What do you think?
Rate this book
Finn Ryan #1
Michelangelo's Notebook
Life may imitate art...but death follows it.
While studying art history at New York University, brilliant and beautiful Finn Ryan makes a startling a Michelangelo drawing of a dissected corpse-supposedly from the artist's near-mythical notebook. But that very night, someone breaks into her apartment-murdering her boyfriend and stealing the sketches she made of the drawing. Fleeing for her life, Finn heads to the address her mother had given her for emergencies, where she finds the enigmatic antiquarian book dealer, Michael Valentine. Together, they embark on a desperate race through the city-and through the pages of history itself-to expose an electrifying secret from the final days of World War II-a secret that lies in the dark labyrinthine heart of the Vatican.
While studying art history at New York University, brilliant and beautiful Finn Ryan makes a startling a Michelangelo drawing of a dissected corpse-supposedly from the artist's near-mythical notebook. But that very night, someone breaks into her apartment-murdering her boyfriend and stealing the sketches she made of the drawing. Fleeing for her life, Finn heads to the address her mother had given her for emergencies, where she finds the enigmatic antiquarian book dealer, Michael Valentine. Together, they embark on a desperate race through the city-and through the pages of history itself-to expose an electrifying secret from the final days of World War II-a secret that lies in the dark labyrinthine heart of the Vatican.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
120 people are currently reading
2460 people want to read
About the author
Paul Christopher
105 books295 followersPaul Christopher is a pseudonym used by the author Christopher Hyde.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
June 8, 2009
Boobies boobies boobies dead body dead body boobies dead body boobies boobies.
There, I just summed up the fist 100 or so pages for you. Moving on...
Basically this book follows Dan Brown's formula of attractive hero/heroine + art mystery = $$$. Except this is an even lamer version of Dan Brown. As a matter of fact, a character in this book even comments on page 304 (of my copy at least) that this is "getting into Dan Brown territory" or some variation of that quote.
Which makes me wonder, first Brown wrote about a famous artist, and then went even further into religion with Angels and Demons. And Mr. Christopher's next book with Finn is titled The Lucifer Gospel...sounds like we're delving even more into religion! The parallels are uncanny!!!
In addition to this, well let's say there's "descriptive" and then there's "beating a dead horse". I would read pages and pages and forget what the heck the point was.
Add in little annoyances like the fire escape that led up to the roof (because in case a building's on fire, boy howdy I know I wanna climb to the roof!) and an object clicking "decisively to a stop like a cork in a bottle" (I always thought corks in bottles made "pop" or "poomp" sounds, but maybe I'm crazy, maybe they click and I just hear what I want)...*sighs* the lameness of this book doesn't even deserve my sarcasm.
That's about five hours of my life I'll never get back.
There, I just summed up the fist 100 or so pages for you. Moving on...
Basically this book follows Dan Brown's formula of attractive hero/heroine + art mystery = $$$. Except this is an even lamer version of Dan Brown. As a matter of fact, a character in this book even comments on page 304 (of my copy at least) that this is "getting into Dan Brown territory" or some variation of that quote.
Which makes me wonder, first Brown wrote about a famous artist, and then went even further into religion with Angels and Demons. And Mr. Christopher's next book with Finn is titled The Lucifer Gospel...sounds like we're delving even more into religion! The parallels are uncanny!!!
In addition to this, well let's say there's "descriptive" and then there's "beating a dead horse". I would read pages and pages and forget what the heck the point was.
Add in little annoyances like the fire escape that led up to the roof (because in case a building's on fire, boy howdy I know I wanna climb to the roof!) and an object clicking "decisively to a stop like a cork in a bottle" (I always thought corks in bottles made "pop" or "poomp" sounds, but maybe I'm crazy, maybe they click and I just hear what I want)...*sighs* the lameness of this book doesn't even deserve my sarcasm.
That's about five hours of my life I'll never get back.
September 20, 2011
Nazis, Stolen Art, SS, OSS, New York City Present, Vivid Sex oh and there was also a mystery child, and murders so many murders...
As a College Graduate, with a Germany History background I somehow keep winding up with books like this. I thought it was about Michelangelo, ha fooled was I. Here come the Nazis again.
