ARC Review: The Collector

Title: The Collector by Anne-Laure Thieblemont
Publisher: Le French Book
Format: Advanced e-copy from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review
Pages: 211 pages
Genre: Mystery

This book was released on August 11, 2015

Synopsis: In the merciless microcosm of Paris art auctions and galleries, some people collect art, while others collect trouble. Marion Spicer spends her days examining auction catalogues and searching for stolen works of art. She is a top-notch investigator when it comes to eighteenth-century art. But for her it's just a job and her life is well ordered. All this changes when she inherits a huge and very prestigious collection of pre-Columbian art from a father she never knew. There are conditions attached: she must first find three priceless statues. That is when her troubles begin. Her father’s death sparked much greed, and Marion finds herself facing sharks, schemes, fences, traps, scams, and attacks. Her quest draws her into a world where people will kill for a love of beauty.

(56)Review: If you have a day to yourself you could probably breeze through this book.  It was intriguing and moved at a slightly slower pace than many American mysteries but still kept you interested.  I liked that it slowly unraveled Marion's fathers life, and wound down different corners of intrigue. By the end I thought the mystery of the statues was revealed but an epilogue left you with more to ponder.

Very well researched and detailed the book brings you into the world of high priced art and the collectors who buy it.  What lengths are people willing to go to, in order to achieve their prize and what happens when winning isn't enough.  In the end you are left wondering about some of the characters. What will happen to them after all they went through, was all the death and deceit worth it to Marion in the end? She may think so now but will it turn out to really be that way in the end? Does money bring happiness or does it bring its own perils.  Did she burn too many bridges along the way? I believe this is the start to a new series so it will be interesting to see where the author goes with it.

My biggest criticism of the book was near the end when it seemed that the Detective who didn't seem to know too much all of a sudden had more answers than anyone else.  We never really learn how all of a sudden he not only caught up with what was happening but how he jumped ahead of the game and new everyone's role in it.  Maybe we learn more about that as this series moves on but that was my disappointment with this book.