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A Cloud of Fraud
A fast-moving art crime novel. One man shot dead at City Hall in Philadelphia. One Renaissance painting missing in Italy. One smart woman on the trail, through a cloud of fraud. As C. S. Forester said, Perhaps the suspicion of fraud enhances the flavor.
339 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2019
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99 people want to read
About the author
Linda Ferreri
5 books99 followersWell known lecturer, art historian and international art lawyer, Linda Ferreri is the author of several books. Her new art crime mystery, Isabella in Red, is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Amateur sleuth and art expert, Claire Bliss, finds her clues in American cities and the beautiful hills of Le Marche in Italy.
www.LindaFerreri.com
www.LindaFerreri.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 9, 2019
Very enjoyable read.
Inspired by the work of Italian Renaissance painter Carlo Crivelli, Cloud of Fraud is a magnificent synergistic creation of literary fiction and art history. Give me more.
Highly recommended for art historians who are seeking a mystery to which they can relate.
Inspired by the work of Italian Renaissance painter Carlo Crivelli, Cloud of Fraud is a magnificent synergistic creation of literary fiction and art history. Give me more.
Highly recommended for art historians who are seeking a mystery to which they can relate.
July 8, 2019
A Cloud of Fraud by Linda Ferreri is a complex web of art theft/fraud, inheritance disputes, and murder. This story dives into the reality of lengthy lawsuits and the greed that pours out when there is money to be had, and it offers an interesting glimpse into the work of Italian Renaissance artist Carlo Crivelli.
The cast of characters is varied, but both Claire Bliss in New York City/Philadelphia and Police Chief Baldo in Castello Piceno, Italy, are the main characters who unexpectedly find themselves deeply embroiled in a crime ring of Renaissance art theft and forgery. The situation becomes dire for Claire as she works with Baldo in Italy to expose the truth.
But who exactly is the ultimate ringleader in this convoluted web of crime? The overall mystery is complicated and intricate, and Linda Ferreri paints quite the picture of intrigue and misdirection. This international crime thriller starts off slowly and then picks up speed when a man is shot point blank on the steps of City Hall in Philadelphia and when Claire is forced to run for her life yet still try to unravel the clues in this dangerous network of theft, forgery, greed, and murder.
The parallel stories of the art fraud and the never-ending inheritance lawsuit (yes, they are connected) switch back and forth quite frequently and need a smoother transition at times. In addition, a solid round of editing will enhance the overall presentation of this thrilling mystery.
However, A Cloud of Fraud will capture the imagination of anyone interested in a gripping crime novel full of Renaissance art, dynamic characters, and a completely twisted and tangled network of international crime and greed. Romance is not on the agenda in this story, but both Claire and Baldo have estranged relationships that add interesting layers to their characterization.
On a personal note, I was elated when Sarnano in the Le Marche region in Italy was briefly mentioned because I spent two lovely weeks in that medieval town in 2007. While Sarnano is not the setting of this book, just the mention of it was an added bonus for me.
The cast of characters is varied, but both Claire Bliss in New York City/Philadelphia and Police Chief Baldo in Castello Piceno, Italy, are the main characters who unexpectedly find themselves deeply embroiled in a crime ring of Renaissance art theft and forgery. The situation becomes dire for Claire as she works with Baldo in Italy to expose the truth.
But who exactly is the ultimate ringleader in this convoluted web of crime? The overall mystery is complicated and intricate, and Linda Ferreri paints quite the picture of intrigue and misdirection. This international crime thriller starts off slowly and then picks up speed when a man is shot point blank on the steps of City Hall in Philadelphia and when Claire is forced to run for her life yet still try to unravel the clues in this dangerous network of theft, forgery, greed, and murder.
The parallel stories of the art fraud and the never-ending inheritance lawsuit (yes, they are connected) switch back and forth quite frequently and need a smoother transition at times. In addition, a solid round of editing will enhance the overall presentation of this thrilling mystery.
However, A Cloud of Fraud will capture the imagination of anyone interested in a gripping crime novel full of Renaissance art, dynamic characters, and a completely twisted and tangled network of international crime and greed. Romance is not on the agenda in this story, but both Claire and Baldo have estranged relationships that add interesting layers to their characterization.
On a personal note, I was elated when Sarnano in the Le Marche region in Italy was briefly mentioned because I spent two lovely weeks in that medieval town in 2007. While Sarnano is not the setting of this book, just the mention of it was an added bonus for me.
June 8, 2019
Ferreri is a law expert in art and I liked learning much about a few Italian Renaissance artists and their work. I appreciated interesting information about Mary Magdalene, the subject of several of Crivelli's paintings. There was much in the complex plot about forgeries of paintings and the stealing of original and famous works of art too.
Her writing style was a little difficult for me. The dialogue was frequently stilted and sometimes repetitive. Here's an example:
“Oh dear me!” Robson said. “You mean a forgery?”
“Yes, I mean a forgery. ...” (187)
Also, the setting frequently changed between Philadelphia and Italy at the start of a chapter without any notification, such as a heading. I found that disconcerting. There are little spurts of suspense and basically no romance in the novel.
This is an informative novel and a good one for readers who would like to learn about the world of art and international thievery.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Her writing style was a little difficult for me. The dialogue was frequently stilted and sometimes repetitive. Here's an example:
“Oh dear me!” Robson said. “You mean a forgery?”
“Yes, I mean a forgery. ...” (187)
Also, the setting frequently changed between Philadelphia and Italy at the start of a chapter without any notification, such as a heading. I found that disconcerting. There are little spurts of suspense and basically no romance in the novel.
This is an informative novel and a good one for readers who would like to learn about the world of art and international thievery.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
June 24, 2019
Every author has a rhythm to their language that comes from their upbringing and environment. I’m not an exception. Having grown up an American in Canada, I sometimes lapse into the Queen’s English, to the chagrin of American readers, who hear it as pretentious and stilted. Ms. Ferreri, I suspect, learned British English, because that’s what comes through in her dialog and prose. Take this snippet:
“Ah,” she replied. “Jack, yes Jack, well we’re quite divorced you know.”
That is so typically British I nearly laughed out loud (having lived there for 3 years I still have those cadences in my head as well). The only problem is that these are supposed to be Americans talking. Americans don’t talk like that, unless they’re displaced Britons, which I don’t presume every American in the story was supposed to be. I felt that rather than Philadelphia, this should have been set in London, or Coventry, or somewhere else in England.
The parts of the story that took place in Italy, on the other hand, felt acutely authentic. I enjoyed the descriptions of place and the characters seemed more at home in their surroundings. It is difficult to describe paintings in prose, but Ms. Ferreri does an admirable job. I liked Commissario Baldo a lot, but we were beaten over the head with the fact of his estrangement from his wife. A lot of that could have been left unsaid.
I liked Claire a lot and felt that (aside from her improbably British dialog) she was well-developed – perhaps the most well-developed character in the book. She was a little contradictory. For example, she was quite paranoid, but on the other hand agreed to work for Grigory sight unseen without questioning his credentials until she was committed. These minor inconsistencies of character didn’t greatly detract from my enjoyment of the book.
I give A Cloud of Fraud four stars because of the aforementioned issues as well as some distracting head-hopping that occurs at various points in the story. Overall, though, it was a solid read and as educational as it was entertaining. I liked it, and you will too!
“Ah,” she replied. “Jack, yes Jack, well we’re quite divorced you know.”
That is so typically British I nearly laughed out loud (having lived there for 3 years I still have those cadences in my head as well). The only problem is that these are supposed to be Americans talking. Americans don’t talk like that, unless they’re displaced Britons, which I don’t presume every American in the story was supposed to be. I felt that rather than Philadelphia, this should have been set in London, or Coventry, or somewhere else in England.
The parts of the story that took place in Italy, on the other hand, felt acutely authentic. I enjoyed the descriptions of place and the characters seemed more at home in their surroundings. It is difficult to describe paintings in prose, but Ms. Ferreri does an admirable job. I liked Commissario Baldo a lot, but we were beaten over the head with the fact of his estrangement from his wife. A lot of that could have been left unsaid.
I liked Claire a lot and felt that (aside from her improbably British dialog) she was well-developed – perhaps the most well-developed character in the book. She was a little contradictory. For example, she was quite paranoid, but on the other hand agreed to work for Grigory sight unseen without questioning his credentials until she was committed. These minor inconsistencies of character didn’t greatly detract from my enjoyment of the book.
I give A Cloud of Fraud four stars because of the aforementioned issues as well as some distracting head-hopping that occurs at various points in the story. Overall, though, it was a solid read and as educational as it was entertaining. I liked it, and you will too!
June 11, 2019
So many paintings lost. So many paintings found. Are they all Carlo Crivelli paintings?
There’s definitely a cloud of fraud surrounding these paintings and the people who want them. As you read you will need to pull back layers to discover who these people really are and what they want.
And Claire Bliss is caught up in the middle of it all, including an ongoing lawsuit.
All Claire really wants is to be able to go hide out in her home in Italy. Instead she ends up shuttling between cities in the States and between countries. Will she ever be able to escape the danger and enjoy a quiet life?
Thank you, Ms Ferreri. I really enjoyed this book. I hope you have more Claire Bliss stories for us.
***Book provided free of charge by PICT.***
There’s definitely a cloud of fraud surrounding these paintings and the people who want them. As you read you will need to pull back layers to discover who these people really are and what they want.
And Claire Bliss is caught up in the middle of it all, including an ongoing lawsuit.
All Claire really wants is to be able to go hide out in her home in Italy. Instead she ends up shuttling between cities in the States and between countries. Will she ever be able to escape the danger and enjoy a quiet life?
Thank you, Ms Ferreri. I really enjoyed this book. I hope you have more Claire Bliss stories for us.
***Book provided free of charge by PICT.***
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews