From Publishers Weekly
A chill descends on idyllic Provence when the acid-disfigured nude body of a 13-year-old American junior golf pro washes up on a pristine French beach under the jurisdiction of Michel Danton, commander of the special circumstances section of the Police Judiciare. The murder and subsequent kidnappings of other young girls puts a damper on Michel's imminent wedding to American art professor Jennifer Bowen, who shot two serial killers to save Michel's life in Bogner's well-received last outing, To Die in Provence. After establishing these facts in a brisk opening, Bogner backtracks to follow the villains through the crime, recounting in alternate chapters the police investigation and the entanglements of Provence locals. The flashback begins in Venice Beach, Calif., where insane tattoo artist Garrett Brant and his lover, Eve, run a tattoo/piercing parlor funded by billionaire heiress and s&m nymphomaniac Heather Malone. Invited to Belgium by a repulsive (but wealthy) "friend" of Heather's, Garrett decides he can only "paint" on the skin of young girls. His first (botched) attempt ends in murder, and that activity escalates. Bogner's crisply intercut plot contains good atmospheric detail, and Michel's gourmet chef parents' preparations for the wedding feast, along with the interference of Jennifer's addled mother, add humor. Strong characters overcome a serviceable plot culminating in a stateside climax with a nicely kept surprise. American and French sensibilities are cleverly contrasted and even minor characters are interesting. This is a great beach read for those in search of entertainment and titillation. Major ad/promo. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
This sequel to the author's tremendously exciting To Die in Provence (1998) finds French detective Michel Danton investigating the murder of a young American girl whose body washed up on the beach of a popular resort near AixenProvence. The investigation takes Danton across the world, to sunny California, where once again he comes facetoface with the most hideous kind of thrillkillers. Like the first Danton novel, this is a very hardedged thriller, with expertly conceived characters. The author blurs the line between good and bad, between hero and villain, taking us through the various levels of society. Like the Cracker television series (and its spin-off novels), the Danton tales portray violence graphically, almost uncomfortably so, but the intensity has a purpose. The sense of vicarious participation in the action is so strong that we feel as if the characters are about to climb out of their violent world and into ours. Only Thomas Harris is as good at creating a mood, at making us feel as though we are a part of the story. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"A compelling thriller . . . intelligent, hard-edged suspense . . . harrowing."--Clues Unlimited
Review
"A compelling thriller . . . intelligent, hard-edged suspense . . . harrowing."--Clues Unlimited
Review
"A compelling thriller . . . intelligent, hard-edged suspense . . . harrowing."--Clues Unlimited
Book Description
Michel Danton, the brilliant investigator-hero of To Die in Provence, is back with a vengeance. Badly wounded the summer before, he is getting ready to marry Jennifer Bowen, the beautiful American art professor who saved his life. But then a girl's disfigured body washes ashore on the beach of a resort near Aix-en-Provence, and Danton finds himself forced to take charge of a harrowing investigation. From the medieval city of Bruges in Belgium through the glorious sun-dappled towns of Provence, Danton chases a depraved madman, desperate to catch him before he strikes again.
About the Author
Norman Bogner is the New York Times bestselling author of Seventh Avenue, Honor Thy Wife, and The Madonna Complex. He lives in California.
Deadliest Art FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Michel Danton, the brilliant investigator-hero is back with a vengeance. Badly wounded the summer before, he is getting ready to marry Jennifer Bowen, the beautiful American art professor who saved his life. But then a young girl's disfigured body is washed ashore on the beach of a resort near Aix-en-Provence, and Danton finds himself forced to take charge of a harrowing investigation that leads him from the medieval city of Bruges in Belgium through the glorious sun-dappled towns of Provence, and ultimately to the gothic corners of Venice, California, and the depraved denizens of its lower depths."--BOOK JACKET.
FROM THE CRITICS
Dick Lochte - Los Angeles Times
There's charm and humor and suspense to be found... [and a]
shocker of a finale... Bogner's eloquent descriptions... are a fascinating
combination of gut-wrenching violence and gut-busting commentary on the
contemporary art scene.
