Painter Will Bentley is visited in his Cambridge studio by Lucy Wrackham, who is investigating a case of art forgery. She persuades him to hunt for his ex-prison friend Alfred Smith, an esteemed forger. But Alfred proves elusive, and someone seems to know their every move and is determined to thwart them. As violence and increasing mayhem disturb the gentle world of art, a Botticelli masterpiece is snatched from London’s elite National Gallery. Lucy at last uncovers the shocking truth but is betrayed and Will must find her before it is too late.
This art crime novel submerges you in the art world and the corruption that power and big money unleash.
Stealing Venus was totally enjoyable. I loved the book from start to finish. I was a little afraid that there was going to be too much violence for my liking, but what is in the book is essential to the story and didn’t keep me awake at night.
Will’s quiet life was thrown totally into disarray by the arrival of Lucy, who was trying to find Will’s friend from prison, Alfred. Lucy and Hugh Davies, a policeman from the Met, were trying to get in touch with Alfred to discover if he was responsible for a couple of forged paintings they had come across. The search for Alfred put them all into some dangerous situations, but eventually the criminals got their comeuppance and two new romances bloomed.
Stealing Venus gave a good insight into the world of painting and the forgery of classic masterpieces. It was a gripping story, with lots of twists and turns, along with some lovely descriptions of the art mentioned. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes to read crime stories and thrillers, but doesn’t want anything too gory.
