What do you think?
Rate this book
Идеалният фалшификат
В Лондон предстои откриването на колекционерска изложба от редки средновековни географски карти. Събитието в нея е уникат от XV век, доставен от американски милионер. Кураторът на изложбата е мистериозно убит върху разстланата на бюрото му карта. Старинният документ е безвъзвратно погубен. Възможно ли е за броените дни до изложбата да се изработи достатъчно добър фалшификат?
Дипломирана юристка и адвокатка с успешна практика, в средата на 80-те Барбара Паркър изоставя кариерата си и се отдава на хобито си да пише криминални и съдебни истории. Разказите и романите й се радват на популярност по цял свят и с право й спечелват славата на кралица на съспенса. В "Идеалният фалшификат" за пореден път тя ни предлага увлекателен мисловен ребус, в който сюжетът изненадва до последната страница и нищо не е такова, каквото ни е изглеждало.
Дипломирана юристка и адвокатка с успешна практика, в средата на 80-те Барбара Паркър изоставя кариерата си и се отдава на хобито си да пише криминални и съдебни истории. Разказите и романите й се радват на популярност по цял свят и с право й спечелват славата на кралица на съспенса. В "Идеалният фалшификат" за пореден път тя ни предлага увлекателен мисловен ребус, в който сюжетът изненадва до последната страница и нищо не е такова, каквото ни е изглеждало.
500 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 2006
7 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Parker
59 books60 followersBarbara Parker was an American mystery writer. She wrote 12 novels, the first of which, Suspicion of Innocence, was a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first mystery novel by an American author. Parker was on the national board of the Mystery Writers of America and was the chair of its membership committee for two years.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian's 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 49 reviews
December 5, 2022
This book is about an ex con who is having trouble being in the outside world. He has no money and his parole officer is riding him. He is asked to make a forgery of a map. He soon finds himself in a conspiracy and circumstances he did not bargain for.
This was my introduction to this author and I thought it was just okay. All of the elements were there for an enjoyable adventure book. There was the crime that would lead to a bigger conspiracy that involves many people. The high speed of visiting many exotic locales. The requisite love affair between two characters. Many plot twists with characters trying to outdo each other. Even with all these elements that should have made an exciting read I just thought it was okay. Nothing really grabbed me. I believe the case was that I never connected with any of the characters including the main character. I could also say this about the adventure. The whole time I was reading this book I was saying "yeah that makes sense and what is next" but never in a way I was excited about it.
As you can tell this book did not do much for me. The best I can say about it is that it was serviceable. Not exactly an endorsing recommendation. It had everything I want in this type of book but for whatever reason it never came together for me. I would try something else from this author in the hopes that this was a one time thing. I do believe that was the case.
This was my introduction to this author and I thought it was just okay. All of the elements were there for an enjoyable adventure book. There was the crime that would lead to a bigger conspiracy that involves many people. The high speed of visiting many exotic locales. The requisite love affair between two characters. Many plot twists with characters trying to outdo each other. Even with all these elements that should have made an exciting read I just thought it was okay. Nothing really grabbed me. I believe the case was that I never connected with any of the characters including the main character. I could also say this about the adventure. The whole time I was reading this book I was saying "yeah that makes sense and what is next" but never in a way I was excited about it.
As you can tell this book did not do much for me. The best I can say about it is that it was serviceable. Not exactly an endorsing recommendation. It had everything I want in this type of book but for whatever reason it never came together for me. I would try something else from this author in the hopes that this was a one time thing. I do believe that was the case.
May 5, 2017
Tom Fairchild is a talented graphic artist living in Miami. He had recently been released from jail and is serving out the remainder of his sentence while on parole. Unfortunately for Tom, his parole officer harbors deep resentment toward him and would be more than happy to find him in violation of his parole so he could throw his ass back in jail to serve out the remainder of his sentence.
Luckily for him, Tom's sister Rose was there to the rescue and pulled him out of his doldrums. She's a good sister and Tom knows it. She owns and operates an antique map store in town. Tom is more than happy to help out however he can.
An antique map fair in town is soon approaching. They plan on setting up a booth displaying their wares. In preparation for the fair, Tom volunteers his graphic art skills to make an original-looking as possible, five-hundred year old map of Florida. He had it printed on the back of the store's business flyers to be distributed to customers as a freebee. One particular person to visit their booth was utterly amazed with the map's authenticity. When he learned that Tom had handcrafted the map, he made him an offer too good to refuse. He wanted Tom to make him a counterfeit map.
Tom knew that if he got caught making a counterfeit antique map, he'd get a one way ticket back to jail. And he won't pass GO. He was no saint and was desperately in need of money. After giving it a couple of days thought, Tom accepted the offer. He knew he'd need the help of a skilled, trusted friend to complete this assignment. A large payday awaited it's completion.
Tom had gone to London to gather some needed supplies, then on to Italy to meet with his friend and accomplice. Together, they pooled their talents toward creating a valuable five-hundred year old counterfeit map, good enough to fool the experts. Their goal - the perfect fake.
Luckily for him, Tom's sister Rose was there to the rescue and pulled him out of his doldrums. She's a good sister and Tom knows it. She owns and operates an antique map store in town. Tom is more than happy to help out however he can.
An antique map fair in town is soon approaching. They plan on setting up a booth displaying their wares. In preparation for the fair, Tom volunteers his graphic art skills to make an original-looking as possible, five-hundred year old map of Florida. He had it printed on the back of the store's business flyers to be distributed to customers as a freebee. One particular person to visit their booth was utterly amazed with the map's authenticity. When he learned that Tom had handcrafted the map, he made him an offer too good to refuse. He wanted Tom to make him a counterfeit map.
Tom knew that if he got caught making a counterfeit antique map, he'd get a one way ticket back to jail. And he won't pass GO. He was no saint and was desperately in need of money. After giving it a couple of days thought, Tom accepted the offer. He knew he'd need the help of a skilled, trusted friend to complete this assignment. A large payday awaited it's completion.
Tom had gone to London to gather some needed supplies, then on to Italy to meet with his friend and accomplice. Together, they pooled their talents toward creating a valuable five-hundred year old counterfeit map, good enough to fool the experts. Their goal - the perfect fake.
January 3, 2015
3.5 stars. The Perfect Fake was a book I picked up at a used bookstore, and the first I've read from Barbara Parker. Artist Tom Fairchild has a troubled past and is now on probabtion and struggling to make ends meet. He gets an offer he can't refuse from Stuart Barlowe to replicate a 500 year old map that was ruined during a murder of a prominent judge and map collector. Barlowe's daughter Allison is a childhood friend of Tom's, and is asked by her father to accompany Tom to Europe to ensure he follows through with the map.
There are a lot of different characters in this book, and somehow they all become intricately linked together either through business partnerships or criminally. Tom and Allison are soon on the run in Europe, while Tom is still trying to replicate the map for Stuart Barlow. This book definitely didn't grab me right away and I felt the characters were a little superficial. It was an interesting read about historical maps, since I felt Barbara Parker did a lot of research on maps and Europe. Overall, a good read, but not an “I can't put this down” novel, so it may be awhile before I pick up another book by Parker.
There are a lot of different characters in this book, and somehow they all become intricately linked together either through business partnerships or criminally. Tom and Allison are soon on the run in Europe, while Tom is still trying to replicate the map for Stuart Barlow. This book definitely didn't grab me right away and I felt the characters were a little superficial. It was an interesting read about historical maps, since I felt Barbara Parker did a lot of research on maps and Europe. Overall, a good read, but not an “I can't put this down” novel, so it may be awhile before I pick up another book by Parker.
February 19, 2013
I'm a big fan of Parker's Suspicion series, but I also like caper novels so this is a good choice for me. Sympathetic protagonists and cardboard villains, intriguing details of the caper/forgery set up and old maps, upbeat tone. Not Parker's best but lots to like here for fans of capers.
