Michael Bowen (1) (1951–2021)

I wish I could have given this historical mystery-thriller a higher star rating, but I just couldn't. The premise was brilliant but became bogged down with details that added nothing to the action.

The mystery revolved around a conflict/clash/professional battle between artists in 1962 New York and a law firm that knew how to deal with questionable characters. That much was cleared up at the beginning. But how they tracked down the killer? What was the artistic drama/conflict really about? All these things became lost in endless observations by whichever narrator/POV happened to be telling that part of the story.… (plus d'informations)

Thomas Andrew Curry is under a grand jury investigation about stock manipulation. A past co-worker, Katherine Colleen Ferguson, had warned him about it but she couldn't give him any more info as she had passed after hitting the sidewalks of New York from 128 straight up. Next, Sandrine Cadette and Thomas find artist Harrison Tyler dead in his garret studio and a controversial painting viciously slashed. It looks like Art and High Finance have collided.

Set in 1962 in the heart of New York, it is a time of dirty politics, nasty little wars, JFK, fashion changes and changing viewpoints on politics. Thomas and Sandrine have experienced the world of foreign intrigue early in life and now find themselves on home soil trying to make sense of these two murders and their connections.

The New York background supplies brassy cabbies, seedy joints, fist-fights, office buildings and clues - real and red herrings - that give the plot action. Reminiscent of Nick and Nora Charles (Dashiell Hammett), or Pam and Jerry North (Frances and Richard Lockridge) with a humourous and snappy style, the characters' personalities move the story along while adding entertainment to their search for the answers during this classic time.

A fun read set in the Mad Men era.

… (plus d'informations)