The gifted writer Aaron Elkins takes a break from his series about forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver (Twenty Blue Devils was the outing prior to Loot's appearance) to introduce a new sleuth, Boston art expert Ben Revere. Revere is a retired curator who helps the police when he's not supporting lost causes like the Red Sox. The shapely and exciting story begins in April 1945, when a German soldier steals a truckload of already stolen paintings and is killed by the Russians before he can trade them to the Americans for his freedom.

Fifty years later, a Valezquez painting from this bundle of loot arrives at a Boston pawnshop run by a friend of Revere's. A murder during an attempted robbery and a guilty conscience send Revere off on a chase across Europe, where a rich old Viennese count, a Hungarian swindler, and the ubiquitous Russian mafia all offer clues and/or threats regarding the remaining paintings. Revere shares with the best of the fictional world of art detectives (such as Jonathan Gash's Lovejoy and Nicholas Kilmer's Fred Taylor) an obvious love for and knowledge of what they seek. Here's Elkins on Revere's first impressions of the Velazquez: You knew at once that, despite the quaintness of costume, or trappings, or pose, this was a real person you were looking at--or rather, was looking at you--and you couldn't help feeling that if you could only look at him long enough, or in the right way, you might make a connection, an actual human connection, over all those years. That's why we look at pictures--and read books. --Dick Adler


From Publishers Weekly
April 1945: the German war machine is collapsing, and the Nazis are frantically crowding their stolen art treasures into a secret salt mine in Altaussee, Austria. In the chaos, a truck from one of the convoys disappears. The driver has deserted, hoping to negotiate asylum with the advancing American forces. But a blizzard sets him off course, and he and his loot are captured by a brutal Russian patrol instead. Boston, 50 years later: a gorgeous painting by the Spanish master Velazquez turns up in the pawnshop ("CA$H IN A FLA$H") of the surprisingly prim Simeon Pawlovsky. Suspicious of the thug who brought it in ("a big scar here, half an ear missing, a busted nose"), Simeon calls his friend Ben Revere, a retired art historian and curator who likes baseball and occasionally moonlights for the police. The next day, Simeon is murdered during an attempt to steal the painting. Motivated by guilt and encouraged by Simeon's fiery niece, Revere goes on a whirlwind search for the provenance of the Velazquez and the whereabouts of the rest of the art aboard the missing truck. In the process, Revere is hired by a wealthy, aging count in Vienna, implicated in the murder of an underworld figure in Budapest and chased by a Russian mafia assassin all over Europe. Revere's combination of high intellect and low pretense makes him an engaging sleuth, and Elkin's (Twenty Blue Devils, etc.) cultural and historical details add savor to this engaging, fast-paced novel. Rights: Karpfinger Agency. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In a seedy pawnshop in Boston, sometime curator and art detective Benjamin Revere stumbles upon what he thinks may be a genuine Velasquez painting, part of a missing truckload of old masters stolen by the Nazis in April 1945. Meanwhile, the old pawnbroker is brutally murdered, so Revere must solve two mysteries. His pursuit takes him to the grand cities of Europe, where he interviews claimants of the great paintings and is chased by Mafia thugs. Many who have sought to reclaim the paintings have died, and Revere himself nearly does when an aged Mafia don lures him into a Swiss bank vault for a peek at the long-lost loot. Edgar Award winner Elkins (Twenty Blue Devils, Mysterious, 1997) uses his low-key narrative voice, personably erudite central characters, and historically intriguing plot to enthrall readers. Highly recommended.-?Susan Clifford, Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Los Angeles Times
"An intriguing international cast, clever plot twists...LOOT is definitely worth a look."


Denver Post
"A fascinating look at the darker side of the art world...a story that keeps readers turning pages."


Dallas Morning News
"A tale of greed, deception, and murder...Elkins is a master...In Ben Revere he has created a detective with ample knowledge of his subject as well as a conscience that drives him to an honest, satisfying conclusion."



"An intriguing international cast, clever plot twists...Loot is deinitely worth a look."



"Enthralling...A fast-paced and tightly written thriller."


