27 September 2022.
ISBN: 978-1-529004366-6 (HB)
This is the eighteenth book in the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series. Grace had tried in the last two weeks, since his eleven year old son Bruno had been knocked down by a car and killed, to distract himself with work, but still the tears formed. A year and a half ago he hadn’t even known that Bruno existed. His former wife Sandy who disappeared, had kept her pregnancy and Bruno’s existence a secret from him. Drying his eyes, he turned his attention to a cold case that interested him.
In 2015 wealthy London art dealer Charlie Porteous had been murdered in the entrance to the driveway of his house. Investigation revealed that he had acquired a painting -possibly a lost work by the eighteenth-century French artist Fragonard, from a dubious source, and that he had paid cash, this being completely out of character as normally he would have paid by cheque or bank transfer. But a huge investigation given the name ‘Operation Canvas’ has drawn a blank.
As Grace assembles his team, DS Norman Potting, who is struggling with a possible serious illness, DI Glenn Branson, his deputy SIO, a close friend whose fiancé is a journalist and has written a scathing article on the police force putting their wedding in jeopardy, DC Velvet Wilde, and former DC Polly Sweeney, retired, but who has now returned as a civilian investigator, for a recap on Operation Canvas, some miles away builder Harry Kipling and his wife Freya are discussing Harry’s car boot find of an old painting which Harry bought because he liked frame, but has since discovered accidentally a lovely painting underneath. Could this be a long-lost masterpiece worth millions? Luckily, Harry knows someone in the art business who might know. Or they could try the Antiques Road show? Harry and Freya are excited about their discovery, and they dream of what they could spend the money on, but could their dream turn into a nightmare . . .
I was fascinated by the methods used to create a forgery, and the insights into the murky art world. What outwardly appears glamourous and beautiful, hides deception, greed and violence.
Initially unaware of Harry’s find, Grace and his team use all the technology available to track down Charlie Porteous’s killer. And there is a lot of it. I was amazed at how much.
This
book is chilling in the violence and depths that the obsession to own a
painting can plumb. An unputdownable thriller. Highly recommended.
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Reviewer:
Lizzie Sirett
Peter James was educated at Charterhouse and then at film school. He lived in North America for a number of years, working as a screen writer and film producer, before returning to England. His multiple award-winning, Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling novels have been translated into thirty-three languages. His writings reflect his deep interest in medicine, science and the world of the police. He has produced numerous films, including The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes. He also co-created the hit Channel 4 series Bedsitcom, which was nominated for a Rose d'Or. Peter James won the Krimi-Blitz 2005 Crime Writer of the Year Award in Germany, and Dead Simple won both the 2006 Prix Polar International award and the 2007 Prix Cœur Noir award in France. Looking Good Dead was shortlisted for the 2007 Richard and Judy Crime Thriller of the Year award and has been shortlisted for both France's SNCF award and Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policère. He divides his time between his homes in Notting Hill in London and Sussex.
