The Forger and the Thief by Kirsten McKenzie

The River roared, her rage palpable as she whipped Galileo into a maelstrom of bones and dirt and filth, mixing his remains with those of Michelangelo and Niccolò Machiavelli. Her fury implacable as she rushed through the empty tomb of Dante, screaming his name. Dante's vision of hell nothing compared to what she was unleashing upon Florence's population.

The Forger and the Thief by Kirsten McKenzie is a historical crime mystery, with the supernatural twist. It grips you from the beginning.

It is wonderfully dark and original, drenched in a sense of place. 

The action is expertly constructed as a series of tableaux, coming to life.

At first glance, the short chapters occur disconnected and having not much in common between them, except the location. Then gradually, there's a build-up of stories and actions, and they all end up inter-connected and inter-woven into one masterful tapestry.

There are several characters whose lives we follow, they appear as the cast on stage, one by one.

The Guest:

We meet Richard Carstone who arrives to Florence to attend the wedding of his brother's widow, Julia. She'd fallen in love with the Italian guy. "The Italian swooping in, sweeping her off her feet with his European charm and his money and his connections to the art world Julia adored, a world closed to Richard". He is resentful and cherishes a secret dream of winning her over, after all, she was his girlfriend before she married his brother.

The Wife:

Rhonda Devlyn first appears as a fugitive from America. "Terrified of losing her newfound liberty, Rhonda... is fully expecting an official tap on the shoulder, to send her back to America.

She'd never been to Italy, but Florence felt like an old friend, reminding her of a comfortable quilt stored in the cupboard waiting till winter hit". A victim of domestic violence, Rhonda hopes to sell a valuable piece of antiques which she stole from her husband to enable her to start anew, away from abuse.

The Student:

Helena Stolar's plans are to stay on the intern programme at the Manzoni Art Institute for three months, learning the advanced technique for fresco painting and restoration. Her tutor is a renowned artist and restorer Feodor Sim.

"It had fascinated Helena to watch Sim mix his concoctions, sampling them on tiny pieces of prepared canvas or board, depending on which artist he was mimicking. He would make a superb forger with the attention to detail he gave every sweep of the brush".

Like all the characters in the book, Helena has a hidden agenda of her own:

"Helena chose Florence for her work experience, to access the best tutors and base materials, but also to look for the art stolen from her family during the war."

The Cleaner:

Stefano works at the cleaner in the museum, but he is more than that. He notices everything happening around him, not trusting the security staff to keep an eye on the public. The galleries are his domain.

"It filled Stefano's heart to see Italy's cultural treasures on show. As he stood in the darkened reception rooms, he imagined hearing the voices of the past - plotting and planning, scheming and salivating over secrets and lies. His life was nothing like that of the families who'd lived within these walls, but he didn't envy them their lives. His was a simple one, one he enjoyed living. He lived for art, and knew he appreciated it more than the visitors who traipsed the halls, ticking off another museum on their grand tour". He is a tragic but disquieting character.

The Policeman:

Antonio is a misogynistic, unpleasant man, lazy at work, who doesn't seem to have any redeeming features. His career is almost over. While waiting for his retirement, he has to deal with pickpockets and theft in the hotels.

Five people with secrets and lies become entangled in the forger's sinister web. The drama unfolds against the devastating flood of the Arno river.

The River:

The river is the living creature, with the mind and memories of its own. Its descriptions are most powerful and reflect the real events which happened in Florence in 1966. The flood of the Arno killed 101 people and destroyed thousands of artwork and rare books.

These are the main characters in the story.

And while not being given a separate order of entry, there is a piece of art, which brings several characters together - The Wreck by Nicolae Vermont. "A canvas no bigger than a magazine, oil on wood depicting a small tender wrecked on an outcrop of rocks in a storm with a man and a woman huddled under the darkened clouds, their faces turned from the artist showing only a profile of fear."

Helena is able to pick up a faint trace of where the painting might be. She doesn't accuse the private collector of holding pillaged artwork, but she is not careful enough in dealing with the dangerous art world.

I didn't know much about this episode of history of Florence, and found it fascinating and also heart-breaking.

While the river was raging, volunteers rushed to the art galleries and libraries to rescue Florence's masterpieces. Helena also joins "one of the world's greatest civilian-led rescue and recovery operation of priceless art, antiquities, and books. Tens of thousands of books and manuscripts, attacked by the unprecedented flood waters.. All that mattered was saving the art, the statues, the books, the icons".

I was less keen on the supernatural element introduced later in the story, about the artist with the devil-like attributes. I understand this character appears in another book, which probably explains some of his back story and magical abilities. For me that addition to the plot was more of an after-thought, which didn't bring much to the real drama of what was happening in Florence. 

Purchase Link - https://www.books2read.com/forgerandthief

Author Bio:

 

A full time author, Kirsten is a former customs officer and antiques dealer, and who has also dabbled in film and television.

 

Her historical time-slip series - The Old Curiosity Shop Series, has been described as 'Time Travellers Wife meets Far Pavilions', and 'Antiques Roadshow gone viral'.

Kirsten released her bestselling gothic horror novel Painted in 2017, with her medical thriller - Doctor Perry, following in 2018.

 

Her latest thriller - The Forger and the Thief, is set in 1966 Florence, Italy, amidst the devastating floods. Kirsten lives in New Zealand with her husband, her daughters, two rescue cats.

 

Social Media Links:

Website: www.kirstenmckenzie.com

Twitter: @kiwimrsmac

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KirstenMcKenzieAuthor

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenmckenzieauthor

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Kirsten-McKenzie/e/B01F0R5TPS

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/kirsten-mckenzie

Pinterest: www.pinterest.nz/kiwimrsmac

Instagram: @kiwimrsmac

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/KirstenMcKenzieAuthor

This book review is part of the blog tour.

Many thanks to Kirsten McKenzie and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!