Fantastic crime novel that is such a pleasure to read, evoking Italy so clearly through such elegant prose. Well constructed and very compelling plot that draws a reader in and keeps them turning the pages. Stylish, interesting, and entertaining characters. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Published by Harper on January 28, 2020

Nick Brink and Clay Guillory are lovers and scammers. Their first scam is simple and based on convenient circumstances. The next one is more daring. The novel’s suspense is built upon whether the two novice criminals can get away with fraud, or whether evil will be their undoing.

When Nick travels to Venice to meet Clay, he plans to leave his New York life behind him. Nick has been working for and sleeping with an antiques dealer, apprenticing in the art of valuing old silver. Clay was living in Venice with a decaying man named Freddy van der Haar until Freddy died of an overdose. Freddy was from old money but his money was running out when he died. Freddy’s American friends had a memorial in New York, where Nick met Clay. By coincidence, Clay has engaged Nick’s boss/lover to value the remaining pieces of family silver that Freddy didn’t sell.

Freddy owned one side of a grand old home in Venice, or at least he owned an interest in it, together with an elderly sister who is living in South America. The house, like Freddy, has suffered from poor maintenance. Freddy left his half to Clay, who is widely believed to be a hustler. The other side is owned by Richard West, who hated Freddy and has no greater love for Clay, who now owns half of the house that West would love to possess in its entirety.

Clay devises a scam to sell some of Freddy’s relatively worthless silver to West, using Nick to inflate the value. To that end, Nick must find a way to meet West while pretending not to know Clay. When the plan appears to be a success, Clay makes a more audacious plan to sell his side of the house to West by forging the signature of Freddy’s sister on the title transfer documents.

When both schemes appear to be coming unraveled, coincidence gives Nick an opportunity, albeit at the cost of his soul, assuming he has one. Another coincidence gives Clay some information that he wasn’t expected to have. Still another strikes a character mute when one of the protagonists would otherwise be in dire straits. The coincidences are hard to swallow but necessary for the outcome that Christopher Bollen wanted to achieve.

Apart from its reliance on improbable coincidences, the plot is credible and carefully constructed. On the whole, characterization is strong, although neither Clay nor Nick is particularly admirable. They are, in fact, remarkably unconcerned about anyone except themselves. Fortunately, West is even slimier than the protagonists, so defrauding him doesn’t greatly offend the reader’s sensibilities. Nick, at least, has some moral qualms about a choice he makes and another that he contemplates. Those qualms hardly make him an exemplar of ethical behavior, but they humanize him a bit.

A Beautiful Crime is rich with atmosphere. This is a crumbling Venice, a place where preservationists are at war with tourists and seekers of quick profit. I almost like the atmosphere more than the characters or coincidence-driven plot, and the underwhelming ending seems improbably happy. Still, Bollen’s prose goes down like a wine made from the perfect blend of grapes — complex and surprising, smooth and luxurious. The prose was enough to overcome my reservations about unlikely coincidences and self-centered characters.

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I love a good gay psychological thriller. I would love to see another Tom Ripley - smart, attractive, adaptable and utterly without remorse. A Beautiful crime seemed like it checked all the boxes - a gay heist story, art at the center of the plot, a Venice setting that could almost be a character itself, and the kind of story where you partially want the charming anti-heros get away with it, and partially want to see them fail. Unfortunately, as I read on, I lost interest after a while.
I loved that so much of this book was the local attempt to protect Venice from dying a water-logged, crowded, tourists out-populating the residents, and the majority of real estate being owned and developed by foreigners death.
I found myself not sympathizing much with Clay and Nick. I hoped they failed. I hoped they got caught, and as a result, I don't think this book is quite as successful in its attempts to make the reader throw away their own morals to cheer for the obvious bad guys.

"A Beautiful Crime," a stylish, well-constructed thriller, opens with a murder in Venice and then moves backward and forward in time as the events preceding it unfold. At first, it may seem obvious who is dead and who killed him. By the time the story caught back up to that moment, I had four potential theories of the crime. Along the way, I was pleasantly distracted by details related to Venice art and tourism, the market for antique silver, several romances between gay men and a few sharp observations about living in New York City.