Seattle Times
"Enthralling...A fast-paced and tightly written thriller."


Library Journal
Elkins uses his low-key narrative voice, personably erudite central characters, and a historically intriguing plot to enthrall readers.


Booklist, 12/1/99
The compelling plot alone could carry the novel, but what makes Loot one of the most uniquely fascinating crime novels in recent months are the incredible history lessons Elkins imparts--not just about art but also about war, cities, and humanity. The author's extensive research is apparent from the first page. Not only does he know his stuff, but he conveys it in a lively, compelling style that would hook even the most reluctant reader. Manna for those who love art and just plain irresistible for anyone else.


Book Description
April 1945: In the last convulsive days of World War II a convoy of Nazi trucks loaded with Europe's greatest art treasures winds its way through the Alps toward a cavernous Austrian salt mine. With the Allies closing in and chaos erupting, a single truck silently disappears into a mountain snowstorm with its cargo of stolen masterpieces.

Fifty years later, in a seedy Boston pawnshop, one of the truck's paintings surfaces at last, pawned for $100 by a smalltime Russian thug. The next day, the shop owner, Simeon Pawlovsky, himself a Nazi death camp survivor, is dead, the life brutally beaten out of him. The painting is gone.

And the chase begins.

Ex-curator Benjamin Revere, haunted by his failure to save his elderly friend Simeon, is determined to track down the killer by following the missing painting's trail. But the twisting path is a bewildering and dangerous one that winds through Europe's major cities...and back five decades to a time when Hitler's hated minions looted at will. Soon Ben finds himself caught up in the tangled roots of a conspiracy of greed, lies, hatred, and blood-and imperiled by the half-century-old enigma of the vanished truck and its priceless legacy.


About the Author
Aaron Elkins's previous books include Skeleton Dance, Loot, Twenty Blue Devils, and Old Bones, which won the Edgar Award for Novel of the Year. He lives with his wife, Charlotte, on Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

April 1945: In the last convulsive days of World War II a convoy of Nazi trucks loaded with Europe's greatest art treasures winds its way through the Alps toward a cavernous Austrian salt mine. With the Allies closing in and chaos erupting, a single truck silently disappears into a mountain snowstorm with its cargo of stolen masterpieces.

Fifty years later, in a seedy Boston pawnshop, one of the truck's paintings surfaces at last, pawned for $100 by a smalltime Russian thug. The next day, the shop owner, Simeon Pawlovsky, himself a Nazi death camp survivor, is dead, the life brutally beaten out of him. The painting is gone.

And the chase begins.

Ex-curator Benjamin Revere, haunted by his failure to save his elderly friend Simeon, is determined to track down the killer by following the missing painting's trail. But the twisting path is a bewildering and dangerous one that winds through Europe's major cities...and back five decades to a time when Hitler's hated minions looted at will. Soon Ben finds himself caught up in the tangled roots of a conspiracy of greed, lies, hatred, and blood-and imperiled by the half-century-old enigma of the vanished truck and its priceless legacy. April 1945: In the last convulsive days of World War II a convoy of Nazi trucks loaded with Europe's greatest art treasures winds its way through the Alps toward a cavernous Austrian salt mine. With the Allies closing in and chaos erupting, a single truck silently disappears into a mountain snowstorm with its cargo of stolen masterpieces.

Fifty years later, in a seedy Boston pawnshop, one of the truck's paintings surfaces at last, pawned for $100 by a smalltime Russian thug. The nextday, the shop owner, Simeon Pawlovsky, himself a Nazi death camp survivor, is dead, the life brutally beaten out of him. The painting is gone.

And the chase begins.

Ex-curator Benjamin Revere, haunted by his failure to save his elderly friend Simeon, is determined to track down the killer by following the missing painting's trail. But the twisting path is a bewildering and dangerous one that winds through Europe's major cities...and back five decades to a time when Hitler's hated minions looted at will. Soon Ben finds himself caught up in the tangled roots of a conspiracy of greed, lies, hatred, and blood-and imperiled by the half-century-old enigma of the vanished truck and its priceless legacy.

