Saturday, January 28, 2017

Counterfeit by Lee Carver

I always enjoy reading a novel where I learn something and here it was about art fraud. Our hero is Dr. Richard Reed. He's taken the summer off from his university teaching duties to work with Interpol in their art fraud division. He meets Kendra Cooper, a librarian for a Texas art museum. She has taken a few weeks vacation in Amsterdam to study the masters. When Reed sees her closely inspecting and then photographing paintings, he is sure he has found a part of an art fraud ring.

The setting is Europe, mostly Amsterdam. There is quite a bit of action and some suspense. I was a little disappointed in the suspense as I felt it was predicted, caused by a dumb move on the hero's part, especially in light of previous dangerous encounters.

The major characters are pretty well developed. Dr. Reed is from a wealthy family while Kendra had to work her way through college. Their budding romance has to bridge that financial hurdle as well as the difference in their family structure.

The most interesting aspect of the novel by far is the information about art. The author has included many facts and tidbits about well known artists and their works. It was interesting to learn about art being hidden, say during WW II, and then discovered later. But some of the “found” art turn out to be contemporary forgeries. I also found out how forgeries are identified, sometimes something as simple as the age of the packing material.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoy a novel as much about a topic as it is romance and suspense. You'll learn quite a bit and enjoy a good plot too.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Lee Carver sets her novels in countries she has visited. She and her husband of forty-eight years have two adult children and five grandchildren.

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 306 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through The Book Club Network. My comments are an independent and honest review.

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