From the Bookshelf of Tyler Public Library…

[close] There is a lot going on in this 400+ p. novel which centers on the world of art and a lost painting of Watteau, called the Improbability of Love. Annie McDee is a young woman on the rebound after losing the love of her life and their jointly-held business. She purchases an old painting in a junk store as a birthday present for a new boyfriend, who stands her up. And don't you know the painting turns out to be a long-lost masterpiece. Intrigue, murder, false imprisonment ensue, complete with old family secrets, Nazi's, Jewish Holocaust survivors, rabid art dealers, the insanely rich collectors, and of course the whole steaming hot mess of the modern art world. Rothschild is a talented writer and she has a very interesting premise for this novel, however, the novel would have benefited from tighter editing. The huge cast of characters could have been trimmed and did not add to the story. I love mysteries about the art world, but this one was a bit too convoluted for me.