January 18, 2025
Classifying this one is a little more difficult. Talented graphic artist and Dade County prison parolee Tom Fairchild, must recreate a work from the late renaissance era. But rather than art forgeries the likes of which I have heard about from author Daniel Silva (via Gabriel Alon -Sp?-), this book deals with cartography. The old map of Florida he has to recreate is for a rich developer who intends to give it to an eastern european gangster from whom he needs to secure an investment in order to get further funding for a Miami condo high rise. The map is from an old atlas which featured prominently in the gangster's soviet block youth and vanished during the social and political upheaval in said area. Incidentally, the original is ruined by blood stains when a retired judge who is an expert in old maps gets murdered by an associate of the gangster's because he opposes the new high rise. The map was on loan to the judge from the rich developer for a map show at a Miami museum. I had no idea that old maps were of such interest to a certain segment of scholars and collectors but it makes sense considering how all maps of the earth and specific regions have grown more precise with technological innovations.
June 24, 2023
This book is a mystery and contains many elements, but there is a constant focus on maps. I had no idea there were map aficionados, map societies (the International Map Society), or map fairs (the International Map Fair). I am simply underwhelmed at the thought of map collecting, personally. I was engrossed in the book, however, but the ending seemed rather abrupt. It was as if Parker had used up all of the book’s allotted pages and only had a few left to wrap everything up.
March 1, 2018
Good book with a great twist. I would say it was worth a read.
June 23, 2018
Found this book in the HILTON Head condo
Nice easy read
Nice easy read
April 5, 2019
Summer fun read.
August 5, 2019
Very interesting book, international intrigue, ancient maps, foreign agents, counterfeiting ... I enjoyed it. It was a bit long and formulaic but interesting and held my attention.
April 3, 2022
Good whodunit!
October 10, 2025
Thriller with international intrigue. Should be a 3.5 but there's no fraction available. Kept me interested.
July 11, 2016
Synopsis: Miami artist Tom Fairchild, who is an ex-con, is balancing staying on the good side of his parole officer and also assisting his sister and her antique business. He displays his imitation of a 16th century map of Florida at a map fair. Stuart Barlowe, asks him to make a reproduction (forgery by any other name) of a rare Renaissance period map that had been stained with blood----the blood of its murdered owner. Thought this smells "rotten", Tom who badly needs cash accepts the deal and thus the adventure begins.
This is a stand alone novel and not a part of the Suspicion series with characters of Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana. I perfer the series but this was an interesting read.
This is a stand alone novel and not a part of the Suspicion series with characters of Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana. I perfer the series but this was an interesting read.
July 31, 2010
Artist Tom Fairchild has a troubled past he can't shake. That's why he jumps at millionaire Stuart Barlowe's irrestistible offer to travel to Italy and make an exact copy of a rare Renaissance map. Accompanied overseas by Barlowe's equally irresistible daughter, Allison, Tom suspects that what Barlowe wants is not a copy, but a forgery---and that he's prepared to kill to get it. As pawns in a reckless new game, Tom and Allison are running for their lives---while chasing the startling truth behind the mystery of the perfect fake.
This is the second book I have attempted to read by this author. They both started with attention grabbing beginnings and then slow into interpersonal dramas. I generally like my thrillers to be a little more even.
This is the second book I have attempted to read by this author. They both started with attention grabbing beginnings and then slow into interpersonal dramas. I generally like my thrillers to be a little more even.
February 7, 2024
Kohe päris alguses läks põnevaks. Ja kohe alguses pakuti välja päris mitu kahtlast tegelast. Ei tea, kas pidigi algusest peale teadma, kes head ja kes pahad on? Sest üldpilt oli selline, et ma oleks võinud iga tegelase esmatutvustuse peale öelda, kumba leeri tema kuulub.
Kuigi suure mõistatuse lahenduse arvasin ära raamatu esimeses veerandis, ei vähendanud see minu lugemiselamust. N-ö sihtpunkti arvasin ära, aga teekond ise oli ka väga huvitav. Kogu aeg jälle olukord muutus ja tahtsin teada, kuidas peategelased järgmisest jamast end välja kaevavad.
Kuigi suure mõistatuse lahenduse arvasin ära raamatu esimeses veerandis, ei vähendanud see minu lugemiselamust. N-ö sihtpunkti arvasin ära, aga teekond ise oli ka väga huvitav. Kogu aeg jälle olukord muutus ja tahtsin teada, kuidas peategelased järgmisest jamast end välja kaevavad.
