I know it's not summer yet, but we are starting to hit on some nice days. I wrapped up reading last summer's book last week. Some books can be jumped into and out of over several months and continue to maintain a story line in my mind.
This is one of those books. I read a chapter or two every few weeks and never lost the thread of the book.
The Death Artist is the first novel by Jonathan Santlofer. The book focuses on a former police detective turned art expert who is called in to solve a series of murders. Each killing is posed to reflect a major work of art.
This is Santlofer's first attempt at fiction and the results are pretty good.
Santlofer is an artist with his artwork displayed in galleries around the world. This helped the book have credibility when the main character is discussing art. In addition, the author was able to weave his personal experiences of dealing with other characters in the art world into the book. There's a good discussion of agents, patrons and curators. I think he was lacking in his knowledge of how police departments actually function.
The plot followed a rather predictable path, but Santlofer is able to pull off a nice twist at the end of the Who-Dun-It novel. There's a little bit of facade as he tries to wrap up a gruesome novel with some redemption.
For summer reading, I put this as a good book. However, some of the scenes are rather gory. I would rather have seen a little more focus on what makes a person jump from expression to destruction. The art selected as the subject of each killing are real pieces. Someone imagined each of those pieces of art and then created the work. What makes a person move from expressing themselves on canvas to harming others in real life? What causes the loss of humanity in the soul?
I am still reading on my April book How To Win Friends and Influence People. @libersolum/rh9mewjcwrw44kls62xv6c That's a book that I do want to apply to real life!
All content and photos are from Liber Solum
