The Da Vinci Deception: A Novel of Suspense [Hardcover]

Thomas Swan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998

A thrilling novel that pits Scotland Yard against a mastermind of art forgery, from the author of the acclaimed The Czanne Chase.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Published as a paperback original in 1990, this title unfortunately floundered. Swan, however, has since found success with his 1997 novel The Cezanne Chase (LJ 3/1/97). Like that title, this offers a mystery involving art fakery, in this case some less-than-genuine early sketches of the Mona Lisa, which must be sniffed out by Scotland Yard's Jack Oxby. With Cezanne a hit, this will undoubtedly find a larger audience now.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Following The Czanne Chase (1997)--the debut of Inspector John Oxby, of C13, the CID's Art and Antiquities Squad-- Newmarket has reprinted Oxby's debut, originally published in 1990 as a mass-market paperback. Following three years of intensive preparation, well-fed art dealer Jonas Kalem is ready to offer to the world the discovery he's long been hinting at: a new page from the sketchbooks of Leonardo da Vinci, with others perhaps to follow. The first drawing, a study for the Mona Lisa accompanied by notes in Leonardo's distinctive left-handed writing, is worth millions, or would be if it hadn't been drawn within the month by gifted forger Curtis Stiehl, whose recent release from prison had closed the circle of Kalem's hand-picked colleagues in the fraud. Retired art historian Giorgio Burri has been waiting to start the ball rolling on authenticating the bogus drawings; unwitting American chemist Eleanor Shepard has been spending a year in Florence looking for likely sources of 500-year-old paper and charcoal; and Kalem's light-fingered assistant Tony Waters stands ready for whatever crasser skullduggery his boss may command, beginning with borrowing an authentic Leonardo drawing from the Windsor Library so that Stiehl can quickly make a closer study of the master's technique. The theft from the library goes off with all the clockwork precision of a good TV movie, but an unexpected glitch--the result of a police officer's incredible indiscretion--brings C13 into the picture for a series of cat-and-mouse chases that range from New York to Lake Como, where a showdown between Oxby's colleague, Supt. Walter Deats, and Kalem's troops provides a rousing, if unsurprising, denouement. Crammed with information on everything from Leonardo's pigments to the Royal Family's art holdings, though competently colorless in its own dishonor-among-thieves caper. (Book-of-the-Month Club featured alternate selection) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Newmarket Press; First Edition edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557043523
• ISBN-13: 978-1557043528
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,825,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Passes the time, but it's not Ian Pears, February 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Da Vinci Deception (Inspector Jack Oxby Novels) (Paperback)

This book has silly mistakes of reference, stodgy exposition about the art that reads like it was intended for a textbook, and a pretty predictable plot. It's a police procedural (not a mystery) and the procedure is generally ok, but none of the characters is well developed. It's passingly interesting for an airplane, but not much more. Try Instance of the Finger Post instead.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent mystery set in the art world, February 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Da Vinci Deception: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

This is the second Thomas Swan novel taking place in the art world. A set of theives set up a complex deception involving Leonardo Da Vinci, as the title implies. Jack Oxby is not very prominent in this book, but other characters move the book along. The chapters are short, which keeps you moving. I found it difficult to put down. I disagree with the review here stating that character developement is weak; I have a feel for each one of them. Surprises abound and it is a good view into the art world; as someone who works in it, it is not nearly as idealized as the museums would make you think! Good job Mr. Swan...please send us more!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining but lacking any real character development., October 11, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Da Vinci Deception: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

While the plot is interesting, the writing is weak and the character development limited. The author tries to keep us entertained by moving the characters from New York to London to Lake Como, but the interesting travels don't replace good character development. A fun read...that's about it.