The Lost Van Gogh

A Novel

By: Jonathan Santlofer

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

"Ingeniously plotted, irresistibly readable, brimming with inside information about the high-stakes art world of theft, forgery, and murder...Also included are brilliantly rendered drawings by the author, who is as accomplished an artist as he is a writer of suspense thrillers."―Joyce Carol Oates

From the author of the much-praised The Last Mona Lisa comes another thrilling story of masterpieces, masterminds, and mystery.

For years, there have been whispers that, before his death, Van Gogh completed a final self-portrait. Curators and art historians have savored this rumor, hoping it could illuminate some of the troubled artist's many secrets, but even they have to concede that the missing painting is likely lost forever.

But when Luke Perrone, artist and great-grandson of the man who stole the Mona Lisa, and Alexis Verde, daughter of a notorious art thief, discover what may be the missing portrait, they are drawn into a most epic art puzzles. When only days later the painting disappears again, they are reunited with INTERPOL agent John Washington Smith in a dangerous and deadly search that will not only expose secrets of the artist's last days but draws them into one of history's darkest eras.

Beneath the paint and canvas, beneath the beauty and the legend, the artwork has become linked with something evil, something that continues to flourish on the dark web and on the shadiest corridors of the underground art world.

Alternating between Luke Perrone's perilous hunt for the painting, and a history of stolen art and stolen lives, The Lost Van Gogh is an intricately layered historical thriller perfect for fans of The Last Mona Lisa and The Night Portrait.

©2024 Jonathan Santlofer. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Edoardo Ballerini returns to narrate another art-heist adventure involving New York artist Luke Perrone and his girlfriend, Alexis Verde, daughter of a famous art thief.… Ballerini's snappy delivery matches the fast-paced story. He seamlessly switches between the voices and accents of the characters—men and women—New Yorkers and Europeans alike—keeping pace with the rapid-fire dialogue.”—AudioFile Magazine

“Instantaneously drawing the listener into the story with his commitment to illuminating the messages between the lines, Ballerini’s energized yet measured voice oscillates between varying tones and points of view, defaulting to the first-person narration of a young, aspiring artist: an engaged participant, and a detached, questioning observer at one. A beautifully narrated, contemporary tribute to van Gogh and his place in art-lovers’ hearts.”—Booklist (starred review)

"The latest art thriller from Santlofer has historic European locations and appealing characters chasing down art stolen by horrible people...Give this novel to art enthusiasts, mystery lovers, and fans of Daniel Silva and Dan Brown.."—Library Journal

A fascinating and intriguing tale

I would encourage readers to enjoy the authors first book, where the main characters are introduced. I started with this book, but then went back and listened to his previous story, because I wanted to know more about the characters and their backgrounds.
This book was a fascinating story of the underbelly of the art world and the purchase and sale of stolen masterpieces. Hard to believe that unscrupulous art sales still occur even in our time.
I very much enjoyed the development of the characters and the twisting and turns of the plot. I did not find it predictable in anyway. Never a boring moment!
I hope that these characters return in another installment. Brilliantly read, I couldn’t recommend this enough to other readers.

This is a sequel

This book was just OK for me. I disagree with those comparing this author to Dan Brown.
The author is an artist himself, and his knowledge and love of art definitely shine through. Half the book is set in Amsterdam, with a lot of detail of the Van Gogh Museum, Vincent Van Gogh's life, and even a visit to the Anne Frank house. Having visited these places, I was fascinated by seeing them through the characters' eyes, and the details were very accurate.

The narrator, Edoardo Ballerini, is one of my favorites. I first heard him reading the Matthew Corbett series and he is always amazing.

There were so many characters, so much treachery, so many POV that it was very hard to follow the plot. About 75% of the characters are not who they seem to be, or have hidden motives and mysterious associations with other characters.
My biggest issue though, is I didn't realize the book is a sequel. It seems the main character, Luke, met his GF, Alex, in the first book. There are some other characters that were also in the first one. There are MAJOR spoilers in this one for the first one, so I recommend reading the 1st one 1st in case you like it and want to move to this one.

I don't' regret getting the book, especially since I got it on sale, but I won't rush to look for more by this author.

Great story

one of the best narrators - great author’s note detailing historical fact included in the story

Story didn’t hold together for me

Disappointing book, I was excited about the concept, but the story didn’t work for me

Reminds me of a newer version of the Da Vinci Code

I enjoyed the the Da Vinci Code series and this book reminded me of a newer version of it. I may not be the best at recognizing art, but I do love it and do love Van Gogh art. So, this book was so interesting to me! I thought the ending was kind of obvious (who stole the art), but even with that, I still enjoyed this book! I highly recommend it!

Struggles

There were constant struggles between the past and the present, between greed and the love of art, between people and what they wanted.

Intriguing Art Mystery with Glimpses into the Past

I enjoyed the mystery of why the missing Van Gogh was stolen from a woman who recently found it as well as appreciating what I learned about how the Nazis stole art from Jewish people during the war. Good characters. Keeps you guessing. Recommended!

Great story!

Excellent mix of facts and fiction!
My only problem with the book is from the audible perspective-the mixing of timelines. There was no verbal indication of which time it was so there was confusion in the listener until it was finally clear. Still I look forward to more works by this author!

Interesting

As an art lover and fan of mysteries and thrillers, I enjoyed this title and the narrator

How great art lives many lives.

Great story, a look into great art,and how it has a life of its own.