The Alternative Detective

The Chris Norgren Mysteries #3

by Robert Sheckley

Hob Draconian, an aging former hippie detective, discovers that you cannot maintain the status quo by being decent when people are trying to kill you

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Art, Humor, Ebooks, Art History, Detective

255 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1993

About the author

One of science fiction's great humorists, Sheckley was a prolific short story writer beginning in 1952 with titles including "Specialist", "Pilgrimage to Earth", "Warm", "The Prize of Peril", and "Seventh Victim", collected in volumes from Untouched by Human Hands (1954) to Is That What People Do? (1984) and a five-volume set of Collected Stories (1991). His first novel, Immortality, Inc. (1958), was followed by The Status Civilization (1960), Journey Beyond Tomorrow (1962), Mindswap (1966), and several others. Sheckley served as fiction editor for Omni magazine from January 1980 through September 1981, and was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2001.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of these days I am going to find a good theme book that can balance the theme and the mystery. It's going to happen, really, but not with Old Scores.

Don't get me wrong; this book is fantastic if you want to learn about art history or know about art history, and that's why I gave it three stars and not two. I like art crimes and studying them, as I think there are a lot of good moral questions brought up when it comes to the ownership of old paintings and museums. This book does a great job of delving into those questions and making the reader think about what exactly is happening in the art world of this fictional market.

The problem is that this is a murder mystery, or rather, the murder mystery is peppered in here and there with only mentioning it occasionally. The mystery is solved in a matter of minutes after a long and drawn out "investigation" by Chris Norgren, the protagonist. He just really investigates a supposed Rembrandt painting and then somehow figures out the murderer. This is also a style that I don't like, since we find out how he knew in the last chapters instead of getting clues throughout the book.

By the end of this book, I was just ready for it to be over. I think Elkins failed to weave the murder mystery in with the art mystery, and cutting one or the other to make it a non murder cozy mystery would have done wonders for the plot and my personal engagement. The random, angst ridden relationship also muddled things up for me, although I liked that Ann was as confused as I was in the end.

[Jennifer S. Alderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever art history mystery about forgeries, the worth and perception of art, and what some will do to 'make it' in the art world.

[Max Scholz · Rating 4 out of 5]

honestly not bad for a random $2 book

[Nancy C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the longest and most dragged out explanatory conversation at the end of the book, the art fake/forgery information was great. Many points worth pondering.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a fan of Aaron Elkins and was looking forward to reading my first Chris Norgren mystery. I was interested in the subject matter: any mystery that tangles with art and scholarship has immediate appeal to me. BUT, this book did not meet my expectations of being entertaining.

Elkins spend an inordinate about of time educating his readers on art history, but it felt like filler, not an integral part of the story. Chris Norgren is an engaging character and I loved his "French adventure" trip---but, the book just went on and on and on for me. Disappointing overall.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The answer just popped up at the end.

But I like the protagonist and friends, I enjoy the writing and plotting so -ok. I did wonder where everyone else was at the denouement.

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Aaron Elkins books, my very favorite being the Gideon Oliver series, but I do enjoy his Chris Norgren books, too, since I have a strong interest in art. Norgren works for the Seattle Art Museum & they've just been gifted a newly-discovered Rembrandt . . . but there are strings attached. Chris must fly to Dijon to attend the Grand Exhibition at the Galerie Vachey where the Rembrandt, as yet unseen by anyone, will be revealed along with another gift painting by Leger going to a French museum. The Rembrandt was found in a Paris junk shoppe & there is a question of its authenticity, but Chris must decide whether to accept or refuse it within a couple days by visual inspection only--no physical testing may be done on it. Since the galerie owner has been known to pull off art pranks in the past to make a point, Chris is suspicious of the restrictions placed upon the gift. Has Vachey got another trick up his sleeve that will eventually embarrass Chris' reputation & the Seattle Art Museum? And this trip comes at an inconvenient time--Chris' girlfriend, in the military & posted in Europe, is arriving in Seattle for a conference to be followed by a few days spent together--but now, just as she's arriving from Europe, he has to depart for France. Hoping to be able to get in, make his assessment & accept or refuse the painting, then get home as soon as possible, Chris discovers that may not be possible as complications start popping up--someone else is making a claim on the painting which harkens back to Vachey's art dealings during WWII when the Nazis were confiscating art from Jewish families, & Vachey's former lover is making a spectacle of herself at the exhibition about a painting he promised her. Amongst her drunken ramblings, Chris learns there's a secret scrapbook in which Vachey has kept a record of all his acquisitions & their provenance. Hoping to learn about the promised Rembrandt, Chris steals into Vachey's study to take a peek into the scrapbook but, before he can learn anything, someone pushes him out the second-story study window. And then there's a murder. What is going on? Is this all to do with the Rembrandt, Vachey's wartime dealings, or is there another reason yet unknown? And will Chris ever get back to Seattle in time to see Anne? This one kept me guessing up to the end. An enjoyable book.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great series, and the character development is wonderful. They are consistent from book to book, just strange enough to be realistic (without any special characteristics that make them essential to the story), and interesting enough that you enjoy meeting them again in later books.

