Customer Reviews

The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Using the 1994 theft in Oslo of Edvard Munch's The Scream as the foundation, Edward Dolnick paints a vivid picture of the world of art crime. He describes the thefts and occasional recovery of other great masterpieces and he destroys the myth of crooks with the charm and looks of Cary Grant, Steve McQueen and Pierce Brosnan. His interviews with cops, nobility, thieves, museum officials, fences, gallery owners and snitches reveal a raging war where fortunes are won and lost in a clash of class and culture. These are exciting stories, told with humor and enthusiasm. But the real delight is the central figure, Charley Hill, The Rescue Artist. Trained to be a historian (Fulbright Scholar), soldier (Vietnam vet), teacher (Belfast, N.I.) and Anglican priest (King's College, London) before choosing a career at Scotland Yard, Hill is a bundle of quirks and enigmas. And he is a hero we can admire. Going undercover with only his nerve and quick wits for protection, he has recovered works by, amomg others, Goya, Vermeer, Cranach, Metsu, Titian and Munch. He has a deep appreciation for the art and he relishes his role as a bridge between the tony society of the art collectors and the brutal gangs who steal the great works. This is the "true story" and it will grab and hold you from beginning to end.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I was told that it would be a fast read yet I found myself reading and rereading certain sections just for the enjoyment of the mood; prolonging the promenade as long as possible. Hill is a narcissist extraordinaire and at certain points does remind one of the town bully but his love of adventure and admiration of the paintings he pursues (as well as his respect for the shrewdness of the criminal mind)was charming. I agree with previous reviews that the book tended to ramble at times, briefly, but not to the extent where one would put it down. It's and interesting and (for the most part) exciting read and you will walk away with a bit more knowledge of the world of investment paintings.

I just finished Edward Dolnick's new book, _The Rescue Artist_. It is a fun read filled with madcap, Damon Runyonesque characters who would be hard to make up. This book, with the theft of Edvard Munch's "The scream" as its main story, covers the underside of the art world. As a person who enjoys art and goes to museums, I certainly never imagined that works of art would be held as ransom by political groups. Dolnick delves into the hows and why of art heists, and how detectives track down the paintings most importantly, and often the thieves. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good adventure "story". You don't even have to be interested in art!

Edward Dolnick has turned the story of the theft of Edvard Munch's famous painting "Scream" from a museum on Oslo into a great character study of the English detective who gets it back. Two mystery men steal a ladder, climb a wall, break a window, and make off with the poorly-defended painting.

Detective Charlie Hill uses his half-English, half-American upbringing to impersonate an employee of California's Getty Museum interested in ransoming the painting. James Bond-type intrigue ensues - missed connections, interfering local police, thuggish bodyguards, aimless drives through the middle of the night, fistfights, etc. etc.

Dolnick writes with humor and verve; the story moves speedily and only occasional descends to cliche. The greatest strength of the book is its some heroic depiction of Hill and some sidekick characters. My only slight disappointment was that the "whodunnit" revelations at the end seem like an offhand afterthought. The motivations, plans, and intentions of the actual thieves are given minimal space; I was left feeling a bit teased (teased, but satisfied).

This was a book I would not have purchased if I had not heard the author on the radio. I am so glad I did. While the book does jump around a bit, I didn't really find it distracting as the story and Charlie Hill are so fascinating! Even beyond the theft itself, I found myself wanting to know more about Edvard Munch. If you have a chance, read a bio on the artist first and then read this book. It's very interesting to know what Munch was trying to convey in his painting and give more insight as to why the painting is so valuable.

This is a good book that hooks you from the beginning. However, there seems to be a lot of jumping around from topic to topic within chapters and some unnecessarily long descriptions that diverge from the topic at hand, Norway and the theft of The Scream. All in all, it's a decent recommendation.

There were two things that struck me about this book.

First of course was the setting in the world of the very rich where art thieves steal priceless paintings. What I had to do first was turn to the pictures to see if they really looked like Cary Grant. Nope!

Second was the comparison with a lot of other undercover police books that have come out in recent years. Most have dealt with drug enforcement. The world of the high end art thief seems a lot more civilized a place than some back alley heroin warehouse.

Mr. Dolnich has written this book around the theft of a painting in Norway. He uses this central theme as a way to educate us all in the overall history of the big time art stealing.

This is a book well written about an unusual subject and filled with some very interesting people.

To use an old cliche' this book was right up my alley. It fascinating because it's about "true crime," which is far more intriguing to me than the antics in the Da Vinci Code. The meanderings didn't bother me. I wanted to know about the history of art thievery. Charlie Hill is a great character--flawed, quirky and still believable--a complete mess! I also found the writing well drawn--good vocalbulary--good descriptions. I loved the way he described Charlie as if "a careless ckerk had stapled together pages from several resumes." I found myself smiling as I read this great book.

This was a fascinating look at the world of Art theft and those responsible for recovering the masterpieces. While the book's central focus is on the theft and recovery of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" (taken from the National Gallery in Oslo, Norway on February 12, 1994), it also managed to pack in true stories of solved and unresolved thefts of some of the worlds most beloved paintings.

I have been to some of the world's most renowned museums and have seen original Van Gogh's, Renoir's, DaVinci's and Rembrandt's, etc., and on each occasion the place always seemed so secure. Not so according to this book. Evidently museums are lacking the funds in their budget to beef up security, making it a sitting duck. What's worse is that the criminals, if caught, face very little penalties for stealing these items. It's outrageous if you think about it.

Excellent book that was well worth my time.

If the reader is interested in a fast pace and action, then this book will not satisfy. The basic story is not a lengthy one. The digressions into background matters provide useful peeks into assorted issues, such as thievery, forgery and the art world, but go on for too long and should have been condensed. I found myself impatient for the story to move forward. The sheer number of delays and digressions bordered on comical.