The Art Thief – Noah Charney Free Audiobook

Written by Noah Charney
Read by Simon Vance
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Release date: April 20, 2009
Duration: 10:14:09

Rome: In the small church of Santa Giuliana, a magnificent Caravaggio altarpiece disappears without a trace in the middle of the night.

Paris: In the basement vault of the Malevich Society, the curator is shocked to discover the disappearance of the Society’s great treasure, White on White by Suprematist painter Kasimir Malevich.

London: At the National Gallery of Modern Art, the museum’s newest acquisition is stolen just hours after it was purchased for £6.3 million.

Three apparently unrelated art thefts have more in common than anyone imagines. As a renowned art investigator, a police inspector, and a Scotland Yard inspector take up their separate investigations, a trail of bizarre clues and intellectual puzzles reveals forgeries, over-paintings, and double crosses in an ever-deepening conspiracy.

A review (pro) – Hilarious! Delicious! This deftly plotted mystery is filled with art and French food and delightful heroines and heroes. (Or are they thieves?) Author Noah Charney’s knowledge of the art world is extensive–he headed the first international think tank on art theft–so this romp is not only entertaining, but educational as well. Even better than the art mystery are the meals. Simon Vance uses rich accents to create a believable Gallic atmosphere as he “ooo-la-las!” his way through a series of gastronomic adventures, making listeners’ mouths water at the same time that their sides ache with laughter. By the end of the book, it’s hard to care where the paintings end up as long as all the characters are happy. B.H.B Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

A Review (con) – With its flat characters, overly technical exposition and a plot implausible even in the wake of The Da Vinci Code, art historian Charney’s debut disappoints. Despite his extensive knowledge of the art world’s criminal underbelly, Charney delivers a story so bogged down with minutiae that even the most dedicated reader will get stuck.