Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is back investigating his latest case with the help of his dedicated team of police detectives.
This time the case involves the hapless couple Harry and Freya. They buy a portrait they don’t like purely for the lovely frame at a car boot sale for twenty pounds. But when they get it home, they discover another picture underneath, a stunning landscape that could be a long-lost masterpiece from the 1770s. They appear on TV and get confirmation that it indeed could be valuable, but instead of immediately placing it with a reputable art dealer, they leave it hanging on the wall of their home (or do they?), and they take their time to do anything to sell it. But unscrupulous people see their appearance on TV and decide they want the art piece no matter the cost.
Before you know it, Harry and Freya are caught up in an underground artworld full of deception and violence. Finding this valuable artwork could just well be the worst thing that has ever happened to this ordinary couple…
Putting aside that anyone sensible would immediately go and put their valuable painting with someone reputable to sell, this is a fabulous novel that takes you deep into the dark side of the fine art world, with Roy Grace and his team determined to follow the evidence and apprehend the bad guys. It’s a page-turning read, with loads of twists and turns, but with an ending that satisfies.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Macmillan Publishers