Publishers Weekly
A chill descends on idyllic Provence when the acid-disfigured nude
body of a 13-year-old American junior golf pro washes up on a pristine
French beach under the jurisdiction of Michel Danton, commander of the
special circumstances section of the Police Judiciare. The murder and
subsequent kidnappings of other young girls puts a damper on Michel's
imminent wedding to American art professor Jennifer Bowen, who shot two
serial killers to save Michel's life in Bogner's well-received last
outing, To Die in Provence. After establishing these facts in a brisk
opening, Bogner backtracks to follow the villains through the crime,
recounting in alternate chapters the police investigation and the
entanglements of Provence locals. The flashback begins in Venice Beach,
Calif., where insane tattoo artist Garrett Brant and his lover, Eve, run a
tattoo/piercing parlor funded by billionaire heiress and s&m nymphomaniac
Heather Malone. Invited to Belgium by a repulsive (but
wealthy) "friend" of Heather's, Garrett decides he can only "paint" on the
skin of young girls. His first (botched) attempt ends in murder, and that
activity escalates. Bogner's crisply intercut plot contains good
atmospheric detail, and Michel's gourmet chef parents' preparations for
the wedding feast, along with the interference of Jennifer's addled
mother, add humor. Strong characters overcome a serviceable plot
culminating in a stateside climax with a nicely kept surprise. American
and French sensibilities are cleverly contrasted and even minor characters
are interesting. This is a great beach read for those in search of
entertainment and titillation.
David Pitt - Booklist
This sequel to the author's tremendously exciting To Die in Provence finds French detective Michel Danton investigating the murder of a young American girl whose body washed up on the beach of a popular resort near Aix en Provence... Like the first Danton novel, this is a very hard-edged thriller, with expertly conceived characters. The author blurs the line between good and bad, between hero and villain, taking us through the various levels of society... [T]he Danton tales portray violence graphically, almost uncomfortably so, but the intensity has a purpose. The sense of vicarious participation in the action is so strong that we feel as if the characters are about to climb out of their violent world and into ours. Only Thomas Harris is as good at creating a mood, at making us feel as though we are a part of the story.
Kirkus Reviews
Sequel to Bogner's ghoulish serial-killer special, To Die in Provence (1998). Commander Michel Danton of the Judicial Police, son of the owners of Chez Danton, the finest restaurant in Aix-en-Provence, still works only the most difficult cases. Now, though, marrying art professor Jennifer Bowen, he will, at his bride's request, set aside his visionary gift for solving murders, something he feels he was born for. But before Michel can find his replacement, a naked, partially decomposed young girl, her breast pierced and body blowtorched, washes ashore on a hotel beach at nearby Beau Rivage—and just at the hors d'oeuvres hour! What will tourists think? And whose beach is it? Claude Boisser's, of course, the former vice squad superintendent whom Michel got fired for corruption. So Claude has to call Michel to help clear up this horror. The story hereafter wavers and waggles between the inspired and the utterly vulgar. The dead 13-year-old, an American from California, had been kidnapped by, and was the victim of, Garrett Lee Brant, whose name echoes that of his fellow foundling, serial killer Darrell Vernon Boynton of the earlier novel. Brant, a painter turned tattooist, stems from the inspired side of Bogner's mind, being a combo of the three faces of Eve, Norman Bates, and Paul Gauguin. He certainly thinks himself more visionary than Gauguin, even when tattooing a tiny butterfly over a clitoris (which may be his own). Heavy research gives Bogner a ravishing background in the pedantry of tattooing, especially when the deadliest artist turns to creating the Garden of Eden in Boschian detail on Caroline's back, a work of art that really ought to be removed and preserved for eternity.The vulgarity springs from Bogner's overblown sexual detail wrapped up in implausible dialogue. Some will be put off early on. Others will be in for a surprise that's stunning enough to justify earlier excess.
Art & Photography
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