Madonna of the Apes (Art Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Nicholas Kilmer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Art Mysteries | Publication Date: October 1, 2005

Fred Taylor, a veteran of unspecified clandestine services that have caused him to spend hard times in Southeast Asia, finds himself at loose ends in Boston. A late-night chance encounter in the city's Beacon Hill area throws his lot in with eccentric art collector Clayton Reed. Reed has been tricked by a young man as unscrupulous as he is ignorant into examining and considering for purchase a collection of paintings whose presence in the U.S. seems, at best, informal.
Fred, sensing Reed's naiveti in matters of personal security, volunteers to guarantee that security at the same time as Reed's acumen as a connoisseur astounds Fred. How could Reed just walk away from the situation with what he later gloatingly describes as "a prize worth more than the gross domestic product of Bulgaria."
What Reed has purchased appears to be a painting by one of the most important artists of the Italian Renaissance. But is it what it seems
Can The Madonna of the Apes be a forgery
How did it come to be, so quietly, in Boston
These questions propel Reed and Fred into an increasingly murderous tangle, guided only by the assurances of a sequence of art dealers who lie as easily as they withhold the truth about the painting, its true nature, and its history.
Nicholas Kilmer is the author of five previous Fred Taylor art mysteries.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of Kilmer's quirky art mysteries will welcome the delightfully inventive sixth entry in this underappreciated series (Harmony in Flesh and Black, etc.), a prequel that explains how art critic Fred Taylor and wealthy, reclusive Boston collector Clayton Reed met. Franklin Tilley, a young man in possession of an eclectic art collection of uncertain provenance and ownership, sets up Reed for a scam or worse. When Taylor intervenes, he's sucked out of his uneasy loner existence into an alliance with Reed that will ripen into a close friendship. Tilley, who knows little about the art he's peddling, offers a dubious masterpiece for $3 million, but Reed, for a much smaller sum, comes away with "a prize worth more than the gross domestic product of Bulgaria." The shocking painting, which Reed is convinced is by Leonardo da Vinci, gives Kilmer a chance to provide a flippant but incisive critique of Leonardo's accomplishments and genius while his heroes ferret out the truth. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Every hero needs an origin story, and Fred Taylor is finally getting his. Fans of Kilmer's series about Taylor, the man who keeps unconventional art collector Clayton Reed out of trouble, will no doubt enjoy the chance to see how the two came together. The story involves a painting of dubious origin, a scam, and a murder. It's a fast-paced introduction to the world of art collecting told by someone who knows whereof he writes: Kilmer is himself a painter and art dealer. Readers unfamiliar with the series may feel like they're missing things (the novel appears to be written with the assumption that we're already familiar with the characters), but fans will enjoy the novel's many foreshadowings of things to come. Kilmer belongs in the hands of those who enjoy Jonathan Gash's Lovejoy series or Iain Pears' Jonathan Argyll novels. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 270 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; First Edition edition (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590581962
• ISBN-13: 978-1590581964
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,116,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars stupendous sixth Taylor-Reed collaboration, October 14, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Madonna of the Apes (Art Mysteries) (Hardcover)

In Boston, Good Samaritan Clayton Reed tries to help his drunken companion to his home. Another passerby Fred Taylor comes along and helps. At the apartment, Fred, a former overseas operative, takes charge as he knows the drunk was pulling scam on the innocent Clayton and takes over the situation. The phony drunk is a Franklin from Atlanta and he has some interesting art, if genuine, in his place that should probably not be in the United States. Franklin says he has something truly special coming in to his possession in a few days; the tantalizer hooks art collector Clayton who agrees to return.

As they leave, Fred asks Clayton if he is nuts. He responds in kind by hiring Fred to provide him security. A few days later, they are shown a Renaissance masterpiece MADONNA OF THE APES that could have be an original Renaissance masterpiece. Though having doubts on its' authenticity, related murders occur that seem to affirm that this painting is indeed a lost treasure worth dying for.

The stupendous sixth Taylor-Reed collaboration is a prequel to the previous art mysteries by occurring at the beginning when they first met and formed their employer-employee relationship. The tale is terrific as the art expert and the former agent work to learn if MADONNA OF THE APES is authentic and uncover who is murdering those associated with the painting. Taylor receives a first hand lesson in art appreciation as dealers willingly lie to make a sale. Nicholas Kilmer refreshes his delightful series with a wonderful "first" tale.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Art, Less Interesting Plot, March 20, 2006

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Madonna of the Apes (Art Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Although Madonna of the Apes is the 6th book in this series, the book's subject goes back to when the two regular protagonists, Fred Taylor and Clayton Reed, first met. Since I hadn't read any of the other books in the series, this seemed like a good time to dip my toe into the water.

As the book opens, Fred Taylor finds himself awakening to a situation that doesn't seem quite right. It seems like a large snake has slithered over him . . . bringing back bad memories of protecting his rice from rats. Eventually, he finds the situation isn't quite as threatening as it seems . . . but there's also a mystery. Who is his companion?

From there, Taylor heads out in the middle of the night to get some fresh air. Torn over where to go, he stumbles onto an older man helping a younger man down the street. Suddenly, the younger man attacks the older man. Taylor steps in and settles everyone down. The older man is a local art collector, Clayton Reed. Once inside the younger man's apartment, life turns bizarre. The walls are covered with what seem to be valuable paintings. Reed expresses interest, but also negotiates for an old chest. Pulling out his money belt, cash changes hands. Taylor carries the chest for Reed.

With that opening, we enter into a world of international nastiness that reminded me at times of The Maltese Falcon.

The first 50 pages of this book are extremely slow going except for the first three pages . . . which although active, are totally formulaic. After about 100 pages, the book picked up enough steam to be an average mystery. From there, the artistic speculations and observations started to make the book move above average. When not dealing directly with artistic questions, the book is amateurish in its plotting and development.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delicious concoction, December 13, 2005

By 

R. Katz (Paris, France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Madonna of the Apes (Art Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Take one eccentric, down at heels detective, mix with a cast of colorful, offbeat characters, toss in a crash course in art history and forgery, add a soupcon of homicide and sex and you have Nicholas Kilmer's latest installment in the Fred Taylor mystery series. The plot, which has more twists than a barrel of pretzels, turns on the question of whether a painted chest, of dubious origin, is or is not a creation of Leonardo Da Vinci. A delight for various ages and tastes.
Ron Katz