Combining some terrific elements of superb detection and riveting mystery alongside a very inventive plot and set in Amsterdam’s art world.  WW2’s Nazi looting is cleverly intertwined within a modern and accurate setting of the city today.  You’ll relate to the characters and you’ll love the fast-paced and page-turning nature of the novel and the surprising conclusion.

Synopsis

When an old woman storms into the Rijksmuseum demanding the return of her painting, maverick archivist Ruth Braams cannot suppress her curiosity. It also appears that the elderly Lydia is not the only claimant and, against strict bureau regulations, Ruth endeavours to help strengthen her case.

But gradually  - through Lydia's scatty revelations, the queer time capsule of her house, and the esoteric inscriptions on the painting itself - a dark and disturbing tale unfolds. Who was the picture's obscure creator? And why were the Nazis so keen to acquire this second-rate oil for the führer's planned museum?

Days later, Ruth begins to receive sinister anonymous threats, warning her to stay away from Lydia, and the painting. As the threats escalate, Ruth realises that there must be far more to the painting's popularity, and she enters into a series of increasingly lethal adventures as she investigates its secret symbolism ...

A brilliant evocation of Amsterdam that combines fascinating historical detail with a cast of sharply realised characters - a fast-paced, finely crafted mystery.

Reviews

‘A wonderful novel, intriguing and satisfying, every page a winner…it gripped me to the end’ Alan Sillitoe

‘Riveting’ Art Quarterly

‘A fantastic page-turner and one of the best stories I’ve read this year’ Birmingham Post

About the Author

Adrian Mathews was born and brought up in London and read English at Cambridge University. For many years he was a lecturer at London University’s British Institute in  Paris before becoming a full-time writer. He continues to live in France with his daughter Lizzie, between homes in Paris and rural Touraine. He is the author of a critical study of nineteenth-century English literature, Romantics and Victorians (1992), and two previous novels: The Hat of Victor Noir (1996) and Vienna Blood (1999). Vienna Blood won the prestigious CWA Silver Dagger Award in 1999. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation