Bronzed Betrayals by Ritter Ames is another installment in the Bodies of Art mystery series. It’s a kind of cozy but these books seem a little more violent than the typical cozy. I like reading about the art world and the heist theme. The characters are just ok for me.

Ritter Ames is beyond one of my favorite authors and never disappoints. With her personality shining through in the way she writes it is easy to see the mystery come to life in your mind. I have been a reader and fan of this series for years and continue to become more of a fan each book I read.

I wanted to like this. I love a good heist caper. The Vicky Bliss series is one of my favourites,but no. Not this. I've read the previous installment in this series (some time ago) and in both that and this found that I was missing too much of the back story really to get the full benefit from the story - and this one is even more into the backstory and the over arching plot than the previous one. Never mind.

This series continues to entertain with new and complex plot twists. This may be the best story yet. Ritter Ames, has gathered more devoted fans and this author, this series, and this book are 5 star.

“Bronzed Betrayals” earns 5+/5 Statuettes…Real? Fake? Great Fun!

Recoveries come in all shapes and personal peril. Some are easy…just walk in, take possession of the stolen artwork, and walk out. However others require a bit more finesse and planning. Laurel and Jack’s mission is made complicated by the surprise appearance of nemesis Melanie Weems, a surprise in the safe, connections to a long sought after key criminal figure, and a dead body that could land Laurel in jail or worse. Buckle up! It's gonna be a bumpy ride…

Ritter Ames has brought fans the exciting fifth book in the continuing Bodies of Art Mystery adventure reminiscent of the television show White Collar for the artistic intrigue, but move over James Bond…Laurel can “kick it” too! I started the series with book one, Counterfeit Conspiracies, totally engaged as the series steadily revealed many connections and secrets of a professional and personal nature. Bronzed Betrayals is “edge of your seat” exciting, well worth reading, but if you are just learning about this series, you’ll benefit greatly by reading from the beginning. Each book has an engaging story to tell with some satisfying conclusions, but in Bronzed Betrayals you may find references and details from the previous books that might be considered “spoilers.” This series is like a well-crafted mini-series as each subsequent episode builds on the previous adventure. Newbies, don't shy away!

For this fifth book, Ritter’s well-written narrative provides excellent descriptions of the various settings, object d’art, and predicaments leaving you awed. However, she doesn't rely just on the first-person narrative, her dialogue is clever when the art world and criminal enterprises are discussed and endearing when Laurel and Jack discuss their budding romance. The suspense has been heating up over the series with more kidnapping/murder attempts, electrifying perils, and marvelous “Oh my!” revelations. The characters have shown growth in skill and working better as a team, and the added romantic entanglement between Laurel and Jack is a nice respite from the action.

When I started reading this story I thought it was another cozy centered in the art world. Wrong! This is book 5 in the Bodies of Art series and is the first I've read. I had no problems figuring out the relations. This book has lots of kidnappers, murder and bad guys in general. I love the characters of Jack and Laurel who are very involved in the international art world with forgery and thefts. With their "friends" and colleagues they are investigating a Russian collector with ties to stolen goods. Great action and lots of tidbits about the underside of the art world. Will be getting the previous 4 books to add to my collection. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Confession #1: I love the Ocean’s 11 films.
Confession #2: I love non-fiction books about art heists.
Confession #3: I’ve been meaning to start the Bodies of Art series for a while now. I read a review of the first book that sounded like the perfect marriage of Ocean’s-style capers while recovering priceless works of art. Spoiler? They are right.

I really enjoyed meeting Laurel Beacham. She’s funny, strong, and compassionate. And one heck of a thief. This outing begins with a mission to recover stolen art, but quickly takes a personal turn for Laurel when someone is murdered in her hotel room.

Laurel and her boyfriend (and partner) Jack have the opportunity to travel to a few different locations as they chase down leads, trying to determine who killed the woman, and who is trying to frame Laurel for her murder. I loved the different settings throughout the book (the breakfast Laurel experiences in Paris sounds heavenly!), and the art history facts that Ms. Ames effortlessly weaves into the story. It was especially fun to read a passage that centered around Arles, France the very evening that I arrived there. Such a great coincidence!

