Collar Robber

Stories arising from art—the real deal or faked, loaned, stolen, deployed as collateral—fascinate me. Think Daniel Silva’s 2014 The Heist and his earlier Gabriel Allon thrillers, and series by Iain Pears, Aaron Elkins, and Nicholas Kilmer. Maybe it’s the juxtaposition of cultural heritage vs. criminal activity.Michael Bowen’s Collar Robber asks some tricky questions relating to a valuable painting in the collection of a Pittsburgh museum. How can you make money from a painting that you don't own, can't steal, and couldn't fence even if you succeeded? What if you convince people you already had stolen it? Is it a fake? And, as the story rolls along, what is the painting’s real provenance, a question that ties into the whole sorry story of European art and the Nazis?The mystery also revolves around identities, professional and personal. Collar Robber reunites two characters, Pittsburgh lawyer Cynthia Jakubek from But Remember Their Names and insurance Loss Prevention Specialist Jay Davidovich from Jail Coach. Here’s Booklist on both: "Cyn, with her family, fiancé, boss, clients, and colleagues, is so likeable readers will consider her an imaginary friend.""Locke, a pseudonymous lawyer...spins a slick, fast-moving tale with a protagonist whose occasional snappy rejoinders and physical prowess are reminiscent of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser. Readers will look forward to seeing more of Davidovich; he’s a keeper.”In play are the museum, the Catholic Church, a deep pockets insurance corporation with muscle actual and figurative, and actors in the unfolding drama who are Catholic, Islamic, and Jewish as well as of various nationalities as would be the case surrounding such a painting.