My new favorite subgenre: Art Thrillers.

By and large I am not a big Thriller reader (see earlier tirade against a favorite thriller author of many, Lee Child). But I find that there is one subgenre of thrillers that makes it through the chink in the nonfiction armor of my reading heart: Art Thrillers.

Which is hilarious, because I don't know anything about art. Scratch that. I know that I like to look at art. But I never took an Art Appreciation class (big mistake, that, what the hell was I doing in college?) and so couldn't tell a Monet from a Manet, or name you any artistic style outside of Impressionism. Wait: Cubism. That's one too, right? So I can name two styles.

But I LOVED Arturo Perez-Reverte's novel The Flanders Panel, and any other time art is involved (even in nonfiction), I'm enthralled.* It was no surprise, then, that I loved David Hewson's thriller The Garden of Evil, which is about an Italian police detective, Nic Costa, and his pursuit of a shadowy killer who is apprehended in the presence of two dead bodies and a lost Caravaggio painting, but who escapes and manages to kill Costa's wife in the bargain. I loved everything about this novel; its atmosphere, the Italian location, the description of Caravaggio's paintings, and shortish sections divided into shortish chapters (but longer than three pages, mind). But my very favorite thing about this novel?

The art expert that the Italian police turn to is a nun named Agata Graziano. Actually, she's not a nun, she's a sister (she didn't take the final vows), and she's awesome. I enjoyed this exchange between her and Detective Costa:

"'[Call me ] Agata, please. When I am here, I am here as an academic. When I am at home, you can call me 'Sister.' Except you are not allowed in my home. So the point is moot.'

'I consider myself both enlightened and chastised.'

She laughed. 'Oh...a sarcastic detective. I like that. Convents lack sarcasm. Throw it at me as much as you like." (p. 76.)

She's one of the best and strongest female characters I've ever come across in fiction, and she's totally unique. She also knows a bunch of other nuns, who play a role in the novel's conclusion and who work to exact their own type of justice. Awesome.

I'm actually joining this series in the middle; there's several earlier books featuring Nic Costa, and the first title is A Season for the Dead. I know Sister Agata won't be in it, but I'm going to try it all the same. Have a good weekend, all.

*Matthew Hart's The Irish Game, about art theft, is one of my favorite nonfiction books of all time.

Comments

[lesbrarian]

Perhaps you would also enjoy The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown.

[Citizen Reader]

Lesbrarian,
Hmm, I've never heard of that. Sounds fascinating, not to mention historically accurate and really well-written. Thanks for the suggestion! (But I have seen pictures of Dan Brown--what a hottie, with his little leather elbow patches on his jacket. Rowr.)

[Jennifer H]

I'm a lurker (well, as of now, a former one anyway) who enjoys your outlook on many a title. I was glad to see someone else who loved The Flanders Panel, and pleased that you've discovered Hewson. I think I'm half in love with Nic Costa (I've read the series - the new one, Dante's Numbers, comes out next week) and The Garden of Evil was one of my favorites.
You might try Michael Gruber's Forgery of Venus. The "thrill" is more psychological, the narrator is a likeable ass, and the story is definitely engrossing.

[Citizen Reader]

Hi Jennifer!
Oh, I loved The Flanders Panel. I always tried to steer Da Vinci Code readers to it when I worked at the library, but often to no avail.
I can definitely see having a crush on Nic Costa (more so than having a crush on Lee Child's Jack Reacher, anyway, who mainly just scares me). A detective with an artistic soul? Rowr. Although I think I might also have a crush on Sister Agata.

I will try the Gruber book. Thanks so much for the suggestion!!

[heyoka]

you might dig Iain Pears's series of art-and-murder-mystery novels. They are pretty much lightweight brain candy, but better, I think, than The Flanders Panel which has that madly annoying section about how to play chess.

[Citizen Reader]

Ooh, Heyoka, Iain Pears. I've always meant to try him (although I was scared by the length of "An Instance at the Fingerpost") so I will do so now. Thank you for the reminder! (I am totally not opposed to brain candy, so that sounds great!)

[Kim]

Thanks for the suggestions! I found that I feel in love with art after college, but have not wasted time learning more about it. You might want to look at the Teaching Company DVDs, it's like taking Art History in your living room. I'm looking forward to reading some of your suggestions this summer.

[Citizen Reader]

Kim,
I LOVE the Teaching Company! I've got a series on Literature of the Western World in my CD player right now, as a matter of fact. (Spooky.) I never considered the art lectures; I forget the TTC does DVDs as well as CDs. I'll have to look into it.

I've been in the mood for some thrillers/art stuff, so I might have to try some earlier David Hewsons. If you find any good art thrillers you like, pop back in and let me know, okay? I could use some good suggestions for those myself.

[Linette]

Have you read Jonathan Harr's The Lost Painting? It's not really a thriller, but it is a fascinating art mystery...and true!

[Citizen Reader]

Linette!
Thank you so much for the suggestion--I LOVED "The Lost Painting." Art theft nonfiction in general is often very well-done, I find, which is great, because you can pretty much count on good reads. (Perhaps authors who are drawn to the subject are just very smart people and good writers? Who knows?) I also loved Matthew Hart's "The Irish Game," have you seen that one?

[Ugg For Sale]

I would still find my way
By the light I see in your eyes
The world I know fades away but you stay.