I planned on starting with the first book, Counterfeit Conspiracies. Instead, I ended up beginning at the end, with the latest release in the Bodies of Art mysteries, Bronzed Betrayals. I had no problem jumping in at this point, although I think some plot twists from previous books were revealed, as they were relevant to this storyline. If you really don’t want to be spoiled, I would start at the beginning with this series.

Overall, Bronzed Betrayals is a fun cozy with great characters that centers around recovering stolen art. I’m looking forward to catching up with the first four books in the series and spending more time with Laurel Beacham.

I’ve read all of the books in this series and recommend that you do the same rather than read them out of order. The reason being that the true plot of the story is on-going. There is action and murders throughout but not anything that specifically needs to have a whodunnit type solution.

You are generally presented with a crime that one or more individuals from Laurel Beacham’s past (our sleuth) and have to figure out which may be responsible.

The story comes across more as action than mystery, which is okay with me as I like action. If you are looking for a straight-forward mystery, this may not be the book or series for you.

There are definitely more books in the future as a surprising twist happens on the last page of the book. I look forward to where this action style book is heading but I won’t be putting on my Sherlock Holmes hat to solve it.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

While I greatly enjoyed this volume in the series of mysteries featuring Laurel Beacham, it definitely has the feeling of a "middle book" in a series. The incident that opened the book as well as the murder were solved well before the end.

The main plot concerned the overriding arc of the series: mysteries surrounding Laurel's parents, mysteries surrounding rings of art forgers, and mysteries concerned a painting that disappeared.

Well-written and exciting, new readers of the series should not starts here. But fans, like me, will love how well it advances the story arc.

It was fun "visiting" the various locations in this book. The main character is interesting. I'd be curious to see if there are bad consequences to some of the choices she made in this story. I liked the best friend/assistant a lot. The main character's boyfriend seemed too protective until it became clear just how often his girlfriend finds herself in dangerous situations. The descriptions of art pieces were good, and the author did a nice job of giving some sense of them without over-explaining.

I feel like this really wasn't the best place to start this kind of series. It took me a while to understand the main character's background and several people who are important to the continuing story didn't even make an appearance, which made it a little tough to stay really interested as they were mentioned again and again. The ending was a little less than satisfying, but it was alright.

Though I did enjoy the story overall, I would really recommend starting from book one in a series like this.

Bronzed Betrayals by Ritter Ames was another amazing adventure with Laurel, Jack, Cassie and Nico. I have never been disappointed by Ms. Ames and she definitely has a home run with this one.

The story grabbed me from the first page and moved so quickly that I couldn't put it down, until real life called. So many twists and turns (the redheaded Amazon is supposed to be Laurel's bodyguard?), new and old suspects, and a continued investigation into the untimely death of Laurel's mother. These characters are so well developed; and Ms. Ames has given them a rich background to intrigue each reader as this series progresses. I loved every second while reading this book and want the next one in the series now. Oh, and that little cliffhanger at the end? Well played, Ms. Ames, well played

Bronzed Betrayals is the fifth in the Bodies of Art Mystery series and is not the first I have read.
I enjoyed this book and this series even though I have not read all of them, yet. The character interactions are great, the topics of forgery, murder and theft are intriguing. My only regret is that I have to wait for the next one to be published to continue. So , instead, I’ll read the ones I haven’t had the time to in order to catch up.

What I liked about this story is:
It is well written, flows smoothly and has a delightful cast of characters.
It grabbed me at the start.
Can be read as a standalone.
Dealt with a current robbery & murder as well as past indiscretions.

I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from Henery Press via Netgalley and these are my own opinions.

Laurel and Jack are flitting from England to the continent to the United States while encountering bad guys and gals galore. Exciting and entertaining look at the art recovery world. More of Laurel's family back story plus a hint of more to come. A cliff hanger...oh no! Obviously I am eager to read the next one in this engaging series.

This is the fifth book in the series and every one a pleasure to read, Best read in order to get the most out over every page. Art, crime, mystery, secrets, thrills and more, Ritter Ames packs it all into a great mystery. Laurel and Jack are back and the object of their attention is a bronze bust by Rodin waiting to be stolen. Too bad, on closer examination, it's a fake. Then, when Laurel gets back to her hotel she finds a body. Part mystery, part thriller, part chase, add some romantic tension and some unanswered questions about Laurel's father, well this is one great read. More, please.

I enjoyed Bronzed Betrayals. Good writing and characters development. I have not read other books in this series but will be looking for them. Highly recommend this book to mystery fans.

This is a series of book that art loves and mystery loves will not be able to get enough of. Ritter Ames transport reader around the world following two characters that will remind you of the classic movies of Cat and Mouse. Laurel and Jack come alive as readers chase along side them in an adventure that end with perfect amount of action, mystery and sexual tension to keep reader dying for more.

This is the perfect action, adventure mystery that will give reader what they have been missing. Twist of James bond, add a dash of Oceans Movies, and shake of Remington Steele and you have The Bodies Of Art Series.

Thank you to the publisher Henery Press and author for the advance copy of Ritter Ames Bronzed Betrayals.

Another terrific adventure for Laurel and Jack. While trying to “steal” back a stolen bronze Rodin, Laurel isn’t the only one after the statute. What she does discover is it is a fake complete with forger mark. While Nico is in Paris trying to track down another forger, Laurel discovers a body in her hotel room and has to flee the “Amazon” who has been tracking her. Twists, turns and false identities make this another exciting caper.

Jack and Laurel are back from more fast-paced action and adventure in Bronzed Betrayals. This story picks up at a party where Laurel is setting the stage of her alibi. Once the coast is clear, she's off to break into a safe in order to reclaim a stolen piece of art. Trouble is, the art's a forgery, another thief is on her heels, and the lifeless body of an enemy awaits her in her hotel room. And that's just the first few chapters.

Bronzed Betrayals, like the rest of the books in this series, is filled with punches of action and peppered with pinches of humor and romance. Jack and Laurel are savvy, sophisticated, and street-wise, often so simultaneously. The plot unfolds quickly and keeps a brisk pace until the final page. If you're not reading this series, you're missing something special.

Bronzed Betrayals is the fifth book in Ritter Ames’ Bodies of Art Mystery series. Laurel Beacham is an art recovery expert and head of the London office of the Beacham Foundation, a group dedicated to the recovery of stolen works of art. This story begins as Laurel works to reclaim a Rodin sculpture which turns out to be a forgery, a fact which seems to elude the representative of a major art heist group run by the elusive Moran.

The inability to reclaim the objet d’art is not the worst thing to happen to Laurel that evening, however. When she returns to her hotel suite later that night, she finds the body of a known enemy killed in the living area. Why was she there and who killed her? And, is Laurel’s life in danger once more?

Follow Laurel and Jack Hawkes, British agent and her love interest, from London to Paris to New York and back as they collaborate to shut down a major art forgery ring, determine who is threatening her life, and put together a body of evidence to prove the murder of Laurel’s mother more than twenty years earlier. During this journey, Laurel finds people from her past that want to help her as well as new things about her own changing feelings that will help to establish her future.

As with each of the books in this series, Bronzed Betrayals is a fast paced mystery with dynamic characters and alluring locales. This series is hard to put down. It will grab you and take you for a wild ride just like dragon tattoo. I have enjoyed this series greatly and wholeheartedly recommend this book!

Laurel and Jack have it all planned out to retrieve the stolen bronze bust during a gala party, but everyone knows about the best laid plans of mice and men. Not only was the artifact a forgery, but then someone else also has their own plans to steal the bronze bust and sets off all the alarms. And if this is not enough, Laurel makes it back to her hotel suite to find a dead body. This is the 5th story in the Bodies of Art Mystery and as with the other 4 books in this series, provides nonstop action and adventure for a daring duo. I love Laurel's indomitable spirit, as well as her relationship between not only Jack, but her associates Cassie and Niko. As they try to unravel this latest mystery, they are also working on solving the mystery of Laurel's mother's fatal car accident. Was this truly an accident? And then there is Laurel's mysterious father! Great series, better enjoyed if read in sequence to pick up all the nuances of the action. Can't wait for the next book, especially with the latest tease at the end of this book. Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing an advance reading copy of this book from Net Galley.