Book info

• Title The Modigliani Scandal
• Author Ken Follett
• Year 1976
• Genre Thriller

A Priceless Artwork: When art historian Dee Sleign hears of a lost painting by Amedeo Modigliani, one of the greatest artists to have ever lived, she becomes determined to reclaim it so it can be viewed by the world. A Desperate Race: However there are others who also want to claim it for their own corrupt motives; Dee’s Uncle Charles Lampeth, for whom art is a commodity to be traded; Julian Black, the broke owner of an art gallery; and Peter Usher, a struggling artist who spies an opportunity to get revenge against those in the art world who have unfairly wronged him. A Deadly Victory: So begins an epic chase around Europe, from the streets of London to the Italian countryside, in an effort to claim one of the great lost artworks of the twentieth century. A dangerous hunt that could have deadly consequences for all involved.

Thoughts

I loved the way this was written, I’ve always liked Ken Follett books but there were too many characters to keep track of in this, and all of them doing similar things. Dashing around trying to find a painting that may or may not exist whilst also making forgeries of paintings that may not exist. It’s short, so there wasn’t a huge amount of room for character development and so even though I usually love a good heist, this really didn’t do it for me.

Rating: 1 / 5