I actually did enjoy this book, to an extent. It had an overload of characters. I found myself having to go back and re-read sections to figure out who was whom.
Funny I kept telling myself it had a Dan Brown twist to it hidden somewhere and one of the characters goes and name drops him on p.304 "...it sounds like we're moving into Dan Brown territory here: weird cults, Catholic Conspiracies, Leonardo da Vinci painting in code."
I also definitely have a new Metaphor for World War 2. From p. 151, "The Ruskies were east, the Allies were to the west and they were being squeezed like a pimple." A pimple, the Nazis got squeezed like a pimple! I love it.
Finn Ryan is also a pretty believable character, I feel like I might actually have known her in some other life.
As a College Graduate, with a Germany History background I somehow keep winding up with books like this. I thought it was about Michelangelo, ha fooled was I. Here come the Nazis again.
I actually did enjoy this book, to an extent. It had an overload of characters. I found myself having to go back and re-read sections to figure out who was whom.
Funny I kept telling myself it had a Dan Brown twist to it hidden somewhere and one of the characters goes and name drops him on p.304 "...it sounds like we're moving into Dan Brown territory here: weird cults, Catholic Conspiracies, Leonardo da Vinci painting in code."
I also definitely have a new Metaphor for World War 2. From p. 151, "The Ruskies were east, the Allies were to the west and they were being squeezed like a pimple." A pimple, the Nazis got squeezed like a pimple! I love it.
Finn Ryan is also a pretty believable character, I feel like I might actually have known her in some other life.
April 27, 2013
I liked the quick pace style of this book, however I found the chapter changes between past and present to be a bit confusing. I think the point was to reveal to the reader the origin of the mystery that is being discovered in present day by introducing us to the characters that started it all but there wasn't any kind of date or time referenced at the beginning of those "jump back in time" chapters that it sometimes fell flat. There was also a big build up of this boy child that the Vatican was determined to keep quiet and yet the final reveal of this boy child (now an old man) was so anticlimatic that it undermined all the suspense up to that point. I also felt that the sudden end that dropped off into an author's note was choppy and unfinished.
This had great potential but I felt it was rushed and a bit sloppy making it hard to get invested in Finn for further installments.
Until next time
~Lisa
This had great potential but I felt it was rushed and a bit sloppy making it hard to get invested in Finn for further installments.
Until next time
~Lisa
June 22, 2011
Finn Ryan is studying art history and scraping by in New York City when she stumbles upon a long-lost mythical Michelangelo drawing. Immediately after finding it, her life changes forever. People around her are murdered violently and someone is after Finn herself – for no reason she can see. She heads to her last resort for safety – a mysterious man named Michael Valentine who she is only supposed to contact in extreme emergencies. Together, they attempt to find out who is behind the murders and how it is tied to a child raised in a convent in Italy during Hitler’s reign, and a tight circle of art enthusiasts who have a suspicious link to rare and thought-to-be-lost works of art.
I pictured this book being one of those novels which tried to feed off of the Da Vinci Code frenzy, but possibly cooler because it didn’t involve the Catholic Church and did involve one of my favorite artists – Michelangelo. Unfortunately, what I discovered was one of the worst books I’ve read in a great while. It DOES include the Catholic Church and hardly involves Michelangelo at all.
The entire book feels piecemeal in plot. As if the author picked three big plotlines and attempted to find ways to connect them only after they had started writing. Finn herself isn’t bad as a character, although we hear way too much about how pretty she is (including an entire chapter describing her nude – uhhh, no thank you!) Unfortunately, she is the only interesting person in the entire book. The chapters jump back and forth in time – and we have no way if determining if we are in World War II, at the end or the beginning of that war, or in the present day – or somewhere else entirely.
I struggled through most of this, to keep my attention focused on what was going on. And past the first three or four chapters, I stopped caring about anything but finishing the book. I never thought I would praise Dan Brown’s writing, but this author tries and fails so spectacularly to mimic it that I almost wished I had picked up “Angels and Demons” instead.
