The Perfect Crime by Larry Maness
A Perfect Crime
By Larry Maness
SUMMARY
Before
11 priceless pieces of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum, a respected Italian violin maker visited the museum to inspect a rare
musical instrument requiring restoration. He took measurements and photographs
and reported his findings to the museum’s director.
Then,
he disappeared.
Was
the innocent invitation to the violin maker the first step in a complex plot to
rob the Gardner? The museum director thinks so and hires Theo R. Perdoux, an
expert in worldwide art theft, to investigate.
Inspired by the actual unsolved robbery of Boston’s Gardner
Museum, Maness spins a plausible web that races ahead like a shot. The brisk
pace and clever twists offer an intriguing explanation why masterpieces worth
millions have never been found.
MY REVIEW:
After the success of The
Last Perdoux, Larry Maness is back with a second Theo R. Perdoux mystery/crime
which promises
to be a captivating blend of real-life events and fictional intrigue. A good mystery
makes for compelling reading, and I also like to read books based on true
events. It makes the narrative always feel fresh and resonant. For this story,
the author has drawn inspiration from the infamous Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum robbery in Boston (MA)
In 1990, 13 works of art were stolen from the collection
and still to this day, remain unsolved, although the Museum’s commitment to
resolving the crime has never diminished since its occurrence. Right from the
first sentence in Chapter One, the hook is there - a real-life event is the starting
point that runs into a fictional realm. Immediately, it pulls in the reader, captures the character's voice and
carries the style. It is relevant and meaningful, so we know we are going to be
immersed in a world of art theft and high-stakes crime. The job of finding the perpetrator(s)
of the crime falls to a private investigator. Theo Perdoux (Zachary)
The plot starts months
earlier with a guitar held in the private collection of the Gardener Museum in
need of repair. Not just any guitar but a priceless ornate guitar made by Jacapo
Mosca Cavelli guitar made in the 1720s. (this is true) A well-respected maker
of world-class instruments, Aldo Conte, and from a long line of violin makers
in Rome, expressed an interest in making those repairs. Shortly after he
visited Boston on a visual observation mission in preparation for the restoration,
with his assistant Angela Ricci, Aldo Conte disappeared. Museum Director Clair
Bowman has some theories of her own and approaches Theo to ask him for help.
“Theo, you have
tracked down masterpieces all around the world. I know your business is in
finding stolen art, not tracking down missing people but I’m not clutching at straws
like the police believe. Aldo Conte is somehow involved in the robbery, and I
want to know how. Please look into this before you say no.”
Museum jobs are often inside
jobs and the author skilfully weaves in some possible local suspects, like the
Garcetti family. If you expect a gritty and realistic portrayal of a mafia
family operating in the world of organized crime and the individuals who
inhabit it, you are not disappointed. Loyalty, family and justice are key
themes in mafia families, and so are the ends its members will go to achieve
their goals. Nothing happened in the Boston neighbourhood that the Garcetti’s
didn’t know about but Theo’s attempts to find some answers from henchman Nicolo
Bianchi and others prove fruitless.
‘“Vincent
Garcetti knows something about making people disappear, doesn’t he Nick?” Nick’s
fist slammed the table knocking his wine glass to the floor. JoJo, the taller
of the two pointed what looked like a Sig Sauer pistol at my chest while Ronnie
stepped around the table toward me, his fist pounding into the palm of his open
hand.’
There is quite a cast
of characters and by connecting the heist to a famous Italian family living in
Rome, the novel expands its scope beyond the initial crime, delving into the
complexities of family dynamics, international intrigue, and historical
connections. This adds depth and richness to the narrative, offering readers a
compelling and multifaceted mystery to unravel. Once in Rome, Theo, goes into
full detective mode, utilising his well-honed skills of observation, detection,
surveillance and interviews. Who and where is the real Aldo Conte? What secrets
lie behind the doors of the beautiful Villa Conte and the dysfunctional family?
Why was Francesco Vega copying old masters? Is there a connection to a man in
Nice who specializes in the theft and resale of stolen art called Niles Huygens?
There are many twists and turns in the story to keep you guessing.
I love the descriptions of Rome and I really feel that the
author captures the essence of this iconic city. It was hard to find, among so
many, a quote to support this.
‘The cobbled streets, the bustling open-air market,
the cafes filled with coffee drinkers. All crying out that Rome was not the
product of an orderly mind, yet somehow everything fit.’
“He arranged his life around.’ said Sergeant Filippo. Theo corrects him. ‘Turned his life around.
Why I recommend this book.
I think it is a tried and
tested formula – to write a detective novel that features a private
investigator who skilfully gets to the heart of a crime better than the police.
Add to the mix, have as your protagonist, a solitary misanthropic figure as in
Cormoran Strike by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling and you have a winning
formula.
Legend
has it that former Penguin Australia boss Bob Sessions once advised an aspiring
crime writer to give his detective something distinctive: Mr Maness has done
exactly that and has given his lead character an interesting past. Theo Perdoux
aka Theo Zachary.
“I knew nothing of my biological parents until thirteen years ago. Just
shy of my forty-fifth birthday and a member of Boston’s Tactical Patrol Force,
someone threw a rock the size of a grapefruit from the roof of an apartment
building. I was blind in my right eye for two months. When I regained partial
use of that eye, I decided to take medically induced early retirement.
He
discovers that his mother, a Perdoux, daughter of Claude Perdoux, was an art
gallery owner in Paris whose collection was stripped by the Nazis and his
father is a German officer charged with stealing the soul of Paris, one art
collection at a time. His identity is rationalized almost in a disaffected way.
He describes how his past is revealed to him as ‘startling and unsettling
news.’
“My mother spent her life tracking down her family’s collection. When
she died, I took over.”
I think I liked the character of Theo – his
workaholic tendencies, a determination to get to the truth, intolerance of lies
and he clearly works from gut instincts. I confess, I never felt I got to know him, but I can forgive that as I really
like the author’s approach in blending historical events with
fictional storytelling and it certainly delivers a captivating read.
The depth and detailing of this novel deserve a
mention. The author provides the reader with a welcome escape and an opportunity to engage with
a story that explores the themes of crime and intrigue. This can in turn, offer a unique
perspective on the world, prompting reflection on the choices we make and the
paths we choose to follow. The vivid setting of 'the eternal city' portrayed in the novel
reignites a wanderlust, evoking a longing for travel and exploration.
AUTHOR
BIO:
Larry Maness is the
author of two books of plays and six novels (the last of which was published in
2023). 3 Plays was
introduced by Pulitzer prize-winner, William Inge. His plays War Rabbit and Bailey both premiered in New
York City at The American Theatre of Actors.
His first novel, Nantucket Revenge, is called “The
best beach read since Jaws” according to Florida Crime Writers author Steve
Glassman. His second novel, A
Once Perfect Place, is included in the Literature of Social Change
collection at Duke University. Strangler,
his third novel featuring Private Investigator Jake Eaton, is a Detective Book
Club selection. The
Voice of God, his fourth novel, is called by Rosemary Herbert,
author of The Oxford Companion to Crime
and Mystery Writing,
Maness
lives on the south shore of Massachusetts with his wife, Marianne, known as
“The Cookie Lady” in some parts of the world.
https://www.larrymaness.com/homepage.html
BOOK BLURB:
Speaking Volumes (Aug. 2023)
OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR:
The Last Perdoux
Nantucket Revenge
The Voice of God
Strangler
A Once Perfect Place
Comments
Post a Comment