Scan barcode
kittietta's review against another edition
This was the first book I've read by this author but would like to read more. A Long Time Coming is a murder/mystery that keeps you guessing. I loved the plot, the writing held my interest and the characters were well developed and flowed well together.
I liked the descriptive nature of the scenery and buildings of Milan and surrounding area. I was very interested in the brief education of art forensics and art restoration.
Add all of this together and throw in a sense of wry humor that had me chuckling through out the book and it came together for a great book. Gets a 5 star!
I liked the descriptive nature of the scenery and buildings of Milan and surrounding area. I was very interested in the brief education of art forensics and art restoration.
Add all of this together and throw in a sense of wry humor that had me chuckling through out the book and it came together for a great book. Gets a 5 star!
pauldaly's review against another edition
4.0
Fun mystery set in the world of art, art forgery and high end art scams. Starts off fast, never lets up until the end, a great little read with no small amount of interesting tidbits about what goes on behind the scenes of art auctions, exhibitions and art skullduggery. Recommended.
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
4.0
Dottor Valentino Caruso is going to Milan to arrange for a tour of some pieces of art. Since he will be there anyway, a friend asks him for a favor: convince someone to lend a piece of artwork to the man it was stolen from during WWII. (rather simplistic summary) This request leads Val into the world of art theft, forgery, international recovery laws, etc. Much of this was well over my head but this didn't stop me from sounding out loud every Italian name, place, saying, etc that was included in the book. I'll admit I was a bit farther ahead of the game than Val, but it was enjoyable to watch him catch up.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It's well written, with an interesting and well devised plot.
It's an enthralling and fascinating book set in the world of art dealer, art forgeries and theft.
I loved the main character, Valentino, and his wry sense of humour.
I appreciated how well researched the historical background and the Milan setting are.
A very pleasant reading experience and a very good mystery.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this ARC
It's an enthralling and fascinating book set in the world of art dealer, art forgeries and theft.
I loved the main character, Valentino, and his wry sense of humour.
I appreciated how well researched the historical background and the Milan setting are.
A very pleasant reading experience and a very good mystery.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this ARC
canada_matt's review against another edition
3.0
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Aaron Elkins, and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
A fan of one particular series Aaron Elkins penned over the years, I was curious to see how one of these standalone novels might work for me. Valentino ‘Val’ Caruso is facing middle-age head on, though life has not dealt him the hand he would have liked. An assistant curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Caruso knows his stuff and makes it his business to ensure the New York art world remains on pace with its European counterparts. When Caruso is approached to help with the return of a few pieces of art confiscated by the Italian Government during the lead-up to the Second World War, he jumps at the opportunity to assist. Mr. Solomon Bezzecca, into his ninetieth year, tells of how he witnessed his great-grandfather lose two early pieces by Renoir, torn from his grasp, including an early self-portrait of the author. Caruso soon learns that the current owner is none other than his old friend and mentor, Ulisse Agnello. After securing a plan with Bezzecca, Caruso travels to Italy to determine what might be done. Armed with the knowledge that the Italian courts rejected Bezzecca’s claims of rightful return, Caruso will use his familiarity with the current owner to find a happy medium. After reaching out to Agnello, Caruso discovers that things are more complicated than they first appear. Pulled into the darker side of the Italian art world, Caruso will not stop until he brings these pieces home to a man who wants nothing more than to set the world right once again. Elkins proves that he is able to write effectively outside his forensic genre and still entertain the reader with his captivating writing. Those who enjoy art and mysteries centred around them will surely find much in this book to their liking.
I first became familiar with Aaron Elkins as the father of modern forensic anthropology mysteries, which proved to be a lighthearted and highly educational binge read a few years ago. I knew he had worked on a few other novels, including a husband-wife series, some of which might have an art flavour to them. However, this was my first venture outside of forensics with Elkins at the helm (admittedly, he adds some in this novel). Val Caruso proves to be an interesting character, with much of his backstories relayed through first-person narrative in the opening chapter. Moving forward, he presents as an intelligent man in the art world but one who bumbles around and appears to fall into the crosshairs of those seeking to stop him from accomplishing his mission. The handful of other characters pepper the narrative and inject their own personality traits to provide the reader with some decent contrasts, some more effective than others. The premise of the novel is decent, tracing back a piece of art that was confiscated from its rightful (?) owner in a world where prices change hourly and the criminal element is always lurking. I found the pace of the story decent, but the plot had so many quick resolutions. The art is there, then it’s gone. A shadow changes in the background, then two bodies are left bleeding and alone. There was also a problem with the first-person narrative, as it allowed Elkins (through Caruso) to offer annoying editorialising and information dropping. I have often read books outside of my area of vast knowledge, but I am forced to stumble through and learn for myself, not be told every minute thing that I may not know in a “look at how much I know and will tell you, reader!”.That being said, it is clear that Elkins knows his stuff and has been able to relay it to the reader effectively. I have come to expect Elkins to be a little ‘bumbly’ and ‘preachy’, though it has slightly skewed my enjoyment of this novel.
Kudos, Mr. Elkins, for a decent novel. I know many have lauded your praise and I see much that I enjoyed in this piece. At this stage in your life and career, I suppose it’s best to roll with the punches from reviewers like me.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
A fan of one particular series Aaron Elkins penned over the years, I was curious to see how one of these standalone novels might work for me. Valentino ‘Val’ Caruso is facing middle-age head on, though life has not dealt him the hand he would have liked. An assistant curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Caruso knows his stuff and makes it his business to ensure the New York art world remains on pace with its European counterparts. When Caruso is approached to help with the return of a few pieces of art confiscated by the Italian Government during the lead-up to the Second World War, he jumps at the opportunity to assist. Mr. Solomon Bezzecca, into his ninetieth year, tells of how he witnessed his great-grandfather lose two early pieces by Renoir, torn from his grasp, including an early self-portrait of the author. Caruso soon learns that the current owner is none other than his old friend and mentor, Ulisse Agnello. After securing a plan with Bezzecca, Caruso travels to Italy to determine what might be done. Armed with the knowledge that the Italian courts rejected Bezzecca’s claims of rightful return, Caruso will use his familiarity with the current owner to find a happy medium. After reaching out to Agnello, Caruso discovers that things are more complicated than they first appear. Pulled into the darker side of the Italian art world, Caruso will not stop until he brings these pieces home to a man who wants nothing more than to set the world right once again. Elkins proves that he is able to write effectively outside his forensic genre and still entertain the reader with his captivating writing. Those who enjoy art and mysteries centred around them will surely find much in this book to their liking.
I first became familiar with Aaron Elkins as the father of modern forensic anthropology mysteries, which proved to be a lighthearted and highly educational binge read a few years ago. I knew he had worked on a few other novels, including a husband-wife series, some of which might have an art flavour to them. However, this was my first venture outside of forensics with Elkins at the helm (admittedly, he adds some in this novel). Val Caruso proves to be an interesting character, with much of his backstories relayed through first-person narrative in the opening chapter. Moving forward, he presents as an intelligent man in the art world but one who bumbles around and appears to fall into the crosshairs of those seeking to stop him from accomplishing his mission. The handful of other characters pepper the narrative and inject their own personality traits to provide the reader with some decent contrasts, some more effective than others. The premise of the novel is decent, tracing back a piece of art that was confiscated from its rightful (?) owner in a world where prices change hourly and the criminal element is always lurking. I found the pace of the story decent, but the plot had so many quick resolutions. The art is there, then it’s gone. A shadow changes in the background, then two bodies are left bleeding and alone. There was also a problem with the first-person narrative, as it allowed Elkins (through Caruso) to offer annoying editorialising and information dropping. I have often read books outside of my area of vast knowledge, but I am forced to stumble through and learn for myself, not be told every minute thing that I may not know in a “look at how much I know and will tell you, reader!”.That being said, it is clear that Elkins knows his stuff and has been able to relay it to the reader effectively. I have come to expect Elkins to be a little ‘bumbly’ and ‘preachy’, though it has slightly skewed my enjoyment of this novel.
Kudos, Mr. Elkins, for a decent novel. I know many have lauded your praise and I see much that I enjoyed in this piece. At this stage in your life and career, I suppose it’s best to roll with the punches from reviewers like me.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
annarella's review
5.0
I loved this book. It's well written, with an interesting and well devised plot.
It's an enthralling and fascinating book set in the world of art dealer, art forgeries and theft.
I loved the main character, Valentino, and his wry sense of humour.
I appreciated how well researched the historical background and the Milan setting are.
A very pleasant reading experience and a very good mystery.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this ARC
It's an enthralling and fascinating book set in the world of art dealer, art forgeries and theft.
I loved the main character, Valentino, and his wry sense of humour.
I appreciated how well researched the historical background and the Milan setting are.
A very pleasant reading experience and a very good mystery.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this ARC
melissadeemcdaniel's review
5.0
I adore a good art history mystery, and Aaron Elkins has assembled a great one. At the heart of “A Long Time Coming” are two Renoir paintings that were stolen by the Nazis. After a long legal battle, the original owner has failed to recover them. With the help of curator Valentino Caruso, the hunt is on. Plenty of Italian atmosphere (I’m ready for an aperitif), skullduggery, forgery, and some really, really greedy people, make this an excellent read.
More...