Holiday Book Recommendations

Gifts for the mystery lover who is obsessed with art heists

Did you read all the coverage of the recent theft from the Louvre? Or were you obsessed with the documentary about the Gardner Museum heist? If so, I have some recent books for you! This has been a banner year for books about art theft.

I was so excited to read THE GALLERY ASSISTANT by Kate Belli, and this book did not disappoint. Set in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Belli manages to capture the fragile feel of New York at that time. Reeling from the trauma, Chloe, the titular character, has been drinking heavily and experiencing black outs. After one night out, celebrating a newly signed gallery artist, Chloe stumbles in to work with no memory of much of the evening. When she realizes the police are there, investigating the murder of the artist, she begins to fear she may know more than she remembers. After all, she was one of the last people to see her. There are some flashbacks to September 11, so this may not be a good fit for everyone on your list. That said, while I usually avoid books that depict that day, I found this one really well done. Belli does a great job capturing the fleeting ethos of New York at that time.

Jonathan Santlofer’s THE LOST VAN GOGH continues the adventures of Luke Perrone, artist and grandson of the man who stole the Mona Lisa, and Alexis Verde as they try to track down an elusive self portrait by Vincent Van Gogh. From the Bowery in New York City, to the canals of Amsterdam to a tiny French village, the pair risk their lives to unearth the painting, as well as some nasty secrets. Santlofer’s tale is beautifully written and full of non-stop action.

THE STOLEN QUEEN by the inimitable Fiona Davis (if you haven’t read ALL of her books, you are missing out!) is yet another fabulous (double) period drama, set in New York City and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Told from two points of view and set at two different time periods, the novel follows the fate of a female archaeologist, who suffers a terrible tragedy as she researches a female pharaoh, and a young woman trying to find her way in New York City in the 1970s. They are thrown together to investigate the theft of a beloved artifact from the Metropolitan Museum in this beautifully written suspense.

THE MUSEUM DETECTIVE by Maha Khan Phillips also features the theft of some antiquities. Dr. Gul Delani, an Egyptologist at a museum in Afghanistan, finds herself in the middle of a dangerous turf war when she is asked to investigate a mysterious mummy that turns up in the crime scene of a bloody shoot out. This one is atmospheric and pulse-pounding.

Anna Barrington’s THE SPECTACLE tells the story of the enigmatic Rudolph Sullivan, an art dealer who has made a name for himself as a rising star in the art world. But all is not as it seems with Rudolph. This novel is full of social commentary about the unregulated nature of the art world, a world populated with big personalities, and the distinct power dynamics within it.

And a release of the classic heist novel (jewels this time, like the Louvre!) TO CATCH A THIEF by David Dodge. This 1951 novel holds up so well. It has all the style of the movie with Carrie Grant as the cat burglar John Robie, as he tries to clear his name when a copy-cat jewel thief strikes, upending his retirement. If you haven’t read TO CATCH A THIEF, you are in for a treat.

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