Murder at the National Gallery

July 1, 1996
Truman, daughter of Harry and Bess, centers the latest in her Capitol Crimes series, starring Washington, D.C., insiders Annabel and Mac Reed, in the often corrupt world of international art. Although the title incident doesn't occur until nearly the last chapter, the pace of the preceding action is breathless. As the National Gallery prepares for a special Caravaggio exhibit, senior curator Luther Mason happens to "discover" a lost Caravaggio masterpiece while in Italy. Installing the original in the exhibit but making plans to replace it afterwards, Mason, aided by cultural attache Carlo Giliberti, commissions two forgeries--one to send back to Italy and the other to sell to an underground art dealer who believes he is buying the original. In the meantime, Mason must deal with his scrounging son, Julian, and his mistress and gallery assistant, Lynn Marshall, who is angling for a quick promotion. Along for the ride is well-known art critic, the asexual M. Scott Pims, who adores intrigue. After four murders, the players who remain meet for a thrilling chase from Rome to Abruzzi. The amiable Reeds--Annabel is a gallery owner and Mac a law school professor--are in top form here.

May 1, 1997
YA-Truman introduces readers to an art world in which theft, forgery, blackmail, and murder are everyday occurrences, and big money is the catalyst. Senior curator of the National Gallery of Art, Luther Mason, is planning a brilliant exhibition of Caravaggio paintings, culminating with the "surprising" discovery of a work that has been lost for hundreds of years. The commission of two expert forgeries of the lost painting propel Mason, the staff of the museum, the wife of the Vice-President of the United States, and the government of Italy into a dangerous treasure hunt. Truman writes comfortably and simply. By using a modern literary device, she forces readers to synthesize events and information presented in the beginning of the book into the plot. An entertaining mystery.-Debbie Hyman, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA

May 1, 1996
Truman's latest mystery is set in the dazzling, fast-paced world of international art. Lawyer turned gallery owner (and occasional amateur sleuth) Annabel Reed-Smith is the nominal heroine in a story that moves from Washington's National Gallery, where money, power, and great art reign, to the seedy back alleys of Rome, which serve as home to art forgers and thieves. Luther Mason, senior curator at the National Gallery has pulled off quite a coup by finding a little-known Caravaggio that has been missing for years. Now he is bringing the painting to Washington as part of an exhibit that will be the capstone of his career. But Luther has a nasty secret: he's cooked up a scheme to substitute not one but two forgeries for the real Caravaggio, sell the forgeries, and take the authentic painting and his ill-gotten gains to a remote Greek island, where he'll live out the rest of his days, satisfied, rich, and with a painting by his beloved Caravaggio gracing his walls. Naturally, things start to go wrong. When blackmail and murder result, Annabel is called in to help investigate. One of Truman's best efforts, this novel combines excitement, entertainment, and suspense with solid writing and creative plotting. Highly recommended. ((Reviewed May 1, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)