Author Biography:

According to Kirkus Reviews, Aaron Elkins has "never gotten his due as a comic Patricia Cornwell." He is the author of Loot, Twenty Blue Devils, and Old Bones, which won the Edgar Award for Novel of the Year. He lives with his wife, Charlotte, on an island in Puget Sound.

SYNOPSIS

Edgar Award winner Aaron Elkins is back with his new novel, Loot, a new twist on Nazi treasure. When the Nazis were headed for defeat in the mid-1940s, they relocated the art treasures of Western civilization -- but one truckful got lost in a snowstorm and was never recovered. Years later, former curator Ben Revere strikes gold in his run-down pawnshop when he finds a priceless painting from that lost truck. But it's not easy sailing for Revere -- someone is killing those who know about the painting. Elkins has never written better -- Loot is a wildly entertaining and absorbing mystery-thriller.

FROM THE CRITICS

Marilyn Stasio

The best thing about Ben...is his capacity for horror when he meets the surviving owners of the paintings....Some truths...transcend mere research. —The New York Times Book Review

Publishers Weekly

April 1945: the German war machine is collapsing, and the Nazis are frantically crowding their stolen art treasures into a secret salt mine in Altaussee, Austria. In the chaos, a truck from one of the convoys disappears. The driver has deserted, hoping to negotiate asylum with the advancing American forces. But a blizzard sets him off course, and he and his loot are captured by a brutal Russian patrol instead. Boston, 50 years later: a gorgeous painting by the Spanish master Velazquez turns up in the pawnshop ("CA$H IN A FLA$H") of the surprisingly prim Simeon Pawlovsky. Suspicious of the thug who brought it in ("a big scar here, half an ear missing, a busted nose"), Simeon calls his friend Ben Revere, a retired art historian and curator who likes baseball and occasionally moonlights for the police. The next day, Simeon is murdered during an attempt to steal the painting. Motivated by guilt and encouraged by Simeon's fiery niece, Revere goes on a whirlwind search for the provenance of the Velazquez and the whereabouts of the rest of the art aboard the missing truck. In the process, Revere is hired by a wealthy, aging count in Vienna, implicated in the murder of an underworld figure in Budapest and chased by a Russian mafia assassin all over Europe. Revere's combination of high intellect and low pretense makes him an engaging sleuth, and Elkin's (Twenty Blue Devils) cultural and historical details add savor to this engaging, fast-paced novel.

Library Journal

Was that Vel zquez stolen by Nazis? From an Edgar Award winner.

Marilyn Stasio

The best thing about Ben...is his capacity for horror when he meets the surviving owners of the paintings....Some truths...transcend mere research. -- The New York Times Book Review

Kirkus Reviews

Fifty years after the Lost Truck fabled among art connoisseurs disappeared amid the detritus of the Third Reich, along with some 106 Old Masters, one of the precious paintings—Velázquez's Count of Torrijos—has surfaced in a Boston pawnshop, as local expert Ben Revere satisfies himself on a hurried trip to the Museum of Fine Arts. But the painting is trouble for everybody, beginning with Ben's acquaintance Simeon Pawlovsky, the pawnbroker who bought it for $100 and got killed hours later by a hooligan who's unaccountably tracked the canvas to him. As the only living expert who's seen the Count, Ben is the logical person to authenticate the painting's companion, the Countess of Torrijos, for Count Albrecht von Stetten, who claims the Nazis seized it from his family. When Ben flies to Vienna on a $1,000-a-day retainer, however, he walks into an eerily similar scenario: hours after he's pronounced the Countess genuine, the seller, shady Czech dealer Zykmund Dulska, is killed and the painting snatched away. Is the emergence of two treasures from the Lost Truck proof that the other 104 aren't far away? How many claimants to the Velázquezes will turn up with stories that they purchased them in good faith since (or even before) the war? And, even if you can believe that a scruffy nobody would pawn one of the paintings for $100, why did sticky-fingered Dulska let the other one go for a mere finder's fee of $125,000? Elkins produces canny answers to all these questions in this entertaining return to one of art history's darkest chapters.