among thieves by david hosp 4-2-2010

8/9/2019 Among Thieves by David Hosp 4-2-2010

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Clarks Eye on Books

By Clark Isaacs

Among ThievesAuthor: David HospISBN: 978-0-446-58015-1, Pages: 384, $24.99, Publication Date: January 11, 2010,Hardcover, A Novel, Published by: Grand Central Publishing

Boston attorney, David Hosp, is the author of three previous novels: Dark Harbor(2005), The Betrayed (2006), and Innocence (2007). Among Thieves is his latestthriller featuring attorney Scott Finn, along with his unforgettable colleagues.

This novel was inspired by the greatest art theft in American history. On March 18,1990, in the wee hours after the St. Patricks Day celebration, 13 masterpieces werestolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, and to-date, none have beenrecovered. These included works by Rembrandt, Degas, Manet, and others.

Two thieves, dressed as police officers, knocked on the security entrance door at about1:24 AM and said they needed to investigate a disturbance. The young, inexperiencedsecurity guards naively let them in. The guards were handcuffed and brought to thebasement. The thieves bound their hands and feet, duct-tapped their mouths and eyes,and strapped them to the support posts. With a map, they proceeded to the 2nd floor of the


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museum and stole the art and when they left, the surveillance tape was ripped out.According to newspaper reports, the guards were found alive and otherwise unharmed.

The hunt for the missing artwork is the intriguing theme of this novel. Even though thisnovel is based on fiction, the details about the museum robbery are based on fact. It is

said that people have expended large amounts of money seeking to recover the stolen art,to no avail. Many theories have circulated through the years about who was responsible.Fictional character attorney Finn and his comrades have their own theories in their questto recover the missing artwork.

Finn and his associates are put in great peril when they agree to represent an old friendfor petty theft who was once mixed up with organized crime in the early 1990s. Therepresentation of this client leads Finn into confrontation with Bostons underworld crimegangs with possible connections to the IRA (Irish Republican Army). Events begin to getugly as excitement abounds with bloody shootouts, 7 heinous murders, and a kidnappingof a 14-year-old girl. This certainly makes this a page-turner with astonishing events that

capture your attention.

The fascination with this heist is still on-going and many theories have circulated aboutthe factual events throughout the years about who actually committed this magnificentheist. Today, the art is worth over 5 billion dollars and has a 500 million dollar rewardfor the return of the art in good condition. Thieves who try to sell stolen artwork at thistime will find it more difficult to dispose of valuable paintings since the laws of foreigncountries have changed so that the innocent purchaser for value protection has beenlifted. Now, if you buy stolen art, you lose possession of it to the true owner and all themoney you paid you lose. Artwork is now insured and there are specialists who track itdown with more scientific methods than those which were available in the past.

Interestingly and fortunate for the museum, the most valuable piece of art, The Rape ofEuropa by Titian, was never taken because it was located on the 3rd floor and wasomitted from the thieves map which only detailed the 2nd floor.

Among Thieves is an action-packed novel with many twists and turns, including asurprise ending. David Hosp is a master story-teller who gives great attention to detailand meticulous historical accuracy. This book is highly recommended.

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Publisher Weekly Best Selling Books:

Week of April 5, 2010

Fiction

1. Caught,Harlan Coben;Dutton, $27.95 ISBN: 978-0-525-95158-2
http://www.publishersweekly.com/datatable/Hardcover_Fiction/978-0-525-95158-2.phphttp://www.publishersweekly.com/datatable/Hardcover_Fiction/978-0-525-95158-2.php


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2. The Help,Kathryn Stockett;Putnam/Amy Einhorn, $24.95 ISBN: 978-0-399-15534-5

3.House Rules,Jodi Picoult;Atria, $28 ISBN: 978-0-7432-9643-4

4. The Silent Sea, Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul;Putnam, $27.95 ISBN: 978-0-399-15625-0

5. Bite Me, Christopher Moore;Morrow, $23.99 ISBN: 978-0-06-177972-5

Non-Fiction

1. The Big Short , