A Long Time Coming

Val Caruso is able to look in a mirror and give a perfect self-assessment of his present, not so enviable, situation. He did need a few drinks, some clam dip and crackers to make that admission. Who can blame him?! He has lost out on a job promotion, lost another marriage and is losing his youth. He has no home and is staying in a friend’s multi million dollar condo. Simply, his ego has taken a beating. He is in the process of asking himself “Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going.” The answers to the latter two form the basis of the book. Val Caruso is an associate curator of art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is given to “profound five-second character analyses” which might be a problem. He is leaving show more for Milan to coordinate logistics for an art exhibit that will tour several cities in the United States. And that makes him a candidate for an extracurricular job that promises to be a thankless and impossible task, which is really going to be a problem.

There was a lot to like about this book. The plot and characters formed a cohesive, enjoyable narrative. The tongue in cheek humor had me chuckling, well if not chuckling, grinning. But Mr. Elkins you have been caught reusing Goldstein’s Law of Interconnected Monkey Business, that clever law of coincidences from “Skeleton Dance.” Never mind, it was timely and clever once again. I got a brief but very interesting education in art forensics and art restoration vis-à-vis a forger’s perspective. A very satisfactory murder mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC. show less

Nowhere near the quality of his earlier works...at least, as I remember them.

Review
“Engrossing…Filled with art lore and plenty of Milan local color, this standalone will keep readers turning the pages.” ―Publishers Weekly
“Great Milanese backgrounds, literate dialogue among characters whose appearances are described to the last jot and tittle, pleasingly shifting alliances…” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Classy work, deserving patience.” ―Booklist
Product Description
It takes a real artist to solve a crime this big―in a brilliant, engrossing mystery by Edgar Award winner Aaron Elkins…
Art curator Val Caruso is not a happy camper. His promotion has just been nixed, his divorce has become final, and he’s dug himself into a nice little rut for his fortieth birthday. The uplift? A trip to Milan to help show more Holocaust survivor Sol Bezzecca recover a pair of cherished sketches by Renoir. They’d once been given to Sol’s family by the then-unknown artist, looted by the Italian Fascist militia, and now after decades in hiding have turned up for auction. It’s Val’s job to get them back.
Unfortunately, his Italian adventure takes a dangerous turn when he becomes trapped in an intricate web that reaches back to World War II―and is still very sticky with art thieves, forgers, and somebody who wants Val out of the picture permanently. When the lost Renoirs are stolen yet again, Val is more determined than ever to hunt them down. The reward for reuniting an old man with his rightful past? Priceless.
But doing it is going to be murder.
About the Author
Aaron Elkins’s mysteries and thrillers have earned him an Edgar, an Agatha, a Nero Wolfe Award, and a Malice Domestic Lifetime Achievement Award. His nonfiction works have appeared in Smithsonian magazine, the New York Times magazine, and Writer’s Digest.
A former anthropology professor, Elkins is known for starting the forensic-mystery genre with his 1982 novel, Fellowship of Fear. He currently serves as the anthropological consultant for the Olympic Peninsula Cold Case Task Force in Washington State.
Elkins lives in Washington with his wife, Charlotte―his occasional collaborator―who is also an Agatha winner. show less