Brainstorm 115: Art Crime Fighting Books

There was an unexpected theme that started to arise in my reading over the spring and summer. It happened completely by chance, but the confluence of these reads gave me a fascinating look at the world of art crime (theft and forgery of art) and those fighting it. I’ll present them mostly in the order I discovered them. (I’m throwing in the The Monument’s Men and Saving Italy because they fit the theme well, though I read them over a year ago.) All of these combined did an interesting job of backing each other up in facts, procedures, and giving me a more well-rounded understanding because I read all of them. And don’t think these are just for art buffs. Adrenaline junkies, chemistry nerds, history buffs, and criminal justice enthusiasts pay attention, these are for all of you.

Adult Fiction

A Fool and His Monet (Serena Jones Mystery, #1) by Sandra Orchard
Serena Jones works for the FBI Art Crime Team. She's called in by a friend who is in charge of security at a local St. Louis Museum who's just discovered she has two pieces of art missing from storage. There's a big time frame in which the art could have been stolen and no obvious suspects. In the art crime world, that doesn't look too hopeful, but Serena is determined to help Zoe out and prove herself as a new agent (especially since her mother keeps asking her to quit). When Serena starts poking around, her most likely suspect gets shot down by her boss and he won't tell her why, and she has no other good leads. But she must be getting close because it is soon obvious someone wants her to stop investigating (well, someone more sinister and less obvious than her mother).

This entire series is now out. Book two is Another Day, Another Dali and three is Over Maya Dead Body.

Target readers:

• Mystery Fans: There are tons of detective and mystery novels out there, but very few which focus on characters working to solve art crimes. I appreciated the look into this field of crime fighting. And reading The Rescue Artist helped back up that Sandra Orchard did her research on what it is really like in this field.
• Art Fans: There's a lot of art talk going on in here to satisfy those who like the art world.
• Character Fans: Serena's a fun character with just the right amount of quirkiness. And her Aunt Martha who tries to help her out is an absolute hoot. I like a good crime show or novel with interesting characters to follow around, and this scratched that itch. 
• Clean Contemporary Fiction/Romance Fans: Serena isn’t dating anyone until the very end of book three in these, but there are some datable guys around her (though she pretty much ignores them till book three), her mother is really pressuring her to find the right guy and settle down (though Serena does a good job in showing that a single woman can have a very fulfilling life), and the author and publisher actually had fans vote as to who Serena should end up with in book three.

Adult Nonfiction

The Rescue Artist: a True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick
Charley Hill was on Scotland Yard's art crime unit when thieves brazenly stole Munch's famous painting The Scream by climbing up a ladder propped outside of the Norway's National Gallery, smashing a window, grabbing the painting, and driving away on the eve of the 1994 winter Olympics hosted by Norway. Hill and his co-workers were looking for a way to boost their rep with the higher ups and the greater world, so they decided to see if they could help find the painting. With the hunt for The Scream as the guide, Dolnick takes readers on a realistic look into hunts for missing artwork, undercover operatives, Charley Hill's background and past cases, and why art crimes often go unsolved.
Warning Note: Hill has a little bit of a mouth on him as do some criminals, so only recommended for readers who can handle that.

Target Readers:

• Exciting Nonfiction: Charley Hill is quite the character and he has some wild undercover stories. Dolnick does take you on rabbit trails, but he warns you about those from the start, and he's always able to tie them in with The Scream hunt and get things back on track. This is not nonfiction to go to sleep to.
• True Crime Fans: This is a good dose of reality to counter the fiction and TV shows that feature those fighting art crimes…but reality doesn't mean it is boring. 
• Random History Fans: This is the kind of history that doesn’t necessarily make it into the textbooks but will fascinate those collectors of random tidbits of history.
• Edgar Winner/Nominee Fans: What’s that? You’ve never heard of the Edgars! It’s ok, not many have. Named for Edgar Allan Poe, these are the awards for all things mystery: mystery novels, mystery shows, mystery short stories… I picked this book up primarily because I saw the little thing on the cover saying it won an Edgar for True Crime. Usually Edgar winners/nominees are well-written and keep you on the edge of your seat. This didn’t disappoint.

