Customer Reviews

The Sculptor

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is simply a fantastic book. I stumbled up on it by chance, and when I first started reading I could not put it away. The style is a mix between "Silence of the lambs" and Dan Brown's "Angels and Deamons" and "The Da vinci Code", and Funaro does a fantastic job of mixing history with the crimes of the sculptor.

The book kept me constantly on my toes with twists and turns, but some people might be turned of by some sections where the author explains both a bit of philosophy and history surrounding the art-works the sculptor uses. For me this was a perfect way to do it, but others might not like it as much.

NOTE: I received a complimentary review copy of this book directly from the author.

I admit that I began reading this book with some apprehension, as I have read many first-time novels that just weren't very good. But it didn't take many pages into THE SCULPTOR for me to be presently surprised, as I found it to be unexpectedly well-written. Furthermore, author Gregory Funaro creates a compelling murder mystery from the opening lines, in which the reader actually observes the killer interacting with one of his victims, through the attempts of the FBI to solve the case. The first half of the book is particularly fast-paced, with the twisted, diabolical killer, "The Sculptor," always being at least one step ahead of FBI Special Agent Sam Markham and the Art History professor who finds herself inexplicably wrapped up in the case, Dr. Catherine Hildebrandt.

Where I think Funaro shows particular skill is in the development of The Sculptor character. He does an excellent job of gradually weaving in the murderer's backstory throughout the book, so by the conclusion, the reader has a more complete picture of exactly what led to his killing spree. Less successful, in my mind, is the portrayal of the killer's gratitude to Dr. Hildebrandt. Although Funaro establishes this connection well, the undying gratitude to the woman herself seems a bit strained and out of character. Funaro also goes out of his way at the end of the novel to leave the possibility open for a sequel; this felt like an over-dramatic and unnecessary flourish which actually detracted from the rest of the book.

One final note: I believe that this book could have benefited from some more judicious editing. Again, Funaro does write well, but he has several quirks, such as a penchant to overuse italics. Overall, however, I did enjoy this book, which I found to be a suspenseful, page-turning thriller, and I would recommend it to others who enjoy this genre.

If you like serial killer novels, and want to give a new novelist a chance, THE SCULPTOR isn't a bad choice.

Author Gregory Funaro follows the traditional serial killer plotline here. The major twist is that the killer is heavily influenced by the work of Michelangelo --this gives Funaro an excuse to teach the reader a lot about that artist's work and life. That makes THE SCULPTOR more interesting than your typical suspense novel, and I give it three stars for that reason.

THE SCULPTOR isn't perfect. Funaro's characterization needs some work -- most of his characters comes across as flat, and most of their dialogue is stilted. In particular, this book's romantic subplot is totally unbelivable. Also, much of this book consists of dialogue and background information, at the expense of action. The main character isn't in any real danger until the final twenty pages or so, so the suspense level is not as high as I would have liked.

Still, Funaro's writing has potential, and his writing has a satirical edge that I found amusing. So it will be interesting to see how his career develops. It should be noted that this novel has some intensely graphic scenes of violence and sexuality, so more sensitive/conservative readers should probably avoid this one.

This book is about a weird type of evil. It isn't gory with lots of blood and guts but it does describe a type of evil that is unique. The descriptions are so vivid that you can picture exactly what the author is writing about.

The book isn't all about this evil. There is a wonderful romance story as well. An art history professor who writes a book about the sculptor Michelangelo and an FBI agent are thrown together when a statue of Bacchus is found. That in itself isn't a bad thing but it is when the police discover exactly what the statue is made of. The police now have a serial killer on their hands.

Cathy, the professor, and Sam, the FBI agent, hope to be able to figure out exactly who this killer is before he can continue his evil ways. Yet, another statue, the Pieta, is found and this one is even more evil. How can Italian art be evil? Grab a copy and see for yourself. I hope Mr. Funaro continues to write about his two main characters - Cathy and Sam - in future books. They are intelligent and realistic characters and would lend themselves to a very good series.

This is a great book. Allow me to repeat that, THIS IS A GREAT BOOK!

I was hooked from the beginning. I couldn't put this book down. I admit, I did have to do a search to find out what the statues looked like. This was a good planned story, lots of detail, and several things I had to Google. If you want a good mystery/thriller, this is the book for you. One that I definitely am adding to the personal library, especially since it has been signed by the author! I believe that this is the author's first book and all I can say to that is, get busy and write some more great books to go along with this one!

Here is a brief review of the storyline and I do apologize if there are a couple of small spoilers, but none that really hurt the story.

Cathy Hildebrant is a Renaissance professor that is considered an expert on Michelangelo's works. She is in the process of a divorce and trying to get her life back in order. But that is shattered when FBI agent Sam Markham asks her about Michelangelo's statue Bacchus. Cathy thinks nothing about the picture that she is shown until she sees the close up of the face. She learns that the missing football player Tommy "Soup" Campbell has been turned into Bacchus. There is also her name engraved in the base of the statue.

The true shock was not just finding the Bacchus statue. Further analysis shows that Tommy was alive when the modifications were done to him. Also, part of a little boy and a real goat made the satyr. Also, a lot of work had gone into plastination of the bodies. Unfortunately the Michelangelo Killer, as the press dubbed him, is very smart and has covered his tracks so well that the FBI cannot find a clue. But the Sculpture, his name for himself, has been very busy and has big plan for his next statue.

About two weeks later, Cathy receives a DVD in the mail, which shows that her ex-husband is now one of the victims of the Sculpture. This time he is recreating The Rome Pieta. A break in the case comes when a local church had their copy of the Pieta stolen. But the thief left money and instructions on how to get a replacement. Also, it looks like Tommy and the young boy were not the Sculptures first victims. After a lucky break, the FBI almost caught the Sculpture. Now they are scrambling to find any lead that will get them to the Sculpture before more victims become a part of the David statue.

The Sculpture began by targeting a young man. He stumbled upon Cathy's book Slumbering in the Stone and felt his divine purpose. As a young man he was abused then faced a terrible accident that killed his mother and turned his father into a vegetable. Along with taking care of his father, he wants to wake the public up just as he has been awakened. But it was just too close of a call with the Pieta. The Sculpture is thinking that although Cathy opened his eyes, she is starting to become a bigger problem than he needs. Now he is going to take her out of the picture.

Shawn KovacichCreator of numerous books and DVD's.
Creator of numerous books and DVD's.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I always love a good suspense novel and there is definitely a lot of that here. The fact that I also got an art history lesson was a plus to me.

I cannot believe this is the authors first book and look forward to more of his writing. He grabs your attention right from the beginning and keeps it. He is very good at fleshing out his characters so you feel like you kind of connect with them.

I would have given this book 5 stars except for a couple of things I think he can easily correct in his next book. I got very tired of Sam refering to Cathy by name repeatedly in every conversation. We as readers instinctively know who is being spoken to in a two way conversation and don't need to be reminded of Cathy's name 3 times in one paragraph. His overuse of her name was very annoying but that should have been caught by editing. My other minor complaint is when Cathy jumps to the conclusion to speak to The Sculptor as his mother when her life is on the line. There is nothing leading up to this point for her to have the knowledge of this information that saves her life....I don't want to say more and give anything away.

All in all a good book and kudos to Mr. Funaro for a job well done.

I was skeptical of this book at first only because I wasn't familiar with the author, but downloaded it any ways, based solely on the good reviews posted by fellow Amazon readers. This book did NOT disappoint! Gregory Funaro is an excellent author. This is a very well written book, full of art history, well developed characters, and a great story line. I love a good, intense, murder mystery type story and that's exactly what you get. This would be a GREAT season finale episode for Criminal Minds! I can't wait for #2!!!

This story started off strong with an unnerving scene that only got more disturbing. The middle lagged a bit with romance thrown in but overall, I found this story to be a very good read. The plot is suitably creepy with a sculptor manipulating dead bodies into horrific copies of Michelangelo statues.

I liked the Michelangelo background info. Although not all statements made by the art historian heroine (Cathy Hildebrant) are facts, the author did provide some fascinating theories. Michelangelo was an amazing historical figure and I loved the tidbits surrounding his life. This part of the book along with the sculptor made me keep turning the pages but the love story between the FBI agent Markham and art historian Hildebrant, not so much. I did not find Cathy, newly divorced and bitter, and Sam, who remained emotionally faithful to his deceased wife, to be believable. I saw no reason for Agent Markham to daydream about Professor Hildebrant after two meetings, especially given their awkward conversation before parting.

Thankfully, the thriller part of this story kept my attention. I finished this book in couple of sittings as I could not wait to find out more. Some of the scenes painted such a gruesome picture that I read over certain passages quickly. The author did a magnificent job of making the reader aware of the pain felt by the victim's families, making some passages heart wrenching.

I recommend this book to fans of thrillers and felt it was worth the price.

I liked this book. It was entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat. In addition, there were some very interesting true facts about Michelangelo (which I verified later). I won't post any spoilers, but I thought it was a good book and I had a hard time putting it down once I started reading.

I very much enjoyed this novel; it's so much more than "just" a serial killer novel. While it did, indeed, revolve around a serial killer, what a great character he turned out to be. As I've said many times in reviews and on my blog, I like my bad guys to be great characters. "The Sculptor", who uses his victims to re-create Michelangelo's greatest statues, is not only evil, twisted, etc. but he is also a fully formed character. As the plot of the novel unfolds we get bits and pieces of his history that makes his complete story a compelling one and even a bit sympathetic. The protagonists of the story, Dr Cathy Hildebrant and Special Agent Sam Markham of the FBI are also fully developed characters and a joy to live with through the course of the novel.

The plot moved along nicely, the pacing was spot on, and the settings were realistic. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the next development. I also enjoyed learning about Michelangelo without feeling like I was being lectured. Frankly, it is hard to believe this is Mr Funaro's first published novel. It reads as good as or better than many of the top mystery/thriller writers today. I understand there is more coming from this author and I will look for them in the future.