The Art Forger
Author: BA Shapiro
Pages: 384 pages
This story begins at the home of struggling artist - Claire Roth. She cannot afford an apartment and an art studio, so she lives in her studio. She is extremely talented, but an incident with an ex-boyfriend three years ago has left her black marked in the art world. So she makes her living doing reproductions of paintings - mostly Degas. She is certified as a Degas expert.
One day, the owner of a prestigious gallery approaches her with an offer. It isn't one she really can refuse - or wants to - because it ends with her getting her own show in the gallery if the deal is pulled off. But the offer is risky, and due to her past, she is worried that if caught - it could further hurt her career.
She accepts the offer, and in the process, she discovers the past of Degas and the missing paintings from the Elizabeth Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It leads Claire down a dangerous path that could land her in jail. She is torn between doing the right thing, and the thing she wants most.
This was a GREAT book. I have said that a lot lately, and I am glad! Sometimes I get into a slump with one so/so book after another, but so far - it has been a pretty good reading start to the year. Anyway - another well written book. I moved to Switzerland from Boston, and I am familiar with the Elizabeth Stewart Gardner Museum. I lived there for 6 years and I never knew that there was an art heist with that museum in 1990 where 500 million dollars worth of art was stolen. And it still hasn't been recovered. (There is a 10 million dollar reward for anyone who returns the art). This was a big part of the story, and I liked how the author used the truth.
I couldn't stop reading - had to get to the end to find out what would happen to Claire and the missing art, and I know you will feel the same.
Stars: 5
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