I pictured this book being one of those novels which tried to feed off of the Da Vinci Code frenzy, but possibly cooler because it didn’t involve the Catholic Church and did involve one of my favorite artists – Michelangelo. Unfortunately, what I discovered was one of the worst books I’ve read in a great while. It DOES include the Catholic Church and hardly involves Michelangelo at all.
The entire book feels piecemeal in plot. As if the author picked three big plotlines and attempted to find ways to connect them only after they had started writing. Finn herself isn’t bad as a character, although we hear way too much about how pretty she is (including an entire chapter describing her nude – uhhh, no thank you!) Unfortunately, she is the only interesting person in the entire book. The chapters jump back and forth in time – and we have no way if determining if we are in World War II, at the end or the beginning of that war, or in the present day – or somewhere else entirely.
I struggled through most of this, to keep my attention focused on what was going on. And past the first three or four chapters, I stopped caring about anything but finishing the book. I never thought I would praise Dan Brown’s writing, but this author tries and fails so spectacularly to mimic it that I almost wished I had picked up “Angels and Demons” instead.
February 22, 2013
The novel wasn't bad. Certainly not as bad as some of the reviews, but there were a few cheesy lines and gratuitous sexual comments designed for cheap book promotion. Most of the novel was based on the simple thriller strategy of Eric Ambler of an ordinary main character in an extraordinary situation. Finn, a beautiful 24 year-old art student is the "ordinary" character from Ohio in this novel. She finds herself being hunted after discovering a sketch at the art gallery she works at that is not supposed to exist. After going to Michael Valentine (a friend of her Father's) for help they penetrate an art smuggling ring going back to the last days of WWII. The novel has a strong ending and is an easy read.
I would give this novel 3 and a half stars if Goodreads would allow half stars, which would be a far better rating system. The author did a fair amount of historical research despite some of the seemingly simple parts of the novel. This is my second Paul Christopher novel and I would be willing to read another.
I would give this novel 3 and a half stars if Goodreads would allow half stars, which would be a far better rating system. The author did a fair amount of historical research despite some of the seemingly simple parts of the novel. This is my second Paul Christopher novel and I would be willing to read another.
March 21, 2015
NOW THAT IS A SATISFYING STORY! This book takes WWII facts, art theft, Catholic history, and intrigue to a whole new level. I'd come across one of the Finn books by accident and enjoyed it, but I didn't realize it was part of a series. I finally took the time to look into it and am so glad I started from the beginning. If you liked the fast paced deep rooted intrigue of The Davinci Code, you just might enjoy this one. Personally, I thought it was better.
August 27, 2007
MICHELANGELO'S NOTEBOOK (Amateur Sleuth-NYC/Germany-Cont/WWII) – NR
Christopher, Paul (aka Christopher Hyde) – 1st under pseudonym
Onyx, 2005-Paperback
Art history student, Finn Ryan, comes across a drawing she is certain came from the lost notebook of Michelangelo. When she confronts her boss, he fires her. She and her boyfriend are attacked in her apartment and he is murdered. Finn calls a number given to her by her mother for emergencies, and is brought to Michael Valentine, a mysterious book dealer with whom she joins forces.
*** Fortunately, this book was published in paperback, so I only wasted $8 on it. The plot is completely implausible with holes large enough to fly the shuttle through. There is no character development, the author's view toward women is sophomoric, and there are only about two pages of suspense at the end of the book. Take a pass on this one.
Christopher, Paul (aka Christopher Hyde) – 1st under pseudonym
Onyx, 2005-Paperback
Art history student, Finn Ryan, comes across a drawing she is certain came from the lost notebook of Michelangelo. When she confronts her boss, he fires her. She and her boyfriend are attacked in her apartment and he is murdered. Finn calls a number given to her by her mother for emergencies, and is brought to Michael Valentine, a mysterious book dealer with whom she joins forces.
*** Fortunately, this book was published in paperback, so I only wasted $8 on it. The plot is completely implausible with holes large enough to fly the shuttle through. There is no character development, the author's view toward women is sophomoric, and there are only about two pages of suspense at the end of the book. Take a pass on this one.
