Jonathan Davies
On Appeal
Pbk published February 1999 by Coronet at £5.99
ISBN: 0340707690
Philip Hook
The Soldier in the Wheatfield
Pbk published January 1999 by Coronet at £5.99
ISBN: 0340682175The Second World War is not over yet. In the art world, by a freak historical slippage its last conflicts are still being played out. Sixty-year-old cases of the looting of valuable paintings are only now coming to light, being painfully relived, and tortuously resolved. For those concerned it can be a harrowing process, opening sudden vivid insights into the suffering and persecution of the past.
As senior director of Sotheby's Impressionist picture Department, Philip Hook has been involved 'in a number of these cases. Out of these experiences he has written An Innocent Eye, a gripping new thriller, interweaving narratives from the Second World War and the present day. The book is fascinating on a number of different levels; on the troubled issue of the restitution of plundered aft, on the art world's secret wheeling and dealing, and on the fascinating genius of Monet.
"He wanted that Monet back.
Not because it was rare and beautiful... Not because it was valuable ... No he wanted
it back because it belonged to his family. It symbolised every injustice that the
Benjamin had suffered over the generations; every possession stolen, every freedom
denied, every act of violence visited upon them. To restore that painting to his
family's ownership would be some sort of redressing of the balance, some sort of
atonement for unspeakable suffering.
He wanted restitution."
Daniel Stem's quest to restitute his family's long-lost Monet leads him across the
borders of Europe, 'in and out of history, brushing against death and war.
To Paris, and the revelation of his grandparents' tragic story during the city's wartime
occupation.
To Rome - to Father Alfonso Cambres, a worldly priest who has something weighing
on his conscience.
To a house 'in the Swiss Alps, where the ultimate restitution must be made.
As he approaches his goal, old angers and buried hungers come to the surface to
reveal the seedy, secret history and darker impulses beneath. An Innocent Eye is a
taut, richly-plotted thriller, immersive from beginning to end.
Philip Hook is a senior director of Sotheby's involved with the Impressionist Department, and is regularly involved in sales where the price runs into millions. He has the unusual distinction of also having been a director of Christie's, which he joined in 1973 straight from Cambridge University where he read History of Art and won a soccer blue. In between the two auction houses he founded London art dealers the St James' Art Group.
Philip Hook appears regularly as a picture expert on BBC TV's Antiques Roadshow. He says that each show is 'a fascinating journey into the unknown' and he has been responsible for a series of dramatic discoveries, including a watercolour by Foujita valued at £50,000.
His first novel, Optical Illusions was greeted with rapturous acclaim and more than a few raised eyebrows:
'Quite the sweetest summer's read in a hammock... Mr Hook's bosses may disagree ... but he has written, also, what is possibly the funniest novel since Waugh's Decline and Fall, and the humour is wholly at their expense' wrote Godfrey Barker in The Daily Telegraph.
For Hodder & Stoughton Philip has written three published thrillers set in the art world, The Stonebreakers, Island of the Dead, and The Soldier In the Wheatfield. His new novel Innocent Eye is published in October 2000. He has been hailed as 'A future Dick Francis of the art world' Grey Gowrie, Daily Telegraph.
Philip Hook is married with two children and lives in London.
David Kessler
Tarnished Heroes
Pbk published March 1999 by Coronet at £6.99
ISBN: 0340708360Policeman Neil Douglas is horrified to discover that the rapist he thought he was attacking was in fact trying to save the victim. And attractive radio talk-show hostess Beth Porter seems determined to crucify him for his error. But both are in danger when they start to get close to the killer.
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Sharyn McCrumb
The Ballad of Frankie Silver
Pbk published March 1999 by Coronet at £5.99
ISBN: 0340717157
Marc Olden
The Ghost
Pbk published February 1999 by Coronet at £5.99
ISBN: 0340682531When Ross, a 33-year-old female cop, goes on an undercover operation, she is followed by her deep cover cop or 'ghost' whose identity isn't known to other undercover members of the unit. Harry Earles is there to protect her under all circumstances. They seem to make a good team, Ross with her instincts and the Ghost with his experience. But Harry is a psychopath who starts to stalk her. When Harry discovers that Ross has a terrible secret hidden in her past he threatens to use it against her and Ross is left to battle against Harry alone...
Marc Olden is the author of nine bestselling chilling novels including, recently, The Exchange Students, which was optioned by Robert DeNiro's film company, Tribeca. He has spent months researching his thrillers as an honorary cop on the beat in New York City.