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kennisn's review against another edition
4.0
A very cool thriller that mixes my two favorite things: crime drama and art history.
tinabaich's review against another edition
2.0
The Death Artist is the first in a series of three books featuring Kate McKinnon, former police officer turned art world darling. After marrying, Kate left the force to return to her first love, art history. Now a well-known figure in the New York art scene, Kate finds herself sucked back into the police world when an art-related pattern emerges in a series of murders that seemed to be aimed at Kate. It takes her vast knowledge of art to reveal the pattern and find the truth behind the murders before she becomes the death artist's next victim.
Though the concept is interesting, the execution leaves a little to be desired. Kate is sometimes a little slow on the uptake. As a reader, I was frustrated when she seemed unable to work out the seemingly obvious clues set before her. I also expected a higher quality of writing to convey this high-minded concept, but I suppose an artist can't be expected to be a great writer as well. That's right, Jonathan Santlofer's first creative outlet was art. You can see some of his pieces on the Pavel Zoubok Gallery website.
Despite my criticisms, I still found The Death Artist an enjoyable read overall. The mystery was good enough to make me keep reading. I wanted to know how it turned out even if it wasn't the most well-constructed narrative I've ever read. I also continued on to the other two Kate McKinnon books since I already had them.
Bottom line? I wouldn't rush out to get the Kate McKinnon series, but I also wouldn't turn it down if someone offered to let me borrow it. If you are intrigued by Jonathan Santlofer and the concept of integrating art into murder mysteries, you might want to bypass his early efforts and start with Anatomy of Fear, the first in the Nate Rodriguez series. From the reviews I've seen, it is here that Santlofer really begins to hit his stride.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2010/08/death-artist.html
Though the concept is interesting, the execution leaves a little to be desired. Kate is sometimes a little slow on the uptake. As a reader, I was frustrated when she seemed unable to work out the seemingly obvious clues set before her. I also expected a higher quality of writing to convey this high-minded concept, but I suppose an artist can't be expected to be a great writer as well. That's right, Jonathan Santlofer's first creative outlet was art. You can see some of his pieces on the Pavel Zoubok Gallery website.
Despite my criticisms, I still found The Death Artist an enjoyable read overall. The mystery was good enough to make me keep reading. I wanted to know how it turned out even if it wasn't the most well-constructed narrative I've ever read. I also continued on to the other two Kate McKinnon books since I already had them.
Bottom line? I wouldn't rush out to get the Kate McKinnon series, but I also wouldn't turn it down if someone offered to let me borrow it. If you are intrigued by Jonathan Santlofer and the concept of integrating art into murder mysteries, you might want to bypass his early efforts and start with Anatomy of Fear, the first in the Nate Rodriguez series. From the reviews I've seen, it is here that Santlofer really begins to hit his stride.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2010/08/death-artist.html
sophie_the_cardinal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
saekoshiro's review against another edition
5.0
I'm surprised to see so many minimal reviews. I read this book for the first time when I was 16, and fell in love right away. I even have a signed first edition. Being written by an artist the descriptions are easily imaginable, and factual. Even if you can't imagine the scene you can look for the actual paintings to give yourself the gruesome imagery. I enjoy the characters more every time I reread, and was happy with the twists. And the sequels are well executed!
jessferg's review against another edition
2.0
Another premise with super possibilities and poor execution.
I will admit that the first thing that turned me off was not the gruesomeness of the murders but the fact that this book was clearly written in the 1990s, and takes place then, with no set-up that it is a "period piece." I kept going back to check the copyright date (2002) to try and figure out if I was missing something. It's full of VCRs and people saying things like "we could check the Internet..."
I made it to page 120 before my commenting pencil came out, and by page 121 we already have the line "Some uptown dame with all the answers." Dame? Really?
I feel badly for whoever had to spend all their time vetting the name-brand dropping in this book. It's my understanding that name brands are trademarked and must be approved for use, even in literature (I use that term loosely.) So that means someone had to contact Xerox, Polaroid, Glock, Kodacolor, Monday Night Football, Merit, Marlboro, BMW, Pinto (yes, someone drives a Pinto in this oh-so-modern murder mystery) Tampax, Ziploc, Hallmark, Pucci, Doc Martens, Walkman (ye-up, I said Walkman. So I guess Sony.) Lipton, Sweet n Low....you get the picture. That doesn't even BEGIN to cover the TV and music personalities (Sally Jesse Raphael among them) and/or shows/songs. All of it totally distracting and unnecessary to the story.
Okay, technicalities aside, I couldn't hate this character more if I tried. She's a rich bitch with a tough edge. She knows how to dress, but there's a gun under that sexy dress. It's so tiresome I can't even...
The murders are gruesome and gross. While the idea that these were replicating art pieces might have been clever, Santolofer has to get high brow and pick pieces no layperson has ever heard of so picturing the actual scene is impossible without a reference.