March 4, 2019
Ok...so quite frankly the novel is not groundbreaking. The author obviously did some research on the topic, but the story was a bit vague and the characters were not really developed. In fact, Finn Ryan is the main character, but she hardly did anything throughout the whole novel. She seemed to be there just for the sake of having a female character.
The plot wasn't very complex, and I did not enjoy the sudden jumps between the different sub-stories. I was also expecting a bit more action, however I was disappointed. There was some action in the beginning of the story, and there was some action in the last 10 pages... The rest though were mainly conversations and discussions.
The plot wasn't very complex, and I did not enjoy the sudden jumps between the different sub-stories. I was also expecting a bit more action, however I was disappointed. There was some action in the beginning of the story, and there was some action in the last 10 pages... The rest though were mainly conversations and discussions.
January 31, 2021
Մեծն Միքելանջելո։։։ Միթե կա մեկը, ով չի ճանաչում նրան։։ Միթե գեղեցիկ չեն նրա ստեղծագործություններն ու մարմարե քանդակները։։Անցել են հարյուրամյակներ,բայց նա չի մոռացվել ու չի մոռացվի։։։
Քանի ապրում է արվեստը ,ապրում է նաև մարդը
Քանի ապրում է արվեստը ,ապրում է նաև մարդը
October 24, 2024
Overall decent book with a good plot but honestly the way that the author (who’s a man) kept bringing up how hot the main character was/how she’s into older men like every single chapter was major turn off
January 25, 2019
There needs to be more character development. I was interested to see how it turned out but that is all that drove me to finish the book.
March 31, 2019
enjoyed this had good pace and a reasonable story
August 11, 2021
Loved the entire book except the ending - which could have been developed a little bit more. It seemed rushed at the end.
July 13, 2024
Waarschijnlijk als je het boek frequenter zou lezen, en meer brainpower gebruikt tijdens het lezen, is het te begrijpen. In mijn geval dus niet :)
March 6, 2021
Yes, it's derivative. Yes, Mr Christopher describes his seemingly dream girl as a protagonist. (But doesn't everyone?) Yes, older man, younger woman relationship was predictable. However, the plot and storytelling was entertaining.
July 5, 2014
Let me count the ways this book fails:
1. It's called Michaelangelo's Notebook, but Michaelangelo, and the page from said notebook, are dropped promptly from the book after the opening chapters. False advertising.
2. The main character sits on her ass for most of the book. Where's the car chases, the rushing from one scene to another, the DANGER? Apparently this author resents Dan Brown - well, the problem is you're a pale imitator.
3. The author's vaguely sexist approach to his female character - he introduces her while she is nude, describing her body in great detail. Later on he has her think "this doesn't happen to me, I'm a girl!" She also goes from sexually inexperienced to jumping in the sack with a guy she just met who's 20 years older than her.
4. The author's writing is very bland and generic, and therefore uninteresting. He often fails the "show, don't tell" rule. Finn is at the computer and he tells us what she finds instead of showing her finding the results.
5. Touching on 2, the lack of an actual plot. Finn and Valentine go through the book almost on cruise control. They go and ask somebody something, they find something out on a computer. Too much talking, too little action. So pedestrian. Dan Brown meanwhile has his hero go from one European city to another, being chased by bad guys. Formulaic, perhaps, but here Christopher fails to even live up to pure formula.
6. It's all uninteresting. Looted art, American Nazis, a mysterious child.... yet Christopher spends most of the time having his heroes find out about the origin of a business and connections between names and people. I understand from other reviewers that the mystery of the child is never fully explained - I had lost interest long before and commenced skimming. If so, it's completely unacceptable not to give a proper accounting of what little plot elements you have laid out for us.
1. It's called Michaelangelo's Notebook, but Michaelangelo, and the page from said notebook, are dropped promptly from the book after the opening chapters. False advertising.
2. The main character sits on her ass for most of the book. Where's the car chases, the rushing from one scene to another, the DANGER? Apparently this author resents Dan Brown - well, the problem is you're a pale imitator.
3. The author's vaguely sexist approach to his female character - he introduces her while she is nude, describing her body in great detail. Later on he has her think "this doesn't happen to me, I'm a girl!" She also goes from sexually inexperienced to jumping in the sack with a guy she just met who's 20 years older than her.
