Customer Reviews

Loot

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have always been drawn toward novels with some sort of historical theme. Aaron Elkins' "Loot" which is about missing paintings, that were looted during World War II. The book starts with a quick history lesson then jumps to present day were one of the missing paintings shows up in a Boston pawnshop. A series of murders send main character Ben Revere, an art expert on a chase to find the killers plus the rightful owners of the precious works.

Revere ends up running all over Europe, and Elkins descriptions of cities like Vienna and St. Petersburg make you feel like you have been there. The story is paced well and all of the characters are well rounded, almost too well rounded in the case of Revere. Revere is a true fence sitter, and at times his wishy-washy attitude was a little over the top.

In total Elkins does deliver a fine job keeping the reader engaged with a fine mix of action and informative data. Elkins invokes some thought provoking questions. Is looting works of art during wartime a necessary evil, to keep the works from being destroyed? Overall a very well done and enjoyable read.

Aaron Elkins has always been an uneasy fit in the mystery genre where his books about "Bone Detective" Gideon Oliver have been pigeonholed. His books are more adventures than mysteries, and the mystery elements tend to seem like plot twists rather than clues. Loot, starring new Elkins protagonist Ben Revere, is marketed as a thriller, which I suppose makes as much sense as mystery does for the kind of book Elkins writes. But make no mistake - despite the change in marketing strategy, this is a vintage Elkins work, much of a piece with his Chris Norgren art "mysteries."

When I say that Loot is much like Elkins's other work, that is a recommendation. Elkins's writing style is wonderful: knowing without being jaded, cynical without being downbeat, and full of amusing and telling details. When I read his Gideon Oliver mysteries, I end up wishing I were an anthropologist; when I read his Chris Norgren mysteries, I end up wishing I were a curator in a fine arts museum. Finishing Loot, I found myself caught up in the hero's quest to repatriate art stolen during World War II. I keep hoping that he will one day spawn a host of Elkins imitators I can read, but until then, you can only get the Elkins style from Elkins.

I liked this book. Several things about it appealed to me. First, I have come to recognize Elkins as a writer of intelligent and entertaining mysteries, and this one doesn't disappoint on that score. It keeps you wondering what's really going on right up to the end. The story revolves around a truckload of art stolen by the Nazis during the War and headed for storage in the Austrian Alps. The truck disappears from the convoy it is in, but a painting known to have been on it shows up in a Boston pawn shop fifty years later. Murder and mayhem ensue.

Second, at a time when there are pseudo-intellectuals trying to white-wash Adolph Hitler and arguing that the holocaust was a hoax, Elkins presents examples of the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis on the rest of humanity. The legacy of WW II isn't something to be taken lightly. Such barbarism is all too common, on a smaller scale, even today. Witness Milosevic.

Finally, I enjoy the quirky characterers Elkins creates. This book introduces Dr. Benjamin Revere, an art historian and occaissional investigator. Mysteries aren't characterised by an emphasis on character development -- the plot is the thing. But, as Sherlock Holmes, Maud Silver, Gideon Oliver, Perry Mason and many others have demonstated, a good main mystery character can take on a life of his/her own over the course of a career. Ben Revere is off to a good start.

I looked forward to this book, since I love the Gideon Oliver series. Unfortunately, this one didn't live up to my hopes. I don't know if art history just isn't my thing, or if Elkins did not exibit the same talent in making the subject exciting and interesting that he did for forensic anthopology in earlier books. I am now waiting for Gideon and Julie to come back.

If you like the Chris Norgren mysteries, you will like Ben Revere, who, while searching for lost art and a murderer, will find more of his own soul. If you are interested in the "lost" art in Europe during WWII, you will love being brought along through the search. Aaron Elkins writes "real." And I couldn't put the book down.

I have read some of the Gideon Oliver mysteries by Elkins. I always enjoy learning facts through a fictional setting. The same is true with this story--the stolen art by first the Nazis and then the other countries who tried to "preserve" it after they retrieved it. Even as I was reading the book, there was a news story on the radio about some of the stolen art. I thought it was well written. Like John Grisham's books, Elkins is able to write without the use of foul language and the overabundance of sexual encounters. Decent guys CAN be interesting--and funny too. Although the style may not suit everyone, it suited me and I would recommend it.

"So, if my song you'll 'ear, I will learn you plain an' clear, 'ow to pay yourself for fightin' overtime" (from Rudyard Kipling's "Loot"). For as long as wars have been fought, invading armies have looted the countryside. It was one of the perquisites of the common soldier. During World War II, the German government systematically looted conquered territories, taking valuable artwork back to Germany. In the confusion during the closing days of the war, a truckload of valuable paintings vanishes, but an inventory of the truck's contents remains in the German records.

Benjamin Revere is an art expert living in Boston. Over 50 years have passed, and one of the missing paintings has just shown up in a Boston pawn shop. When the pawn shop owner is killed, Ben is drawn into the investigation. The case seems at a dead end until a companion painting shows up in Austria in the hands of a shady Hungarian. When Ben is contacted by an Austrian count, who claims to be the son of the original owner of the painting, Ben leaves home to travel to Austria, Russia, and Hungary to track down information.

The case is complicated when people come out of the woodwork with competing claims for the Boston painting (estimated value of over $5 million). A trail of dead bodies develops when people associated with the paintings are murdered. It becomes an interesting case of intrigue as Ben tracks down the paintings, with some surprising revelations. There are some comments on different countries' attitudes relating to the ownership of looted art, including references to the Elgin marbles now in England.

I have read almost all of the books by this author and found them to be entertaining as well as instructive. The plots have a different twist and keep one guessing. I highly recommend all of Mr. Elkins' books as well worth the money and the effort. He is a highly readable author.

I have just finished Elkins' Loot, and find it very entertaining. I must admit that I was a bit put off by Dr Revere's idle TV watching, but that was only a small part of the book. I spent some quality time (nearly 3 years) in the Bavarian/Austrian alpine region in the late 50s, and this book took me back. Vienna was a favorite, and some of the bronze statues still sported bullet holes then. If you have ever been in this wonderful part of the world, or would like to be, and if you like some grabbing moments, this is the book for you!

I had been looking forward to reading Loot by Aaron Elkins. I admired his earlier Gideon Oliver books, but thought the later ones had become a bit tired, so was pleased the author would branch out and try something new. And the theme of Loot is a good one - European art looted by the Nazis in WWII, turning up in current times. Alas, I am disappointed by the results. The main character is an insipid bore (doesn't like any work he's ever done, now watches baseball all day, doesn't like strong women), inspiring little interest in his doings and no sympathy (from this reader anyway). The plot moves along in a halting way and scenes that have some promise to become interesting are suddenly ended with little payoff. The writing is clumsy in some areas. I reread several sentences,thinking the editor must have been asleep at the pen. On the positive side, the facts about the Nazis' art looting was interesting and fresh, but that's about all that was.