I could go on but then I'd be as extraneous as this book. Let me know if you'd like my copy - snarky comments included!
I will admit that the first thing that turned me off was not the gruesomeness of the murders but the fact that this book was clearly written in the 1990s, and takes place then, with no set-up that it is a "period piece." I kept going back to check the copyright date (2002) to try and figure out if I was missing something. It's full of VCRs and people saying things like "we could check the Internet..."
I made it to page 120 before my commenting pencil came out, and by page 121 we already have the line "Some uptown dame with all the answers." Dame? Really?
I feel badly for whoever had to spend all their time vetting the name-brand dropping in this book. It's my understanding that name brands are trademarked and must be approved for use, even in literature (I use that term loosely.) So that means someone had to contact Xerox, Polaroid, Glock, Kodacolor, Monday Night Football, Merit, Marlboro, BMW, Pinto (yes, someone drives a Pinto in this oh-so-modern murder mystery) Tampax, Ziploc, Hallmark, Pucci, Doc Martens, Walkman (ye-up, I said Walkman. So I guess Sony.) Lipton, Sweet n Low....you get the picture. That doesn't even BEGIN to cover the TV and music personalities (Sally Jesse Raphael among them) and/or shows/songs. All of it totally distracting and unnecessary to the story.
Okay, technicalities aside, I couldn't hate this character more if I tried. She's a rich bitch with a tough edge. She knows how to dress, but there's a gun under that sexy dress. It's so tiresome I can't even...
The murders are gruesome and gross. While the idea that these were replicating art pieces might have been clever, Santolofer has to get high brow and pick pieces no layperson has ever heard of so picturing the actual scene is impossible without a reference.
I could go on but then I'd be as extraneous as this book. Let me know if you'd like my copy - snarky comments included!
writerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
First novel from artist turned author Jonathan Santlofer. I had read his third novels in this series and went back to the beginning. His heroine, former detective Kate McKinnon is now a New York socialite, an art historian with a wealthy husband, a PBS tv show, a book, a foundation to help young people with talent make it out of poverty. Santlofer knows the New York art scene and it shows. You breather, hear and can almost touch the atmosphere in the galleries, the museum and the oh so particular vibe of the people in that circle. He also writes a mean serial killer. Up until the end I was fooled and mislead by the red herrings he lay out. It's a page turner and the plot keeps you glued to the book. Having a serial killer recreate major art work as installation with his victims as props is something to read. I liked his characters, Kate is not this all good person. The secondary characters are a little uneven some are well rounded and you get a feel of who they are with a very small amount of information, Floyd Brown for instance the experienced detective assigned to Kate, Maureen Slattery also stands out. Some secondary characters are less drawn out maybe on purpose, Robert, Kate's husband, Willie the young artist Kate mentors. Overall a good, solid thriller set in a circle that's well randed and that demands some thinking, not everything is spoon feed to the reader. I liked it.
laurenmitchell's review against another edition
1.0
When I picked this up I thought it would possibly be a bit trashy but entertaining. I was wrong. It was totally trashy and not entertaining.
The brand name dropping was reminiscent of someone trying to pretend they got what Bret Easton Ellis was doing with that in American Psycho. For a book that was clearly pushing the 'smoking is evil and gives you cancer' angle, maybe the author shouldn't have mentioned Marlboro like he was getting a blowjob for each mention.
I finally pitched this waste of paper into the recycling bin when I got to the part where the female main character muses on how she feeds her husband's secretary chocolate truffles to make sure she stays 'plus-sized', and hopes that said secretary stays in her role until after retirement age. Because of course if the secretary is fat and/or old, the husband won't fuck her. I can deal with thrillers being trashy and derivative but piling on the misogynistic body shaming was just too much.
I am rating this one star because unfortunately the rating system doesn't go into negative numbers. Beauty school dropout, go back to art college.
The brand name dropping was reminiscent of someone trying to pretend they got what Bret Easton Ellis was doing with that in American Psycho. For a book that was clearly pushing the 'smoking is evil and gives you cancer' angle, maybe the author shouldn't have mentioned Marlboro like he was getting a blowjob for each mention.
I finally pitched this waste of paper into the recycling bin when I got to the part where the female main character muses on how she feeds her husband's secretary chocolate truffles to make sure she stays 'plus-sized', and hopes that said secretary stays in her role until after retirement age. Because of course if the secretary is fat and/or old, the husband won't fuck her. I can deal with thrillers being trashy and derivative but piling on the misogynistic body shaming was just too much.
I am rating this one star because unfortunately the rating system doesn't go into negative numbers. Beauty school dropout, go back to art college.
pussreboots's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book thoroughly for its art history angle. I wish the book came with an index of character names so I could go back and reread various scenes of specific characters. The book has the same sort of puzzle/mystery as The Da Vinci Code but the characters seem more well rounded. As the author is a professional artist he was probably drawing from real life experiences for the dialogue.
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