Saturday, December 7, 2019

From the E Shelf...

Author:  Aaron Elkins
Title:  A Long Time Coming



First line:  "My name is Val Caruso and I'm a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I have been having one hell of a day, and I don't mean in a good way."

It was the cover of this one that first caught my eye. Then, when I saw that the story involved a Holocaust survivor, two Renoir paintings, looted art, a trip to Italy, mystery and murder, I knew I had to check it out. And I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the way this story unfolded from Caruso agreeing to do a favor for a friend, to Sol Bezzecca's story of his great grandfather's two Renoir paintings and how they were stolen during World War II, to the quirky characters Caruso meets in Milan as he tries to get one of the paintings back for Sol. Throw a little art theft and murder into the mix and the story gets even more interesting. This book is a well-plotted and entertaining mystery. I especially liked all the art history bits. And Caruso, or Tino as he's called in Italy, is a very likeable character. This was another serendipitous library find. I'm so glad I found it. Aaron Elkins is an author I'd definitely read again.

Happy Reading!

28 comments:

  1. WWII, stolen art, and a Holocaust survivor--all areas I like reading about! Oh, and the cover is another plus :)

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    1. It has so many elements I love reading about. And I really liked the main character, too. :)

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  2. The cover is great & the first sentence is catchy, too. This does look like a good one.

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  3. Aaron Elkins has been doing it for a long time. I like his stuff.

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    1. I like his writing! I can't wait to try some of his other mysteries. :)

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  4. Oh hello, this is an interesting mix of elements to a mystery! And the auhtor is new to me as well.

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    1. That's what I love about the library...discovering new to my authors and awesome reads...for free! :D

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  5. On the subject of letters I still have to read Q and X for my Alphabet challenge AND finish off two other challenges while reading a total of 17 books in 23 days. Fun!

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    1. I had a hard time finding a book to read for X. Q was a little easier, but not much. Good luck with your challenges...and those 17 books you still have to read! :D

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  6. Sounds very interesting and intriguing! I'll have to add this book to my library books list. :)

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    1. Let me know what you think of it if you get a chance to read it!

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  7. I'm a fan of Elkins' mysteries, but this is one I haven't yet read. I did pick it up when it went on sale for Kindle, though. I'm glad to know that you enjoyed it; I'll bump it up a bit higher on my (monumental) TBR list.

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    1. :D I'm glad I'm not the only one with a monumental TBR list!

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  8. That's a great first line. Definitely has me intrigued to know what's making the day so bad. Plus, I'm loving that cover! :)

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    1. Right? Those were the two things that made me check this one out. :)

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  9. Always nice when a library find turns out great! :)

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  10. I love grabbing books from the library unexpectedly, especially when they end up being so great. Glad you enjoyed this one so much.

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    1. I usually put too many books on hold to add extra to my bag, but I'm going to try and change that next year and leave more room in my life for library serendipity. :D

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  11. Ooh, the combination of art history and mystery is delectable! Sounds like one of those books that entertains and teaches the reader too. :D

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  12. Sounds like a good one with lots of interesting elements. I'm definitely going to check this one out!

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  13. I love that cover too! I do enjoy a mix of history and mystery. I am glad you enjoyed this book!

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