When art conservator JJ Jego spots a long-lost masterpiece through the window of a luxury apartment, she’s drawn into a dark web of intrigue, deception and murder.
JJ spies what she believes is a priceless Van Gogh. Except it can’t be… that painting, Six Sunflowers, was destroyed during World War II. She also glimpses what looks like a Rembrandt, one stolen in the infamous 1990 robbery at the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum in Boston.
JJ sets out on a mission to discover if these works are fakes or genuine. But when she gets in too deep, she is forced to seek help from her estranged father, a Sydney detective.
From the pubs of Belfast to the boardrooms of Monte Carlo and the shores of Sydney Harbour, this gripping art heist thriller exposes a shadowy underworld where JJ crosses paths with a global organised crime empire in her pursuit to solve some of art history’s biggest mysteries.
John M. Green is the author of Born to Run, Nowhere Man and Double Deal, three gripping thrillers in his Tori Swyft series. Green excels at political intrigue, complex protagonists, and unpredictable twists and turns.
Now he turns his attention to the art world, using the real-life Garner Museum Heist as inspiration. The opening contains an extract from Smithsonian Magazine, stating, ‘From start to finish, the biggest art heist in modern history lasted just 81 minutes.’ Thirteen treasured paintings were stolen and have never been recovered. It’s a fascinating premise for a novel.
The novel is briskly paced from start to finish, with short, punchy chapters that will have you thinking “just one more page.” Set in Sydney, Belfast, Paris and Monte Carlo, this is escapism at its very best, and plotted to perfection.
Green clearly knows a lot about art. I often had to pause and Google some of the pieces Green was writing about (in particular Vincent van Gogh’s Six Sunflowers) and finished this novel knowing a great deal more about the art history. Framed also sheds light on coercive control and psychological abuse, making this a multilayered read.
Framed is further proof of Green’s talent as a storyteller. He consistently delivers, but I personally think this is his best work yet. For those of you who haven’t read John M. Green yet, start here. You will certainly move on to his very worthy backlist afterwards.
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