Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Van Gogh Blues by D. H. Beckwith

Van Gogh Blues by D. H. Beckwith (independently published, 2020) is the first book in the series about Roscoe Pines, specialist in locating missing artwork. Pines was seriously injured in the past in retrieval attempts so these days he simply locates the stolen paintings or jewelry and leaves the dangerous labor of actually separating the goods from whoever has them to law enforcement. Limiting the danger of his career is not good enough for mega-millionaire Webb Smythe, who has assured his only child Magnolia that he will disinherit her if she marries Pines, which has stymied the progression of their romance. 

Pines assumes that the command visit to Smythe’s Fifth Avenue penthouse is yet another attempt to end his relationship with Smythe’s daughter. However, Smythe needs his help. Many years previously Smythe bought three Van Gogh drawings from an old friend and art collector. He did not question their authenticity until he acquired a Van Gogh catalog and found two of the drawings there but not the third. Investigation showed the provenance for the drawing to be an elaborate fraud.

Tracing the provenance proves tricky, as the bankers representing the family who sold the drawings to Smythe raise questions in Pines’ mind about their ethics. Pines also starts looking for practicing forgers who might actually be capable of producing an authentic-looking Van Gogh, which takes him into some skeevy neighborhoods. Then one of the bankers Pines wondered about is shot on the street and the police become involved.

A surprisingly involved and fast-moving story with multiple threads that get tied neatly together. Pines’ chosen field means he deals with the underworld, and the resulting body count is higher than I expected. His sidekick is Pete, who drives limos for a living and interns with Pines to earn his PI credentials. The characters are not always credible, of course this is fiction. Writing is better than many independently published books I have seen; the author seems to have been wise enough to use a professional editor. Detailed information about authenticating art and the world of art forgery is integral to the story line, rather than appearing as a data dump. Lots of detail about New York City, as Pines’ research takes him through the city, and plenty about the local restaurants. Overall, a well-done book. Especially for fans of contemporary private investigator stories, art-related mysteries and of mysteries set in New York.

·         ASIN: ‎ B08GKWNS98

·         Publication date: ‎ August 23, 2020

·         Language: ‎ English

·         File size: ‎ 1860 KB

·         Print length: ‎ 336 pages

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.