In the predawn hours of a gloomy February day in 1994, two thieves entered the National Gallery in Oslo and made off with one of the world's most famous paintings, Edvard Munch's Scream. It was a brazen crime committed while the whole world was watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Baffled and humiliated, the Norwegian police turned to the one man they believed could help: a half English, half American undercover cop named Charley Hill, the world's greatest art detective.
The Rescue Artist is a rollicking narrative that carries readers deep inside the art underworld -- and introduces them to a large and colorful cast of titled aristocrats, intrepid investigators, and thick-necked thugs. But most compelling of all is Charley Hill himself, a complicated mix of brilliance, foolhardiness, and charm whose hunt for a purloined treasure would either cap an illustrious career or be the fiasco that would haunt him forever.
In the predawn hours of a gloomy February day in 1994, two thieves entered the National Gallery in Oslo and made off with one of the world's most famous paintings, Edvard Munch's Scream. It was a brazen crime committed while the whole world was watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Baffled and humiliated, the Norwegian police turned to the one man they believed could help: a half English, half American undercover cop named Charley Hill, the world's greatest art detective.
The Rescue Artist is a rollicking narrative that carries readers deep inside the art underworld -- and introduces them to a large and colorful cast of titled aristocrats, intrepid investigators, and thick-necked thugs. But most compelling of all is Charley Hill himself, a complicated mix of brilliance, foolhardiness, and charm whose hunt for a purloined treasure would either cap an illustrious career or be the fiasco that would haunt him forever.
Edward Dolnick is the author of Down the Great Unknown, The Forger's Spell, and the Edgar Award-winning The Rescue Artist. A former chief science writer at the Boston Globe, he lives with his wife near Washington, D.C.
"The Rescue Artist is a masterpiece. Engrossing, entertaining, often surreally hilarious." -- --Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers on The Rescue Artist"The narrative's frequent detours to other crimes and engaging escapades...elevate this work above last year's similar The Irish Game." -- --Publishers Weekly"A big shout-out to Edward Dolnick for The Rescue Artist." -- --Geoffrey Jennings, Rainy Day Books, Fairway KS"There has never been a better book on art crime." -- Milton Esterow, ArtNews"An entertaining account of the eternal struggle between high art and low cunning." -- Time magazine"Riveting...fascinating." -- Los Angeles Times"There has never been a better book on art crime." -- ArtNews"Dolnick...writes with a crisp, breezy style that runs with the speed of thieves purloining stolen canvases." -- Donald Harington, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Adult/High School-A compelling account of the 1994 theft of one of the world's most famous paintings, The Scream. Dolnick focuses on the hero of the case, Scotland Yard's Art Squad specialist Charley Hill. Because of Hill's earlier success in retrieving stolen art treasures, he was charged with the difficult job of locating the painting and successfully retrieving it in its original condition. While the author keeps readers in suspense as he digresses frequently to tell the story of other notorious art thefts and art thieves, diligent readers will be treated to a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat account of the painting's rescue. Along the way, Dolnick imparts a great deal of information not only about Edvard Munch, but also about the art world's surprisingly lax security measures and the lack of motivation on the part of authorities charged with retrieving art treasures. In spite of the asides, this is a tightly woven, fast-paced story. Teens interested in art and/or investigative journalism will enjoy this real-life whodunit.-Catherine Gilbride, Farifax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
"The Rescue Artist is a masterpiece. Engrossing, entertaining, often surreally hilarious." -- --Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers on The Rescue Artist"The narrative's frequent detours to other crimes and engaging escapades...elevate this work above last year's similar The Irish Game." -- --Publishers Weekly"A big shout-out to Edward Dolnick for The Rescue Artist." -- --Geoffrey Jennings, Rainy Day Books, Fairway KS"There has never been a better book on art crime." -- Milton Esterow, ArtNews"An entertaining account of the eternal struggle between high art and low cunning." -- Time magazine"Riveting...fascinating." -- Los Angeles Times"There has never been a better book on art crime." -- ArtNews"Dolnick...writes with a crisp, breezy style that runs with the speed of thieves purloining stolen canvases." -- Donald Harington, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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