4. The author's writing is very bland and generic, and therefore uninteresting. He often fails the "show, don't tell" rule. Finn is at the computer and he tells us what she finds instead of showing her finding the results.
5. Touching on 2, the lack of an actual plot. Finn and Valentine go through the book almost on cruise control. They go and ask somebody something, they find something out on a computer. Too much talking, too little action. So pedestrian. Dan Brown meanwhile has his hero go from one European city to another, being chased by bad guys. Formulaic, perhaps, but here Christopher fails to even live up to pure formula.
6. It's all uninteresting. Looted art, American Nazis, a mysterious child.... yet Christopher spends most of the time having his heroes find out about the origin of a business and connections between names and people. I understand from other reviewers that the mystery of the child is never fully explained - I had lost interest long before and commenced skimming. If so, it's completely unacceptable not to give a proper accounting of what little plot elements you have laid out for us.
October 24, 2011
I have to say I liked the story as a whole. It is a great premise. I was kept wondering about the connections between everything throughout the story. Paul Christopher writes in a very descriptive style. He makes it easy to picture what is happening.
Now for the criticisms (and they contain spoilers).
First off, I think the relationship between Finn and Valentine came to a head way to quick. I feel the sexual tension should have been drawn out longer. Really, he simply touches her leg while they are questioning someone, and that is enough that she shows up in his room half-naked that night? The end of the story just seems to trail off, the entire resolution seems forced. The "child" being linked to the art also is very forced. Why would the Vatican faction that wanted his existence hidden even worry about it? There is no proof of the connection, and the "child" is not out there trying to make a claim about his parentage. In addition, Michelangelo's notebook barely even features in the story. Finn finds a single page and the reader has to assume that the page was part of the art cache. Beyond that, it has no relevance to the story. It could have easily been any missing art work, the fact that it is from the lost notebook does not matter.
As I said, I enjoyed the premise and Mr. Christopher's writing is fun to read, even if his plot structure needs some help at times. I do intend to read more of this series. I am hoping some of the mistakes made in this book do not continue.
Now for the criticisms (and they contain spoilers).
First off, I think the relationship between Finn and Valentine came to a head way to quick. I feel the sexual tension should have been drawn out longer. Really, he simply touches her leg while they are questioning someone, and that is enough that she shows up in his room half-naked that night? The end of the story just seems to trail off, the entire resolution seems forced. The "child" being linked to the art also is very forced. Why would the Vatican faction that wanted his existence hidden even worry about it? There is no proof of the connection, and the "child" is not out there trying to make a claim about his parentage. In addition, Michelangelo's notebook barely even features in the story. Finn finds a single page and the reader has to assume that the page was part of the art cache. Beyond that, it has no relevance to the story. It could have easily been any missing art work, the fact that it is from the lost notebook does not matter.
As I said, I enjoyed the premise and Mr. Christopher's writing is fun to read, even if his plot structure needs some help at times. I do intend to read more of this series. I am hoping some of the mistakes made in this book do not continue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2013
A young art student,Finn Ryan, is working at inventorying the stored collection of artwork at the Parker-Hale museum in New York City. While doing the job she stumbles across an apparent piece of art work torn from the mythical notebook of Michelangelo. She takes a photo of the piece on her phone before being discovered by the museum's curator, Alex Crawley. When confronted about finding the page Finn's internship is terminated after she disagrees with Crawley about who drew the picture.
Stunned and upset about losing her job she heads home to take care of another problem; getting rid of her live-in boyfriend whom she really doesn't care for. Upon arriving home she is attacked by someone tearing up her apartment and during the struggle her boyfriend come home and is attacked and killed. Not long after this event Alexander Ceawley is also found dead.
Finn will eventually meet up with antiquarian book dealer Michael Valentine and together they will work to find the mystery of Michelangelo's Notebook.