The story lines are good - just twisty enough that it leaves you wondering, but at the same time reasonable enough to be completely believable. There are things that seem to be incredibly important that turn out to be just people being people. So why only four stars? The physical assaults should be doing way more damage to the victims than they actually do. That bothers me.

I'm honestly sorry that there aren't more books in the series; I'd love to read them.

[Heidi Agner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good murder mystery by Aaron Elkins in and around the art world.

This is the the fourth series by Aaron Elkins that i have read. I enjoyed this Chris Norgren series as much as the other three. I like reading a good mystery while learning about a profession that I had known nothing. In this case Art authentication: determining what is a three master's work and what is fake.

Northern gets himself involved in a murder investigation that involves an art broker and is death while trying to ascertain whether a painting that has been offered to Chris's museum is truly a Rembrandt or a hoax set up by the dead broker as aprsnk. Wondering he as known to do in the past.

[RC Prentice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did someone say that Elkins is at his best writing about the Skeleton Detective? Well, he’s not too shabby when writing about art quests and forgeries, either. The old scores go back to WWII and the Nazis’ confiscation of works of art. This is not the only Elkins book with this theme, but it gets done better here than it does in some of the others, although the plot elements are very similar. The romp through France is, as in other peripatetic Elkins novels, enchanting, entertaining, well informed with a “you-are-there” closeness.

[Maureen Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

good mystery, good writing style

I did a little research when I came across a word that made me uncomfortable. After using google a little, I realized that when this was written, in 1993, the word was okay, but is now considered as an antisemitic slur.

Other than that, this is an intricate mystery, with strands woven together through the decades. Descriptions of Dijon and Paris were beautiful.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, I enjoy the theme of art forgeries. Also like Chris Norgren who has to decide whether he can trust his judgement as to whether a Rembrandt is for real--or a shady art dealer's trick gift. Plot involves the Nazi confiscation of art works as well. I'll have to check to see if there is a #4!

[A G A VAN DEN BOS · Rating 4 out of 5]

A considerable improvement on the previous book of the Chris Norgren series. Contains a welcome return of educative elucidations and sesquipedalian language. However the style bibliophiles of the author have become accustomed to, frequently appears to have been incongruously intercalated. Perhaps as an appeasement of bibliomaniac expectance. It also feels as though the conveyance of this particular apologue was inordinately elongated.

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good mystery for art lovers. The plot sees Chris Norgren traveling to Dijon, France, to evaluate a painting that might be an original, and might not. It is being donated to his museum, but there are several stipulations that indicate not all is honest and above board. There is a murder and also definitely a surprise ending.

[Sallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was so much like the last book in the series, I began to think I'd all ready read this one, but it finally moved on so I finished the book. Ok, but not my favorite of his series, I think I still prefer the Gideon Oliver series more.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Elkins' A Glancing Light, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I like his writing style - he injects a lot of self-deprecating humor into the stories. This one fell apart when it neared the end. It got way too complicated and hard to follow or to believe the characters' motivations.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

Very clever venture into the world of art dealers. I never saw the twist coming at the end. Well written and with well drawn characters. I cant wat to read more by this author.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

And OK mystery but I prefer the Gideon Oliver series.

[Priscilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cute, I have to say. A fun read and a nicely twisted story. I enjoyed this.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun series. Enjoy the art history and the descriptions of the cities in Europe.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very good...great characters, the art experts, not too many that you couldn’t keep them straight...good ending, great setting..

[rebecca O. webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Read

While each Norgren book is similar to the last book, this was just a bit of fun brain candy and an easy read.

[Susan]

Loved it

[Marlo Faulkner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elkins scores again

A great romp through the world of forgeries and fakes in the beautiful city of Dijon and Paris.
What could go wrong?

[SteveRv · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok read although I found myself skimming in the third part of the book

[Smiltė Bikulčienė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detektyvas tai toks ... bet yra įdomybių apie meno klastočių pasaulį ir pačių klastočių likimus. Įdomūs ir veikėjų dėstomi požiūriai į klastotes. Pvz - kodėl visi nori Rembrandto ir yra pasirengę už jį mokėti, jei kopijos neįmanoma atskirti nuo originalo?

[June Hiza]

Published 2015

[Rob Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun little jaunt through the Iran Contra scandal with a private detective. I enjoyed it.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK if you like art history

Is it real or is it fake? Art historian Chris Norgren travels to Paris to find out if a Rembrandt being donated to his museum is authentic or not? And helps solve a murder in his spare time.

[Curtis Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star. Had an entertainingly laid back start but then went big and twisty in some entertaining ways but lost its roots in the process.