The Collector (ebook)

Argumento de The Collector (ebook)

?I loved this fast-paced exciting thriller. Marion is an intelligent and likeable heroine."?The Book Lover's Best Friend

"Intelligent and cerebral as well as a true thriller. It leaves you wondering if we aren't part of the ruse." ?Goodreads

"This is a well-written and plot-driven mystery with believable characters in the shady underside of the art world." ?4-star librarian review

?Anne-Laure Thiéblemont has written a fine first mystery set in the shifty world of art collecting. She respects some of the genre codes, but also breaks from them with an unexpected tone and rich characters. A good fix.? - Lire Magazine

?The book totally captivated me... Un-put-down-able and refreshingly dark mystery.? ?Book and Ink

?The plot was an instant attention grabber and the heroine very memorable and intriguing.? ?Book Nerd

"This mystery will prove a treat for lovers of French culture, art, or simply a good mystery." ?Manhattan Book Review

?A writer to follow. A well-researched and very effective mystery.? ?La Provence

?A good first mystery set in the cut-throat world of art collectors. Anne-Laure Thiéblemont depicts well the power struggles, scams and greed, and pulls readers in with the story of poor Marion Spicer who didn?t ask for anything.? ?L?Ours Polar

?The plot is unexpected, original and takes you by surprise. A short, but well-written story.? ? Elle Magazine (Reader's Panel)

"I loved this fast paced exciting thriller. Marion is an intelligent and likeable heroine." ?5-star librarian review

?A detective story that plays out well and reads quickly? The story is captivating, with twists and turns and murders, along with a dive into the little-known world of art specialists and counterfeiters.? ?Elle Magazine (Reader's Panel)

?As much a mystery as an identity quest, with tight suspense and strong writing, this debut novel by an experienced art reporter reveals her qualities as a writer with a promising future.? ?Playboy

?The collection is this way.?

His tone was dry and not particularly welcoming.

Standing before her in the parlor, he gave her the chills. His gray reptilian eyes showed no emotion, and his long face seemed cut from ivory. His right hand was sunk deep in the pocket of his night-blue blazer and refused to budge?not even to greet her.

George Gaudin had been Edmond Magni?s personal assistant until a week ago, when, somewhere in Peru, Magni had mysteriously dropped dead?for the second time in Marion?s life.

The first time, her mother was the one to announce the news. ?He died in a plane crash,? she had told Marion. It was a lie. In truth, her husband had abandoned his family and his given name, Jean Spicer, and had assumed a new identity.

From the age of three, Marion had gotten by with- out him, believing all those years that her father was dead, without so much as a photo to cling to. Not a single picture of him could be found in their home. And every time she asked her mother to share a story, an anecdote, a memory, the woman would retreat into a silence or fly into a fit that could only be remedied if she isolated herself in her bedroom and slept.

Marion stopped asking questions.

Now, thirty-three years later, out of the blue, an executor had informed her that her father hadn?t beendead all those years. He had just made a new life for himself, and she would be inheriting?among other things?one of the greatest collections of pre-Columbian art in the world, valued at over forty million euros. Of course, the inheritance had certain stipulations. Nothing came that easy for Marion.

?A well-written plot with all the necessary ingredients: a few deaths, lost objects and a whole collection of worrisome characters?Ideal for a moment of relaxation.? ? Elle Magazine (Reader's Panel)0