Here comes the fifth globetrotting adventure in the fast-paced Bodies of Art Mystery series from USA TODAY bestselling author Ritter Ames.A masterpiece swapped for a forgery, a murder victim left behind, and a relentless game of hide and seek keeps Laurel Beacham and Jack Hawkes on the run. They are racing to find answers despite roadblocks at every turn. The chase crisscrosses the Atlantic as … they pursue threads to murders and thefts that extend from the current day and back several decades.A startling forgery points toward an unexpected new nemesis, and the team pursues a Paris forger for additional clues. When evidence starts falling into place, Laurel must use her connections and engage an unconventional resource to help bring an arrogant murderer to justice for crimes both contemporary and long past. Crimes that tie both personally and professionally to the Beacham name. While the ruthless criminal¿s acts include art history ties, the threat to Laurel is a clear and present danger. It will take every trick and technique she and Jack can conjure to gain the evidence necessary to nab their enemy and start pulling down his empire¿before he takes them down instead.
more
This series continues to entertain with new and complex plot twists. This may be the best story yet. Ritter Ames, has gathered more devoted fans and this author, this series, and this book are 5 star.
“Bronzed Betrayals” earns 5/5 Statuettes…Real? Fake? Great Fun!
Recoveries come in all shapes and personal peril. Some are easy…just walk in, take possession of the stolen artwork, and walk out. However others require a bit more finesse and planning. Laurel and Jack’s mission is made complicated by the surprise appearance of nemesis Melanie Weems, a surprise in the safe, connections to a long sought after key criminal figure, and a dead body that could land Laurel in jail or worse. Buckle up! It’s gonna be a bumpy ride…
Ritter Ames has brought fans the exciting fifth book in the continuing Bodies of Art Mystery adventure reminiscent of the television show White Collar for the artistic intrigue, but move over James Bond…Laurel can “kick it” too! I started the series with book one, Counterfeit Conspiracies, totally engaged as the series steadily revealed many connections and secrets of a professional and personal nature. Bronzed Betrayals is “edge of your seat” exciting, well worth reading, but if you are just learning about this series, you’ll benefit greatly by reading from the beginning. Each book has an engaging story to tell with some satisfying conclusions, but in Bronzed Betrayals you may find references and details from the previous books that might be considered “spoilers.” This series is like a well-crafted mini-series as each subsequent episode builds on the previous adventure. Newbies, don’t shy away!
For this fifth book, Ritter’s well-written narrative provides excellent descriptions of the various settings, object d’art, and predicaments leaving you awed. However, she doesn’t rely just on the first-person narrative, her dialogue is clever when the art world and criminal enterprises are discussed and endearing when Laurel and Jack discuss their budding romance. The suspense has been heating up over the series with more kidnapping/murder attempts, electrifying perils, and marvelous “Oh my!” revelations. The characters have shown growth in skill and working better as a team, and the added romantic entanglement between Laurel and Jack is a nice respite from the action.
I love the Bodies of Art Mystery Series by Ritter Ames and I always say the same thing: I love the action, I love the suspense, I love the “gadgets”, and I love Laurel and Jack…and Nico and Cassie, too. While there is a great mystery to solve in this story, I think the heart of it is really all about Laurel and her own, let’s call them demons. She spends time in her own head – trying to navigate all that has happened to her, both when she was young, when she was a teen, and now that she works as a…Ms. Ames writes her as an “art world socialite representing the Beacham Foundation.” But oh, she is so much more.
There are car chases, dangling from buildings, explosives, great gadgets (although Nico doesn’t have a huge part in this book. Trust that it puts his nose a bit out of joint, too!) and heartwarming scenes between Jack and Laurel. And once again, Laurel loses her luggage, however un-typical the situation is. Considering she almost loses her life, too, well, the luggage is the least of her worries.
Whenever I read one of the stories in this series, I know that I will be carried away to whatever faraway place Laurel and Jack end up. This time, they even make it to New Jersey. Seriously, the descriptions by Ms. Ames always blow me away because it truly feels like I’m right in the thick of things, in whatever country these two take their work, and I sometimes feel like I’m hanging from a ledge, just as Laurel would.
No spoilers. Just know that the action is fast and incredible, but you’ll have to experience it yourself by reading. There was one jaw-dropping moment, at least for me, right at the end of the book…not a cliffhanger but Laurel had one of those outta-left-field events that left me speechless. From the comfort of my couch, I will have to cross my fingers and hope a new story will be on the horizon next year. Once again, I highly recommend this book and series. I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
Bronzed Betrayals is the fifth book in Ritter Ames’ Bodies of Art Mystery series. The storyline is well thought out, the characters are well rounded and affable, and the plot is full of surprising twists and turns. The story moves along at a quick pace, the dialogue is smart and witty, and the plot is full of twists and turns. Once again, Ms. Ames has skillfully written an intricate story of deception, intrigue, and suspense that kept me engaged. The descriptive writing made me feel like I was in the thick of things. I’m never disappointed when I read one of Ms. Ames’ books. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys reading clean, well-crafted mysteries.
Laurel Beacham, who holds the head position over the London branch of Beacham Foundation, has always loved art and works hard to recover lost, stolen, or forged art. She continues to work with Jack Hawkes, the dashing man who always has her back, and their relationship has recently turned personal. Laurel likes to describe some of her activities in the art world as robbery reversals rather than thefts. Laurel and Jack are attending a birthday bash for a rich Russian and Cassie Dean, her best friend, assistant, and art restoration genius, takes her place, disguised as Laurel, so no one will realize she left the party. Laurel’s mission is to recover a small Rodin bronze bust from the birthday boy’s residence. She successfully enters his home, unlocks the safe with a techno gadget her trusted research wizard, tech genius, and resourceful co-worker, Nico provided for her, only to discover the bronze has a forger’s mark on the bottom. She decides to leave it in the safe, but before she can exit the house, another person enters and not only steals the Rodin but also sets off the alarm system. When she returns to the hotel where she’s currently living, she discovers the body of Melanie Weems, the former museum director of The Browning who had ties to the art crime scene. Laurel fears she’ll become Detective Inspector Timms’ prime suspect because of her history with Melanie. Laurel, once again, loses her luggage; however, this time it’s stolen from her hotel room. Lincoln Ferguson, an up and coming investigative reporter, continues to hound Laurel. Laurel, with the help and support of her team, is narrowing in on the identities of her father and the person responsible for the untimely death of her mother.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
Bronzed Betrayals is the fifth book in Ritter Ames’ Bodies of Art Mystery series. Laurel Beacham is an art recovery expert and head of the London office of the Beacham Foundation, a group dedicated to the recovery of stolen works of art. This story begins as Laurel works to reclaim a Rodin sculpture which turns out to be a forgery, a fact which seems to elude the representative of a major art heist group run by the elusive Moran.
The inability to reclaim the objet d’art is not the worst thing to happen to Laurel that evening, however. When she returns to her hotel suite later that night, she finds the body of a known enemy killed in the living area. Why was she there and who killed her? And, is Laurel’s life in danger once more?
Follow Laurel and Jack Hawkes, British agent and her love interest, from London to Paris to New York and back as they collaborate to shut down a major art forgery ring, determine who is threatening her life, and put together a body of evidence to prove the murder of Laurel’s mother more than twenty years earlier. During this journey, Laurel finds people from her past that want to help her as well as new things about her own changing feelings that will help to establish her future.
As with each of the books in this series, Bronzed Betrayals is a fast paced mystery with dynamic characters and alluring locales. This series is hard to put down. It will grab you and take you for a wild ride just like dragon tattoo. I have enjoyed this series greatly and wholeheartedly recommend this book!
Bronzed Betrayals by Ritter Ames was another amazing adventure with Laurel, Jack, Cassie and Nino. I have never been disappointed by Ms. Ames and she definitely has a home run with this one.
The story grabbed me from the first page and moved so quickly that I couldn’t put it down, until real life called. So many twists and turns (the redheaded Amazon is supposed to be Laurel’s bodyguard?), new and old suspects, and a continued investigation into the untimely death of Laurel’s mother. These characters are so well developed; and Ms. Ames has given them a rich background to intrigue each reader as this series progresses. I loved every second while reading this book and want the next one in the series now. Oh, and that little cliffhanger at the end? Well played, Ms. Ames, well played
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Henery Press via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
Laurel Beacham and Jack Hawkes are enjoying a night out together. Well, that might be an exaggeration since they are at a party they aren’t enjoying. However, it provides the perfect cover for an art recovery that the two have planned. That recovery doesn’t go as planned, but the night really spins out of control when Laurel returns to her hotel room to find a dead body. She knows the victim, but who killed the person? Are they trying to frame Laurel?
As always with this series, I have to warn you not to jump in here. There are so many ongoing plot threads that you won’t fully appreciate what happens here if you do – not to mention the twists that will be spoiled from earlier books. Fans of the series will be very happy with this book. There is plenty of action to keep them glued to the page, and the advancement we get on the ongoing stories is satisfying. All this while providing us with a beginning, middle, and end to the story told here. I went into the book thinking that this was the final book of the series, but clearly that won’t be the case with the plot threads that were left open and the cliffhanger we get. Meanwhile, the characters are showing some maturity, which I enjoyed. When you are in the mood for a cozy caper, I highly recommend this series. If you are already a fan, you’ll enjoy this chapter in Laurel’s story.
Bronzed Betrayal is the fifth book in the Bodies of Art Mysteries Series by Ritter Ames. Ms. Ames brings the reader on a vicarious, action packed vacation from London to Paris to New York and back. Laurel’s mission is to recover a stolen Rodin bronze bust (which holds it’s own secrets). The four main characters, Laurel, Cassie, Nico and Jack are well developed and bring a superbly crafted plot, filled with wild twists and turns to life. Museum worthy art, suspense, thriller, mystery, crime, mystery, secrets, the chill and thrills of the chase, light hearted humor and romance make this book hard to put down.
Every book I have read from this series reminds me of the Remington Steele television series filled with international intrigue and an atypical art history education (only the art history education within this book is clearly researched and informative). This book is well written and can be read as a stand-alone. The cliff hanger ending leaves the reader craving more, immediately! This book and series are a must read for everyone who loves a great, clean mystery.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from #Henery Press via #NetGalley. All of the opinions expressed are my own.
I fell in love with this series four years ago and have become more attached with each book. Bronzed Betrayals is a sophisticated and intelligent contemporary suspense novel with a classic feel. The book is riveting from the first page; the combination of high-intensity action, intricate plotting, and witty characters held me enthralled throughout the book. A little lethal danger, a little romance, a little witty repartee, what more could we ask for?
I love that it is Laurel, a female, who walks the line between legal and questionable in her battle to see justice done and who sometimes steps over that line in the name of protecting artworks (Laurel calls it “squashy ethics”); guys usually get the fun roles! I like that the members of the art recovery group and Jack enjoy spending time together and appreciate each other and that they carry out their complex roles with independence and pride. Finally, I adored seeing a positive bit of Laurel’s background.
Although there is connecting storyline for the series, each book has a self-contain plot, and Ritter Ames interweaves the backstory in such a way as not to confuse or distract from the current tale. While I think any reader would draw greater enjoyment from getting to know the characters as they are revealed through the series, I also believe that Bronzed Betrayals can be read as a standalone novel.
I was delighted to receive an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss and NetGalley even though I have mine on order because I am too excited about the series to wait and I love sharing my love for each book as I discover the fun and complexities that the team faces.
Laurel and Jack have it all planned out to retrieve the stolen bronze bust during a gala party, but everyone knows about the best laid plans of mice and men. Not only was the artifact a forgery, but then someone else also has their own plans to steal the bronze bust and sets off all the alarms. And if this is not enough, Laurel makes it back to her hotel suite to find a dead body. This is the 5th story in the Bodies of Art Mystery and as with the other 4 books in this series, provides nonstop action and adventure for a daring duo. I love Laurel’s indomitable spirit, as well as her relationship between not only Jack, but her associates Cassie and Niko. As they try to unravel this latest mystery, they are also working on solving the mystery of Laurel’s mother’s fatal car accident. Was this truly an accident? And then there is Laurel’s mysterious father! Great series, better enjoyed if read in sequence to pick up all the nuances of the action. Can’t wait for the next book, especially with the latest tease at the end of this book. Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing an advance reading copy of this book from Net Galley.