Artifice

By: Sharon Cameron

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Isa de Smit was raised in the vibrant, glittering world of her parents' small art gallery in Amsterdam, a hub of beauty, creativity, and expression, until the Nazi occupation wiped the color from her city's palette. The "degenerate" art of the Gallery de Smit is confiscated, the artists in hiding or deported, her best friend, Truus, fled to join the shadowy Dutch resistance. And masterpiece by masterpiece, the Nazis are buying and stealing her country's heritage, feeding the Third Reich's ravenous appetite for culture and art.

So when the unpaid taxes threaten her beloved but empty gallery, Isa decides to make the Nazis pay. She sells them a fake—a Rembrandt copy drawn by her talented father—a sale that sets Isa perilously close to the second most hated class of people in Amsterdam: the collaborators. Isa sells her beautiful forgery to none other than Hitler himself, and on the way to the auction, discovers that Truus is part of a resistance ring to smuggle Jewish babies out of Amsterdam.

But Truus cannot save more children without money. A lot of money. And Isa thinks she knows how to get it. One more forgery, a copy of an exquisite Vermeer, and the Nazis will pay for the rescue of the very children they are trying annihilate. To make the sale, though, Isa will need to learn the art of a master forger, before the children can be deported, and before she can be outed as a collaborator. And she finds an unlikely source to help her do it: the young Nazi soldier, a blackmailer and thief of Dutch art, who now says he wants to desert the German army.

Yet, worth is not always seen from the surface, and a fake can be difficult to spot. Both in art, and in people. Based on the true stories of Han Van Meegeren, a master art forger who sold fakes to Hermann Goering, and Johann van Hulst, credited with saving 600 Jewish children from death in Amsterdam, Sharon Cameron weaves a gorgeously evocative thriller, simmering with twists, that looks for the forgotten color of beauty, even in an ugly world.

©2023 Sharon Cameron (P)2023 Scholastic Inc

Critic reviews

"Saskia Maarleveld's precise narration captures Nazi-controlled Amsterdam in 1943.... Maarleveld's pacing is exact whether she is imbuing a suspenseful scene with tense emotions, increasing speed when rapid action demands it, or slowing down for descriptions of art. She builds the relationship between Isa and art lover Michael with care. Maarleveld depicts Isa's complex character--sometimes shrewd, other times empathetic, and always awed by art. She gives the many minor characters their full due, as well. Sharon Cameron delivers her author's note, which is filled with her passion for turning history into story." (AudioFile)

Amazing story

I felt that the story content and voice actor’s performance held my interest and desire to continue to listen. It was a story so compelling I couldn’t put it down!

Riveting Story

It started a bit slow in the beginning, but I stuck with it, and it turned into a wonderful story that I could hardly stop listening to! I really enjoyed the characters, and how they stuck to their purpose. I also listened to the Light in Hidden Places, and it’s become one of my favorite books. I don’t think this one is quite as good, but definitely worth listening to. I enjoyed it.

Beauty painted and repainted.

When we think we have heard all the WWII stories and couldn’t possibly listen to another story, this one blew me away. I did not know the details of the stealing of Dutch art masters and what happened to the collections. The greed of the Nazis, the disregard of human life to sacrifice children and people just to steal art for Hitler’s personal museum was atrocious. An amazing and sad tale. Listen to the authors note as it is important information.

The wonderful story

Brilliant could not stop listening.I loved the story,the characters. I felt that I was transported to Berlin,and Germany. I own an all women’s glass art gallery on line,I really loved reading about the world of art. Please

twists and turns in the characters

I liked the plot in that time period and the accounts of the bravery and boldness of the resistance.

A beautiful listen

My first foray with Ms. Cameron and I think I'll definitely check her other works. The style was lovely and her use of color throughout was a beautiful touch. I was invested in each character. I'm already a fan of Saskia Maarleveld as a narrator so I knew what I was in for there. If she's reading it, I'm likely to enjoy it. Thank you to the author for giving me a peak behind the curtain of the Dutch resistance and art forgery.

Thin story line

Read like a grocery list. Failed to capture my interest enough to finish reading it

Unbelievable

This story just didn't ever really catch me the truth is I skipped over most of it because it has no plausible story. I love the narrator and that's the reason I choose the book.