Into the Vortex: A Tim Simpson Novel [Hardcover]

John Malcolm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

Realizing that a purported Wyndam Lewis painting is far more valuable than he had first thought, art expert Tim Simpson finds himself tracking the killer of two of the painting's owners and trying to hang on to both his job and marriage."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Art history and series fans alike will applaud the latest Tim Simpson adventure (e.g., Hung Over, LJ 9/1/95) which features the usual search for an important but undervalued painting. Simpson acquires art for his bank's Art Fund?a straightforward task?but the quartet of partners who want to sell him a Wyndam Lewis painting seems plagued by murder and disappearance. Meanwhile, the new head of Christerby's auction house, where Simpson is a director, show an unhealthy liking for Lewis's work?and for Simpson's wife as well. Dry wit, subtle wordplay, and literate references add charm to the painting puzzle. Strongly recommended.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A truly offbeat episode for adventurous, knowledgeable Tim Simpson, advisor to the Art Fund at London's White's Bank (Hung Over, 1995, etc.). This 12th installment in the series starts with a call that takes Tim to a meeting with four oddly assorted strangers. They offer him a fine Wyndham Lewis drawing with the promise of a major painting by the same artist to become available shortly. Tim happily buys the drawing--it's some consolation for the problems besetting White's, where the board, without consulting Tim, has taken on tycoon Piers Hargreaves, who's notorious for downsizing, or worse, any enterprise he controls. He's also, it transpires, a collector of Wyndham Lewis, and pressures Tim to take him along for a look at the painting, if it ever materializes. A note from Mr. Brooks, one of the mysterious quartet, brings the news that Frank Smith, another of the four, has been killed in a hit and run. Then comes an aborted meeting with Brooks, as well as Tim's discovery of the hanged body of George Welling--the four now down to two. Back at the bank, meanwhile, various deals are being bruited about--all of them depressing, and all instigated by Hargreaves. When the long-awaited viewing is finally scheduled, it brings Tim to a scene of savagery, a battle for his life, and the barely feasible motive behind it all. The author's style is, as ever, literate and wryly civilized. But a somewhat incoherent plot and a heavy measure of rather specialized lore on art and literature may lessen the general appeal. Art mavens, though, should love every minute. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 199 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312155557
• ISBN-13: 978-0312155551
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,568,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you love the Antique Roadshows ...., January 30, 2000

By 

Annette Floystrup (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Into the Vortex: A Tim Simpson Novel (Hardcover)

If you love PBS' "Antiques Roadshow", you're in for a treat. John Malcolm has written a series of Tim Simpson mysteries that delve intriguingly into the world of fine art acquisition. Modern English art history comes alive with the personalities and scandals we never hear about when viewing the art in a museum.

In "Into the Vortex", Tim Simpson is offered a Wyndham Lewis drawing by a mysterious foursome. As the foursome is whittled down one by one, first by apparently accidental and then decidedly murderous means, Tim confronts both an art history mystery and modern high finance. This book's plot is a bit tortured, making it a 4 rather than a five star Tim Simpson, but it is a very entertaining read none the less.

Protagonist Tim Simpson is a breath of fresh air as a knowledgeable buyer for White's Art Fund. Working for White's Bank, a most British merchant bank, Tim is based in London. Both he and White's have a South American past that often crops up in unexpected ways. A former "Cambridge Blue" rugby player, Tim has the ability to handle himself in a tough corner, an ability that he must call upon quite often in the cutthroat world of fine art collecting.

The Tim Simpson mysteries afford the opportunity to learn about the world of Whistler, Sargent, Lewis, Godwin, Rodin and many more, as well as their often intertwined and tangled lives and shared mistresses. The reader gets a look behind the scenes of auction houses and antiques dealers from junkmen to exclusive galleries. Along the way, the fortunes of a British Merchant Bank are intriguingly explored.

If you enjoy learning painlessly as you read for fun, then you will consume the Tim Simpson mysteries like popcorn. Fine Art, intrigue and high finance make for some very entertaining reading. Well written and well researched, this is a series well worth getting hooked on.