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Title details for A Discerning Eye by Carol Orange - Available

A Discerning Eye

by Carol Orange
Campbell Scott
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available

Art dealer Portia Malatesta is devastated when she learns that thirteen works of art were robbed from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. To help uncover the whereabouts of the artwork, she sets out to construct a psychological profile of the thief. By analyzing the common theme linking the stolen pieces, she suspects the mastermind behind the heist is obsessed with the interplay of dark and light - not only in art, but also in life.

The FBI enlists Portia's help in a high stakes sting operation to recover the stolen works of art - a dangerous proposition that will take her to Colombia, where she'll have to earn the trust of a notorious drug lord's married daughter. Risking everything, Portia must navigate the underworld of Medellin- a complicated web of politics, pride, and ugly crimes - where a single misstep could have deadly consequences.

Inspired by history's largest art heist, A Discerning Eye is a fast-paced, skillfully plotted journey in which the fate of some of the world's most prized masterpieces depends on one woman's perceptive cunning.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Art theft series

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 13, 2020

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781662270635
      • File size: 233046 KB
      • Duration: 08:05:30

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      May 1, 2021

      Orange's first book takes a fictionalized look at the unsolved 1990 art theft at Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Portia Malatesta is a docent at the museum and a gallery owner, who is devastated by the heist of 13 precious paintings. One artwork was especially dear to her, and its loss exacerbates her depression after the recent suicide of her artist brother. Portia deals with her feelings by obsessively researching the paintings, believing they are the key to the theft. The police dismiss her theories, but the FBI is intrigued and brings her into the case in Colombia. The story is read by husband-wife team Campbell Scott and Kathleen McElfresh. McElfresh reads the first half, which doesn't show Portia in a good light; we see mostly her selfish and self-serving behaviors. Scott's Colombia-set section brings out Portia's daring side. Out of her element but doing something she truly believes in, Portia willingly risks everything as she nears the truth. Orange captures Boston well; landmarks, eateries, place names are all exactly as they were in 1990. But the story suffers from excessive background; Portia's marital troubles, preteen daughter, gallery, and emotional distress leave her little time to gallivant around the globe solving art crimes. Orange completely glosses over the field operative training that Portia sorely lacks. VERDICT Boston-area libraries will want this local audiobook; the premise is clever, and it wraps up the crime. Other libraries may want to purchase on demand.--Jodi L. Israel, Orlando, FL

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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