The fact that Hitler’s Nazi Germany looted the art collections of those they subdued is no new tale: to the “winners”, the spoils and all that. This story takes that idea and tells of a girl, Lily Braun, her need for revenge and her orchestrating the means to obtain that vengeance through the heist of a piece of art, stolen from her family in circumstances most violent.
The writer, as you will notice, is John Doe, a moniker adopted by the book’s author to protect his identity from those who would seek retribution. You can read this as the truth which admittedly adds to the suspense and tension of this labelled thriller; or you can read it as a conceit, designed to promote a sense of danger and bravery on the part of the person sharing the details of the heist.
As that is what this is: it is the story of a heist, an art heist to recover an important painting and extract it from the hands of those who are undeserving and in doing so, returning it to its rightful owner. It is also a history lesson, with genuine names mentioned as well as a look into the lives of people who rob the more privileged and their motives for doing it.
And in part, it is a love story although this is not where the depth of the tale is. It’s like a sort of Irish/American/European/Jewish Italian Job where Roy Kean (not his real name) is bidden to help Lily and despite the reservations he holds, he admires her motives and puts himself out to help her.
So, the author is telling Roy’s story from chats that they had when they were neighbours during the summer. Dialogue has been imagined from Roy’s account and the narrative is built around the key details that Roy has divulged.
There are tensions from outside parties who may have an interest in what Roy is doing but there is a sense that Roy is canny, a step ahead. And it is a story well-told in terms of its flow and its sequencing and indeed, the way that it is written. Characters feel real and their exchanges convincing but part of me does think that it could have been more: more tense, more danger, more emotional, just more. That’s not to say that it is lacking because as a read, I’ve enjoyed it but it’s about mobsters and Irish liberation and Nazis and I just felt calling it a thriller was overegging it a little.
That said, it’s not a bad story at all and for those of you with an interest in art and Nazis and revenge, it’s worth a read.
Rachel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
*Please note that this book was given to me as an ARC as written by John Doe but has subsequently appeared on Amazon as being written by Bill Frisco. This review reflects my true and honest opinion of the book.
Scuffed Granny 