This book seems to have a wide range of ratings and I guess that is based upon the fact that Mr. Christopher is actually novelist Christopher Hyde and this book does not live up to his Hyde novels. Having never read any Christopher Hyde I did not have any preconceived expectations. Maybe that is why I enjoyed it. Is it a great book: No. Does he strain the plot some what: yes. But sometimes a book can just be fun to read, which I thought this book was. Choose for yourself, but I'm sure this book is a good foundation for his future Paul Christopher novels.
Stunned and upset about losing her job she heads home to take care of another problem; getting rid of her live-in boyfriend whom she really doesn't care for. Upon arriving home she is attacked by someone tearing up her apartment and during the struggle her boyfriend come home and is attacked and killed. Not long after this event Alexander Ceawley is also found dead.
Finn will eventually meet up with antiquarian book dealer Michael Valentine and together they will work to find the mystery of Michelangelo's Notebook.
This book seems to have a wide range of ratings and I guess that is based upon the fact that Mr. Christopher is actually novelist Christopher Hyde and this book does not live up to his Hyde novels. Having never read any Christopher Hyde I did not have any preconceived expectations. Maybe that is why I enjoyed it. Is it a great book: No. Does he strain the plot some what: yes. But sometimes a book can just be fun to read, which I thought this book was. Choose for yourself, but I'm sure this book is a good foundation for his future Paul Christopher novels.
November 29, 2012
The book was surprisingly a good read and hard to put down. The plot was interesting and the way the chapters always jumped to another part of the story kept me turning the page.
However, I must say the ending was a disappointment. It got to 95% completed in my kindle, but the story, to me, was still about 60% completed only. So once it actually got to the end, it was a complete rush and a great big ''oh! Thats it?!''.
After completing his second and third book, I started to think about why the stories were so unsatisfactory and decided to return to my first review. What I realised was that the connections between Finn finding the painting, to these people being gunned down and her being pursued to the lost cache of paintings back in WWII.
Was this painting a part of this cache?
Why on earth did Finn's discovery of this suddenly unravel this murder and chase trail? I did not think the reasoning was explained properly, if at all.
I'm hoping the others in the series would have improved somewhat. Looking forward.
However, I must say the ending was a disappointment. It got to 95% completed in my kindle, but the story, to me, was still about 60% completed only. So once it actually got to the end, it was a complete rush and a great big ''oh! Thats it?!''.
After completing his second and third book, I started to think about why the stories were so unsatisfactory and decided to return to my first review. What I realised was that the connections between Finn finding the painting, to these people being gunned down and her being pursued to the lost cache of paintings back in WWII.
Was this painting a part of this cache?
Why on earth did Finn's discovery of this suddenly unravel this murder and chase trail? I did not think the reasoning was explained properly, if at all.
I'm hoping the others in the series would have improved somewhat. Looking forward.
June 28, 2014
There are reviews that sum this book up as boobs, boobs, dead body, boobs, etc...and they are correct. That's the formula in place. There are also some incredibly detailed descriptions which prove pretty unnecessary to the forward movement of the plot. I guess you could argue the scenery is a character of sorts, but it's just not that intriguing.
Overall, though, I read this with a brain-candy expectation and actually felt there was more depth to this book than many of those types of novels that I pick up. The writing style isn't flawless, but is redeemable. The story itself involves some Dan Brown-style tracking (with a nod to that author being directly pointed out), but without relaying the drama and trauma to quite the same caliber.
A good book. Not a particularly sophisticated one, but then that's not what I was looking for!
Overall, though, I read this with a brain-candy expectation and actually felt there was more depth to this book than many of those types of novels that I pick up. The writing style isn't flawless, but is redeemable. The story itself involves some Dan Brown-style tracking (with a nod to that author being directly pointed out), but without relaying the drama and trauma to quite the same caliber.
A good book. Not a particularly sophisticated one, but then that's not what I was looking for!
February 23, 2016
The book is described as a "lightning-paced page-turner". The back cover also refers to a "desperate race." I really didn't think it was either of those. Overall, the first part of the book gets you interested, and the main part of the book was okay to read. Unfortunately, the ending left something to be desired. It just seemed like it left part of the storyline unresolved. Why did this piece of Michelangelo's missing notebook set off this chain of events? That, and other items are never fully explained. I thought this was better than Rembrandt's Ghost, and The Lucifer Gospel, but I've definitely lost interest in Paul Christopher.