Many reviewers have stated that this excellent novel by Bollen is reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith's novels--especially the Ripley novels. This is true, in that all are set in beautiful European locations inhabited by wealthy and selfish American expats who all seek out ways to double cross one another. Yet Bollen's book seems fully grounded in today's world. Nick is a young Midwesterner living in New York who carries on an illicit affair with Clay while living with his boyfriend Ari. Clay has just lost his longtime lover to AIDS and has inherited half of a 500-year-old- palazzo in Venice. Both young men are broke and soon evolve a scheme to defraud another American (a former mentor of Clay's who betrayed him) of several hundred thousand dollars. Not content with their ill-gotten gains, the pair comes up with a grander and much more risky scheme to cheat even more out of the unsuspecting businessman. Are Nick and Clay flying too close to the sun? A riveting plot, fleshed out characters, and excellent dialogue make this a page-turner not to be missed.

I finished this book wondering if I should really like these two scoundrels and lovers, Clay and Nick. Sure, they were devious and managed to outfox another scoundrel who deserved it. Setting a book in Venice is always interesting and by the end I decided I like Clay and Nick but I’m not letting them anywhere near my priceless silver.

Con men, Nick and Clay, plan to sell fake silver to Clay’s rich ex-boyfriend in Venice, Italy in what they hope will be A Beautiful Crime.

This book is a slow languid dive into the atmospheric streets and palazzos of Venice. In fact, Venice was so much a part of the novel that it felt like one of the characters—if not the main one. The middle of the story slowed the pace considerably and I admit I might have skimmed a bit. However, the twisty conclusion was worth reading the book. 4 stars for grifter lovers everywhere for A Beautiful Crime—and book!

Thanks to Harper Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Tiny Synopsis: This is a literary thriller about Clay Guillery and his boyfriend, Nick Brink, who have come to Venice from New York with a detailed plan to con a retired American millionare by selling a collection of counterfeit silver to this collector. Will Nick’s good looks and Clay’s smarts outwit this millionaire?

Thank you to @netgalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy for my honest review!

My Review:⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5 stars

The story talks about the background of how Nick/Clay meet and how their lives were before they arrived in Venice. You really learn of the hunger and drive they have to motivate themselves to live a better life together with the money they hope to get from this elaborate plan. Some parts were very slow moving and I had to stop reading it for a little while. There was also a part in the book (without giving out spoilers) that involved Clay and his father that really broke my heart and I actually admittedly teared up reading it on the subway! When I finally got through it, I was glad to know what their true background was why they were so desperate to get this done and be together in peace. The ending got a bit more exciting as everything comes together, but I felt it like I needed more. It’s not a fast read - but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their struggles and experiences.

The book is out Jan 28, 2020!

Nick and Clay, two fledgling con men from New York, concoct a scheme to swindle a retired American expatriate in Venice. Their plan is simple: play on the expatriate gazillionaire's obsession with a famous New York family's antiques. When their first swindle succeeds beautifully, they decide to gamble on an even bigger con. I found all three of the main characters to be unlikable - the most interesting character in the book was Freddy, who died before the book opens but fortunately appears in a later section. But the plot is well-crafted, the writing is very good, and it's a quick read that will keep the reader interested.

This one will stay in my mind for a long time. It combines richly drawn characters, an ever increasing sense of dread, a simple con that turns complicated and a love letter to the beauties and seductions of Venice. A very satisfying novel with an unsettling examination of morality and amorality.

I really appreciated the balance between love and thriller in this novel. Being someone who has spent a fair amount of time in Venice, I also loved the beautiful care spent on making the experience of living in the city, or even visiting it, an authentic experience for the reader. I wanted a little bit more to happen - maybe an extra twist or two - but regardless, I really enjoyed the read.

Within the magical city of New York, there are many great works of art to admire, powerful men and those who want to be. Within the floating city of magic and mystery that is Venice, there are great works of art to be admired, rich and powerful men and two from New York that want to be. The author's love of Venice and its wonders shine through like the morning mist off the canals to reveal a scene of violence and calculated greed. Clay and Nick make an unusual couple and as their scheme and dishonesty progress, you wonder if they will remain intact or if they will start believing their own lies. Beautifully written with unassuming villains bent on revenge. This will appeal to fans of THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, LEADING MEN, and LADDER TO THE SKY. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.