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter
During WWII there was a very small group of men and women among the Allied troops given the task of keeping the art and monuments of Europe as safe as possible and with their rightful owners. The task was incredibly overwhelming, especially since at the time when the Allies were pushing the Germans out of France and Belgium back into Germany there were only about 9 men in all of Europe in charge of making sure that overzealous army leaders didn't bulldoze a historic building. They were also trying to find all the artwork the Nazis had "claimed" and stashed away in secret storage sites. Their work wasn't made any easier by the fact that many leaders had never heard of their division, and several doubted their authority. But these men, and others that joined as the years went on worked tirelessly to save buildings and monuments that could be saved, organize restoration of those that could be repaired, and hunt down and return all the stolen artwork they could. Without their efforts, many of the famous European art treasures would have arguably been lost forever.

Target Readers:

• History Buffs: This is a part of WWII history not often explored, but that had a huge impact not only in the current art culture available for enjoyment, but it also had a huge impact in reinstating good will between people in the aftermath of the war. (It isn't a frequent practice that the conquering army returns the "spoils" to where they were before the war.) The scope of the topic is extremely broad, and Edsel even admits he had to cut out an entire area of Europe (Italy & N. Africa) to keep it from getting unwieldy. And though it is broad, Edsel does a good job of reorienting the reader to the place and people involved as he jumps around. (Some might argue he does so a little too much. It did start to feel like he was the party host who holds monthly parties and every month introduces you to the same people like you'd never met before. You may wonder at his confidence in your memory (or his own), but at least he was trying to be polite.) Still he does a great job of taking you through the war in Europe with the main group of Monuments Men and their biggest jobs, and wraps up what happened to each main character (both Allied and Axis) after the war. 
• Art Fans/Art Crime Interest: This is the story of the people involved in arguably the biggest art heist ever, both on the thief and recovery sides. There are many unsolved mysteries highlighted which often come up in modern art crime books.

Saving Italy: the Race to Rescue a Nation’s Treasures from the Nazis by Robert M. Edsel
In The Monuments Men Edsel highlighted the action of the special Allied task force in charge of preserving and restoring the arts of Western Europe to their rightful owners during and after WWII, but he did not have space to cover the Monuments Men's work in Italy. This is their book, and in addition also looks at some of the Italians and even Germans instrumental in preserving the arts of Italy for Italians. The book focuses on a handful of the most instrumental men in that arena, the plights of arts and monuments in the region during the war, and how these men worked tirelessly to preserve, restore, and most importantly help the Italian people.

Target Readers:

• History Buffs: If you’re like me, I know much more about military actions in France and Germany during the time period covered (1943-1945), so I learned a lot from this book about how the war played out in Italy during that time period. I found the actions of the German SS commander Wolff and his secret negotiations for surrender particularly interesting as I'd never heard anything about that. 
• Art Fans/Art Crime Interest: Of course, the fate of famous pieces of art and architecture are forefront in the story, highlighting major losses suffered as well as major victories (like the rather high percentage of art that was never completely carted off by the Nazis like in other parts of Europe). 

Middle Grade Fiction

Framed! (T.O.A.S.T. mystery, #1) by James Ponti
Florian Bates is moving yet again. Which means he'll probably just freak out all potential friends again with his Theory of All Small Things (T.O.A.S.T.) at his new school. But when he meets the neighbor girl Margaret who will be in his class, T.O.A.S.T. doesn't freak her out with its uncanny observations about her. Margaret gets excited and wants to learn. For the first time in many years and several countries, Florian has a friend. While teaching Margaret T.O.A.S.T. at the museum where his mom works and his father is consulting, Florian notices that a man they observed a few days ago has reappeared with a new look. In fact, it appears he's in costume. But why? When several paintings get stolen just days later, Florian ends up helping solve the case and is recruited by the FBI. But is the case completely solved, and if it is, why are Romanian crime bosses following him?

Target Readers:

• Armchair Sleuths: If you were to combine Sherlock Holmes and Encyclopedia Brown, you'd get Florian Bates. He's a spectacular hero to follow around, and thankfully with a bit more personality than either of his detective resemblances. This is a fun, smart mystery that challenges readers to see if they can spot all the small clues Florian does before he reveals them. And it is possible because Ponti doesn't hide anything for Florian to magically reveal later. If you're super observant, you can solve things as fast as or faster than Florian.
• Reluctant Readers: This is a book that's hard to put down and will keep you on your toes. The large font size, high action, and FBI secret status will make the pages fly by for even the most reluctant of readers.
• TCKs: Third culture kids, here’s a young sleuth who is one of you! Florian is in his first US school and has several adjustments to make from international schools and life as an expat.
• Edgar Winner/Nominee Fans: This book is another book I was clued into because it was nominated for an Edgar. It was fabulous, and now I can't wait for book two to come out.