March 28, 2012
I debated whether or not to give this book four stars, but decided that three would be enough. It had some intersecting chapters that went back to WWII--so it would have
been a shorter book without them. Finn Ryan, an attractive red haired
grad student, discovers a page from Michelangelo's Notebook, and shortly
thereafter, her boyfriend and boss are killed. She teams up with another
art expert to find out why. There are several other deaths, and much
excitement before the end. Interesting, and enjoyable.
been a shorter book without them. Finn Ryan, an attractive red haired
grad student, discovers a page from Michelangelo's Notebook, and shortly
thereafter, her boyfriend and boss are killed. She teams up with another
art expert to find out why. There are several other deaths, and much
excitement before the end. Interesting, and enjoyable.
July 21, 2012
This one left me a lot unfulfilled. The ending sucked. It seemed that instead of a satisfying finish, the author appeared to be on a deadline and felt that tossing together an ending as quickly and haphazardly was the best answer. Not!
I think the characters were flat and all the jumping around made it confusing and hard to follow.
In the end the author rushed his way through the entire book, tossing too much stuff at you without making the effort to tell a good tale.
PS: It got 2 stars instead of 1 because I only give a book one star if I am unable to finish it.
July 28, 2011
A great intro book to Finn Ryan and her character. i thoroughly enjoyed this my first Paul Christopher novel, although the premise was a little... shall I say, weak? I expected some grand Dan Brownsian adventure with information hidden in the notebook, but was left slightly.... unsure of how I felt about it all.
Christopher has built an interesting base on which Ryan can build and I hope she does, as red heads always have intrigued me.
Christopher has built an interesting base on which Ryan can build and I hope she does, as red heads always have intrigued me.
October 20, 2011
This book was great. There wre times that things were skimmed over or the author made you go look elsewhere for the detailed information which is a method I like when telling any type of Artifact/Historical Fiction. Finn is now one of my favorite characters and I have only read the first book.
There were times in the story that things seemed a bit disjointed but a great read none the less.
Enjoy!
There were times in the story that things seemed a bit disjointed but a great read none the less.
Enjoy!
July 6, 2014
I liked the book, but would have liked it better if...well, I am not sure. It didn't leave me "satisfied" as a 4 or 5 star book would, but I did enjoy the read......
Maybe it just didn't end with as big an ending as I wanted or expected.
And the romantic angle between the two "heroes" didn't really do anything to progress the plot......felt as if it was there just because the author thought it should be there to please readers who like that.....
Maybe it just didn't end with as big an ending as I wanted or expected.
And the romantic angle between the two "heroes" didn't really do anything to progress the plot......felt as if it was there just because the author thought it should be there to please readers who like that.....
April 2, 2016
Finn Ryan is an intern in a museum. As she is working, she stumbles across a drawing that she is sure is a Michaelangelo. Not only his but from his lost notebook. Thinking that she won't be noticed, she makes photographs of the drawing and also some sketches. Her boss is furious and fires her. It only gets worse from that point. Murders begin to happen and Finn calls the number that her mom gave her only for an emergency.
May 11, 2016
A quick and energetic read. I have a few minor qualms with some of the early elements of the books-especially as an art history major, but for the most part is was fun to read. I also agree with the comment that there are too many names to keep up with. I had to review segments to find out how each victim was. Otherwise, though, it was quick and fun.
July 2, 2009
A good yarn, somewhat loose jointed and connected. Loved the links to looted art, and the Nazis. The author interspersed the modern tail with the wartime story. I had problems with how quickly the murderer moved his locations, and was never quite sure which side tried to kill the heroine. A good beach read.
August 9, 2011
enjoyed this book even though just another di vinci type story
Finn the heroine whilst working find a scrap of paper which is thought to be from michelangelo's book hence the title which then starts a chain reaction of events. first her boss is killed then her boyfriend
next on list is finn and so the action goes
Finn the heroine whilst working find a scrap of paper which is thought to be from michelangelo's book hence the title which then starts a chain reaction of events. first her boss is killed then her boyfriend
next on list is finn and so the action goes
Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews