Stealing Mona Lisa

What a fun delightful story of mystery. intrigue and romance.  This is a novel based on the story of the theft of Leonardo da Vinci's Portrait of Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1911.  Author, Carson Morton, has taken the facts of the news story and created what might have happened in his imagination.

Using the facts from a story published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1925 that was supposed to be an interview with Eduardo de Valfierno, a self confessed con artist who purported to be the mastermind behind the theft of the Mona Lisa and the forgery of the original work of art.  Also arrested in connection with the theft of the painting was an Italian, Vincenzo Peruggia, who tried to return the work of art to Italy, claiming that he was bringing it home to its right owners.

Known in France as La Joconde and in Italy as La Gioconda, The Portrait of the Mona Lisa  has always been surrounded in mystery.  Morton has created a wonderful story of art forgery and intrigue that makes the reader wonder how many of the famous original pieces of art that adorn the museum walls could possible be incredible copies.  In this novel Valfierno is the mastermind who leads a band of co conspirators from the art forger, to the thieves who help convince the buyers that they are getting the original paintings stolen from the museum, to the actual sale to the rich unsuspecting buyer, who then hides the famous painting away in his home.

To flesh out the story Morton played fast and loose with the great Paris flood of 1910 moving it to help build the drama around the theft of the painting.  He also builds into the story some romance and a few extra assistants who all live together in Madame Charneau's boarding house in Paris. This is also a story of selfishness, greed and love.  Choosing love and relationships over ownership of artwork.  Which are more important in life, material objects and money or love?  When it is a matter of life and death, which should you choose?  Valfierno is caught up when the water floods the streets of Paris, he holding a valise with thousands of dollars and the woman he may love is slipping away in the rushing water.   "He had to do something quickly.  He looked at the valise.  It held no small fortune.  He turned back to Ellen and he knew in an instant the terrible truth:  He couldn't possibly hope to save both of them...."

This will be the group's final and most ambitious caper.  The twists and turns keep the reader guessing all the way to the end.