The Lost Van Gogh

A Novel

By: Jonathan Santlofer

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

"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

How great art lives many lives.

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