As I continued to read, I became more involved with the characters and the plot(s). The book is the fifth installment in a series featuring Scotland Yard D.I. Beatrice Stubbs.
There are two intertwining plot lines. One is the harassment (that becomes more and more sinister) of Beatrice's gay friend Adrian Harvey. The other is the case Beatrice is working on involving brutal art thefts of Expressionist paintings.
One of the stolen paintings is Salon II by Otto Dix. I was unable to find any images of Salon II which went missing during WWII, but the description sounds very similar to Salon I.
1921 The Salon
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| The Online Otto Dix Project |
Expressionist art was considered degenerate by the Nazis, and "A total of about 16,000 works (mostly confiscated from the best art museums and galleries in Germany, such as the National Gallery in Berlin and the Kunsthalle in Hamburg) were officially deemed degenerate, involving several hundred artists, mainly from Germany." ( Degenerate Art)
Chagall, Dali, Dix, Ernst, Kandinsky, Miro, Picasso, Egon Schiel, and Kurt Schwitters were among the hundreds of artists considered degenerate at the time. I ended up looking at the works of a number of German Expressionists whose names were unfamiliar, but who were also mentioned in the novel.I get so side-tracked!
Anyway, J.J. Marsh's book turned out to be more than satisfactory in a number of ways, and I've already ordered the first in the series.
NetGalley/Cameron Publicity & Mkt.
Mystery/Police Procedural. July 25, 2016. Print length: 250 pages.
Ooh I love it when a mystery (or any book for that matter) makes you want to find out more about a certain subject. I admit any time I see a dog/cat on a mystery novel's cover I think it's going to be a tad too cozy for me so I may have overlooked this one but I like the premise! Can't wait to here what you think of the first book in the series!
ReplyDeleteHR turned out to be a good mystery with the added satisfaction of learning a little more about Expressionist art. :)
DeleteSounds like another series I need to place firmly on my radar screen...and sounds as if you fear the inadvertent cozy as much as I fear them. :-)
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm not usually a fan of cozy mysteries and was happy to find this ended up being an engaging police procedural with an assorted cast!
DeleteI am glad you ended up enjoying this one, Jenclair! I like cozies from time to time, but admit I am more partial to other types of mysteries. And it's always fun when a book brings out the researcher in you. :-)
ReplyDelete:) One of my favorite things about reading is all of the connections that can be pursued!
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed this book, Jenclair. Sometimes books can be deceiving not only by the covers but the blurbs, too. I've noticed most cozies tend to use cats or dogs on covers based on the themes related and while I find them OK, they also give me some clues what genres they are mostly about. :)
ReplyDeleteCovers come in genres, too, don't they? So often a glimpse of the cover reveals a great deal about what you can expect in content. However, it was not the cover, but the first few pages of the novel that made me wonder if I had a cozy, and it had a lot to do about the protagonist's name! Beatrice Stubbs sounded like the name of a cozy protagonist. Beatrice, however, turned out to be a character with intriguing layers, the two plot lines were compelling, and I ended up wanting to read more in this series. :O
DeleteOh art theft. Seems to make for some good storytelling!
ReplyDeleteIt does make for good storytelling--and for learning a little more about artists and their works!
DeleteHello Jen and thanks for this lovely review. I'm Jill (JJ) Marsh and I'm impressed by your detective work on the Expressionist artworks. You're right about the missing Otto Dix, Salon II. I invented the details of the description based on his other works. In fact, all the paintings I describe are my own interpretation of what they might have looked like.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed Human Rites and hope Beatrice continues to pique your curiosity. Best wishes
Jill
:) I've already read the first in the series now, which I have not yet reviewed. I'm very happy that NetGalley introduced me to your series!
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