Old Scores [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Aaron J. Elkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1994

"A fascinating glimpse into the hidden world of tense auctions, suspected forgeries and internecine feuds." St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The art world is abuzz with news of the discovery of an unknown Rembrandt. Rene Vachey, the famed collector who made the find, wants to donate it to the Seattle Art Museum. But curator Chris Norgren is wary -- Vachey has a reputation for dealing in forgeries. But one thing about Vachey is most certainly not a fake -- the bullet soon found in his head. Now Chris must find the truth behind the masterpiece and the murder before he's painted into a corner by a master in the art of killing. . .

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The third installment in Elkins's spirited series featuring Seattle Art Museum curator/detective Chris Norgren was a Mystery Guild main in cloth.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A perceptive look at the world of museums, dealers, and collectors through the somewhat innocent eyes of Chris Norgren, curator of Renaissance art at the Seattle Art Museum (A Glancing Light, 1991, etc.). The museum has been offered the gift of a newly discovered Rembrandt by long-established French gallery owner Ren‚ Vachey, notorious over the years for outrageous put-downs of his peers. There's a deadline for acceptance, and no scientific testing for authenticity is permitted. A similar offer, of a L‚ger, has been made to the Mus‚e Barillot in Dijon--the victim some years back of one of Vachey's antic schemes. Is the offer legit or another trick to ridicule the establishment? To find out, Chris flies to France, meets Vachey and his dissolute son Christian, along with Edmond Froger, director of the Barillot; respected L‚ger expert Jean-Luc Charpentier; and a host of other art VIPs. In the midst of the festive hoopla, someone attacks Chris, a claimant for the Rembrandt surfaces, and Vachey is shot to death. Chris manages to make his decision about the painting, enjoy some Paris time with girlfriend Anne, and solve the murder too. An unpretentious, conversational style, convincing plot, laid- back hero, easy-to-take art-history, and a loving evocation of Paris--in a fresh, funny, thoroughly entertaining story. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Chivers Large print (Chivers, Windsor, Paragon & C (May 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745122000
• ISBN-13: 978-0745122007
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,116,690 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 Good Mystery - Art Related, March 4, 2006

By 

Mary Davis (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Scores: A Chris Norgren Mystery (Hardcover)

If you love mysteries dealing with art then you will love this book. Chris Norgren is a curator for the Seattle Art Museum and he gets involved in some interesting adventures.

Pick up this book or one of the others in the series, I am sure you will agree with me that it is well worth your time. It is an interesting read.

Aaron Elkins wrote three books in the Chris Norgren series: "Old Scores", "A Deceptive Clarity" and "Glancing Light".

I wish Mr. Elkins would continue the series.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Art Mystery, July 22, 2002

By 

Alicia K. Ahlvers "alibrarian" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Scores (Mass Market Paperback)

When eccentric art patron, Rene Vachey, decides to donate an original Rembrandt to the Seattle Art Museum, curator Chris Norgren is cautious. Rene is known for playing tricks on museums and making them look silly so Chris flies to France to inspect the painting. Shortly after he arrives, he is thrown out a window and later that night, Rene is murdered. Fearing that the painting may be the reason for the murder, Chris starts to investigate. I love this series because of the way that Aaron Elkins shows artwork through the eyes of Chris Norgren as well as for the good mystery.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Chris Norgren Mystery..., January 5, 2009

By 

Judy Smith "judylynnsbooks" (jamestown, ky United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Scores (A Chris Norgren Mystery) (Paperback)

A famous art collector wants to give the Seattle Art Museum an original Rembrandt...so why isn't Chris Norgren, curator of Renaissance and Baroque Art, smiling? Perhaps because the gift seems too good to be true. The collector is the elderly Rene Vachey, one of the art world's most controversial eccentrics. The Rembrandt has come out of nowhere...in fact, from a Paris junk shop...with no known history of ownership. Vachey will let Chris examine the painting, but he's not allowed to make scientific tests before he officially accepts the painting for the museum. Could the whole episode be a cruel hoax? In attempting to find out Chris must use all his wits and expertise in a perplexing quest for a killer, the evaluation of a painting, and the untangling of a complex man's many layered past.