October 23, 2007
A well constructed mystery without embarrassing content. I got a little confused toward the end with so may sub-plots but I think I got all the strings tied together at the end except for one concerning the Dottore (Doctor) and his analysis. It was easy to follow but got complicated toward the end with so many people trying to get something out of the deal that was going on.
November 25, 2007
A friend brought this book over on Thanksgiving and I plowed through it almost in one (very long) sitting on Saturday. It was just what I was in the mood for----a good story, interesting characters (very good character development, in fact), and an introduction to a new mystery writer.
This is a perfect book for a plane ride, doctors office etc. Not very demanding, but fun.
This is a perfect book for a plane ride, doctors office etc. Not very demanding, but fun.
December 11, 2008
This time Parker stepped out of her comfort zone and did it quite well. It is not a legal thriller. It is a story about forgery, murders, and international villains. The hero is a graphic artist who is currently on probation. The villains are too numerous to describe, but all deserve your reading time. This was a great read and, hopefully, Parker will produce some more of this genre.
December 22, 2008
From the first couple lines I read in this book I knew that I would enjoy it. I haven't gotten past that yet - so a review will be coming :) I love how this author writes! Crisp, clean, clear, and concise!! It was good; not your typical characters where you know what their next move will be. I enjoyed it!
Read
April 20, 2009A very convoluted mystery. There were many aspects to keep track of as well as characters to edge the suspense along. Although edgy in spots, it was a good book to curl up with on a rainy weekend. The main character being a graphic artist certainly kept my interest especially the author was well schooled in the vocabulary of present day graphic design.
Borrowed from library.
Borrowed from library.
June 5, 2010
Sometimes it is nice to pick up a book whose hero is a flawed, modern antihero, such as in this book. This had some twists and turns but wasn't too complicated. It does involve the world of antique maps, a few murders, some desirable locales, lots of detail about map forgery, etc., etc. Not too rough---good beach read.
April 4, 2011
Overall, a fun, easy read. It wasn't deep or magnificently written or anything, but the plot did keep me interested and I particularly liked the details about the world of antique map collecting. It was a good story and although I figured out the ending well before the end, it was still an enjoyable read.
August 2, 2013
I picked this book because the author's last name is my maiden name, silly reason at best but... The story ended up to be pretty good. Graphic artist, Tom Fairchild, has a criminal past and a friends father asks Tom to duplicate a rare and pricey map that got ruined in a shooting. Tom takes and the job because the money is great but he gets into a bigger pot of trouble than even he knows.
July 26, 2014
Not the best from Barbara Parker. Nevertheless, a good read. A bit rushed ending. Uncovering of the stolen identity is described a but clumsily, which spoils the overall dynamics.
I like that all main characters received some closure. Cannot stand when authors drop characters without telling readers their final fate.
I like that all main characters received some closure. Cannot stand when authors drop characters without telling readers their final fate.
January 23, 2015
I had no clue what to expect with this book. I just picked it up. I am glad I did. The author created a sympathetic character that just tended to now have his life go the way he would have expected and a victim of circumstance more than anything. I don't believe the lawyer would have gotten involved regardless of whom she wanted to get in good with. An enjoyable read however.
March 22, 2008
Barbara Parker is a fast pace writer, catching her readers right off. I love anything she writes. This book is one of three books that is not apart of the "Suspicion" series. It is harder for me to enjoy the non-suspicion books, but I still enjoyed
October 2, 2025
The Perfect Fake by Barbara Parker was a page turner that gave you clues to the many twists and turns and just when you thought you had it figured out, the plot twisted again! I learned a lot about map collecting, collectors and map making while enjoying the suspense.
January 13, 2008
Reads like an action movie script (in both the good and bad senses), but the sections on making counterfeit maps are pretty interesting.
March 8, 2008
Didn't particulary get into. I didn't feel for the characters. Was disappointed because I have enjoyed other books of hers.
June 2, 2008
I have read every Barbara Parker mystery. They are all based in South Florida and I enjoy reading mystery novels that take place in areas that I am familiar with.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews