Stealing Mona Lisa

June 13, 2011
Historical fans will welcome professional musician Morton's first novel, set in the early 20th century. Eduardo de Valfierno, the epitome of the suave criminal, has assembled a motley crew of thieves, grifters, and opportunists who sell priceless paintings to wealthy collectors. Though the greedy investors receive expert forgeries, Valfierno is adept at making them believe they possess actual masterpieces. The stakes rise when Valfierno and his colleaguesâjoined by American pickpocket extraordinaire Julia Conway, disgruntled Louvre employee Vicenzo Perugia, and struggling artist José Diego Santiago de la Santísimaâplot to steal the Mona Lisa, known as La Joconde in France. The audacious plan, however, is undone by human nature as love, lust, jealousy, greed, and murderous revenge come into play, along with excessive rains and the worst flooding in contemporary Paris history. Morton smoothly blends fact and fiction while evocatively exploring the era's seamy underbelly.

Starred review from July 15, 2011

A world-class art thief snatches a world-famous masterpiece from under the noses of its guardians in 1911 Paris.

Parisian art students believe that La Joconde belongs up on the wall in the Salon Carre of the Louvre. Vincenzo Perugia believes that La Giaconda belongs in Italy where it was painted. But although he was born a marquis, Eduardo de Valfierno is a democrat at heart and believes that everyone—particularly every rich American—deserves his own Mona Lisa. So he recruits Perugia, along with skilled pickpocket Julia Conway and a grown-up street urchin named Emile, to swipe the Leonardo masterpiece. Once the papers report it missing, he can sell half-a-dozen forged versions to wealthy industrialists whose mansions line the banks of the Hudson River. He takes a detour, though, to Rhode Island, because he can't resist peddling one of his bogus Monas to Joshua Hart. Ever since meeting the crass industrialist in Buenos Aires, where he sold him a copy of La Ninfa Soprendida, Valfierno has been entranced by Hart's beautiful wife Ellen. Armed with an authentic-looking da Vinci supplied by a talented painter named Diego, Eduardo sells Hart something a little less than he bargains for. But in return, Eduardo gets a little more than he bargains for, ending up back in Paris to face a series of disasters, both natural and manmade.

Like La Joconde, Carson's debut novel is set in an elegant frame—a newspaper reporter wrests the amazing story from a dying Valfierno—that still isn't as finely crafted as what lies inside.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from July 1, 2011

With all the careful brushstrokes required of a classic, Morton gives us a historical tale of deception and theft surrounding the actual 1911 theft of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. This delightful caper is told from the point of view of Marquis Eduardo de Valfierno, now on his deathbed, several years later. He shares how he and his comrades devised a plan to steal one of the most coveted paintings in the world. The marquis hadn't planned on adding to his heist team a young pickpocket artist or the free-spirited wife of one of his clients, but as with all great cons, smooth teamwork is critical. Suspense builds steadily as we hold our breath, waiting to see if all the moving parts can make this audacious endeavor succeed. You'll never look at museum art in quite the same way. VERDICT Great characters, a captivating tale, and vivid descriptions of old Paris make this debut a pleasurable read. Morton's screenwriter/playwright background ensures sparkling dialog. Bring out the popcorn and settle in for excitement, thrills, and tension. Tremendous crossover appeal for historical fiction (think Susan Vreeland) and romance readers, too.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2011
On his death bed in Paris in 1925, Marquis Eduardo do Valfierno tells the story of his schemes to provide wealthy men with immeasurably valuable but necessarily private art collections by stealing masterpieces from museums and leaving expert copies in their places. In fact, the actual paintings remain in the museums while the marquis sells copies to his clients. But when Valfierno and his cronies target the Mona Lisa, his client, American Joshua Hart, one of the richest men in the world, demands proof of the theft through worldwide news coverage, and a more ambitious and potentially more lucrative plan is required. Complications arise when young Mrs. Hart leaves her husband, a conspirator goes missing, and heavy rains flood Paris. Based on the actual theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911, Mortons first novel is a canny heist story with fine characterizations and skillful plotting, and it isn't hurt one bit by all the shimmering Parisian ambience. This entertaining caper may leave readers wondering about the authenticity of the art on museum walls.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)