Landscape of Lies (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) [Paperback]

Peter Watson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Felony & Mayhem Mysteries | Publication Date: December 15, 2005

Watson won the CWA Gold Dagger for Double Dealer, a non-fiction exposé of the black market in stolen art Isobel Sadler is dead broke, and the only thing left that might bring in any money is a stupendously bad painting that’s been in her family for generations. It’s so ugly she can’t imagine it would be worth much . . . until someone tries to steal it. Mystified, she turns for advice to art dealer Michael Whiting, who identifies the painting as a 16th-century treasure map, pointing the way to a cache of priceless religious artifacts that were hidden by monks when Henry VIII was dissolving the monasteries. If he and Isobel can decipher the clues in the painting, Whiting reasons, her money troubles will be history. But if they can’t decode the painting quickly, Whiting and Isobel could be history themselves. Even as they struggle to translate the arcane instructions – laced with references to everything from the Bible to Botticelli – a rival is dogging their trail, and he’ll stop at nothing, even murder, to get his hands on the medieval gold.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When someone tries to steal a medieval painting long owned by her family, Isobel Sadler turns for help to London art gallery owner Michael Whiting. She is amazed to learn that the picture, titled Landscape of Lies , is a "puzzle map" whose nine male figures each symbolize priceless silver relics that were squirreled away by monks when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. Isobel and Michael--who, naturally, fall in love--set out to find the treasure, but an obsessed academic who will stop at nothing, not even murder, stays a few steps ahead of them. Watson, who proved himself a master of the art-world thriller in The Caravaggio Conspiracy , has turned out an amiable entertainment that is more a self-indulgent exercise than a suspense novel. The path to the silver is strewn with red herrings and arcane clues involving Botticelli, the Bible, horticulture, classical lore and medieval iconography.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

After foiling a determined burglar's attempt to steal an apparently valueless 16th-century painting, Isobel Sadler enlists the aid of art dealer Michael Whiting. Soon convinced the picture reveals the location of long-lost sacred treasures worth millions, the two compete with the mysterious, increasingly ruthless burglar to solve the painted puzzle first. As Michael and Isobel cross London and the countryside, art history, budding romance, and deepening suspense merge in a credible journey related with sustained literariness, refinement, and polish. A wonderful, charming offering from the author of The Caravaggio Conspiracy .
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Felony & Mayhem (December 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933397187
• ISBN-13: 978-1933397184
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,143,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books ever!, October 17, 2001

By 

K. Bingham "kirstieb" (Bath, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Landscape of Lies (Hardcover)

I picked this book up at random off of a library shelf about 10 years ago and it turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read. A great mix of intrigue, mystery, history and art, this book should have been a best-seller! I highly recommend it! Theives try to steal an old, worthless painting which turns out to be a treasure map - if deciephered correctly, it will show the location of the treasures of one of the most wealthy monasteries in England, hidden during Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries and never found since. There is a race between the lead characters and the "bad guy" to see who can figure out the historical clues in the map and get to the treasure first!

This is a first-rate, fascinating tale. Pick up a copy!

It's a must to have the dust jacket though - it is a copy of the painting that turns out to be a treasure map. Without it, the book wouldn't be half as fun as you wouldn't have a clear reference of the compents of the painting. I referred to the dust jacket many times for clarification of what each clue really looked like.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book includes very-cool pull-out painting that you can reference as you read the mystery, July 14, 2006

By 

S. Ford (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Landscape of Lies (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Paperback)

I love books with art-themes, so I was excited when I found out that this book was about following the clues in a painting. And it didn't let me down. The plot is exciting, with a couple of really appealing people (an art dealer and a young woman who owns the painting) trying to solve the riddle, and a really bad guy who is also trying to solve it for his own evil ends! The author clearly knows his stuff (he's written some non-fiction, too, about the art market), and the information about 16th-century painting is fascinating. And it's really cool that the book includes an insert of the "Landscape of Lies" painting itself, so readers can "play along at home."

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unexcelled!, August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Landscape of Lies (Hardcover)

"Landscape of Lies" is Peter Watson`s best novel. The reader learns a lot about Fine Arts and East Anglia. It`s a real cliff hanger with neverending twists and an unpredictable ending. I read it several times, it`s one of my favorite books and I recommend it to everybody. It`s a shame, that the real good books(like this one and for instance Laird Koenig`s "The little Girl who lives down the Lane") are very soon out of print. There are so many boring books that you can still buy after 10 years...why not this one?