britain, France, Germany and Japan, as well as Lustbader's high name recognition, expect initial strong sales, but be prepared for a sudden falling off once readers realize this isn't up to the level of other titles in this quality novella series.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.