THE DEADLIEST ART by Norman Bogner

THE DEADLIEST ART by Norman Bogner
Tom Doherty Assoc. LLC - July 2001
ISBN: 0312868561 - Hardcover
Police / Detective

Reviewed by Sue Bartroff, MyShelf.com
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An altogether unusual book; part lyrical description of the southern France region, part romance and part a gruesome look into the mind of a madman. This book is not for the faint at heart. The descriptions of the mutilations were sickening and even more so when they were juxtaposed with the accounts of meals eaten or to be eaten by the investigating officers.

That was also a large part of the interest this book engendered. It kept the reader off balance throughout, grudgingly feeding clues amidst the preparation for a wedding, the opening of an art gallery and the sick sexual fantasies of several primary characters. All the diverse threads were finally drawn together for a heart-rending, breath holding ending. In the end justice triumphed in a peculiarly Gallic way. I will read the next book if only to watch the marriage evolve and because I found it, amidst the mayhem, oddly charming.