First published 2011
Robert Wittman stands in a Madrid gallery, pretending to be an art dealer while wearing a wire. As founder of the FBI's Art Crime Team, he has built his twenty year career on moments like this. The son of an antiques dealer, Wittman works undercover and usually unarmed across continents from Paris to Rio to catch thieves and black market traders. His recoveries span golden Peruvian armor, Rodin sculptures, Geronimo's ceremonial headdress, and Civil War battle flags. He has rescued works by Rockwell, Rembrandt, Pissarro, Monet and Picasso, often operating at the mercy of foreign governments. The criminals he pursues range from desperate museum janitors stealing locks of George Washington's hair to high ranking diplomats smuggling ancient treasures. His final case demands every skill he has learned as he tracks the masterminds behind an unprecedented art theft.
Genres: art, historical-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller, non-fiction
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, undercover
Setting: Madrid, Paris, Rio
Period: 20th-century
319 pages · Paperback · Zahar