Paul Cézanne painted twenty-six self-portraits. One owned by the London National Gallery, one owned by Alan Pinkster and one owned by the Hermitage have all be destroyed by an acidic chemical sprayed on them. Who and why?

Detective Inspector Jack Oxby of Scotland Yard Arts and Antiquities Squad is called in to find the culprits and find out why it was done. He enlists the help of American Edwin Llewellyn, who owns one of the Cézannes — one that has never been seen by the public.

Suspicion is that the vandalism is done in an effort to drive up the prices of Cézanne’s work, as Cézanne has recently become an interesting artist to the super high end buyers.

The destruction of the Pinkster piece puts interest on Pinkster, as he is known as one of the major players in the high-end market. Also as rumour has it, he is in deep financial debt and needs to make some fast cash.

The characters are interesting. The main antagonist, has a vast knowledge of chemistry, a drive to destroy the work, a coldness of attitude. The woman assists him in the destruction of art works does so to gain love and affection.

Oxby is of the methodical school of investigation and is also well versed in the world of art. Even if he doesn’t care for the particular artist, he does care about solving the crime. ( )

Meh. ( )