The $25 purchase of an old painting sparks a deadly intercontinental chase to steal back a priceless piece of Nazi-looted artwork in The Lost Van Gogh, Jonathan Santlofer's intriguing art-theft thriller.
Luke and his girlfriend, Alex, suspect the cracked old portrait she bought from an antiques shop covers up an original painting by Vincent Van Gogh. On her way to get the piece authenticated, someone knocks her down and steals the painting--yet nothing else. Luke turns to John Washington Smith, old friend and ex-Interpol agent turned private investigator, for help. Surprisingly, he quickly agrees to take on the case. Smith does a bit of legwork and tells Luke and Alex they need to rush to Amsterdam to stop the painting from being sold and disappearing into some wealthy dealer's art collection. Luke and Alex are excited about the trip, but then Smith abruptly drops the case and cautions the couple against pursuing the painting any further. The two ignore the warning. Suddenly they are being followed by shady characters and Alex's classmate, and they come face to face with Smith who, again, warns their lives will be in danger if they don't give up on retrieving the painting. European police, Interpol, and Nazi-connected villains lure the unwitting pair into a dark cat-and-mouse game of international espionage and stolen artwork before either can figure out whom they can trust in this breathless thriller.
Jonathan Santlofer (The Last Mona Lisa; The Widower's Notebook) blends fact and fiction so seamlessly that reality is forced to take a backseat to the breathless pacing of his plot. --Paul Dinh-McCrillis, freelance reviewer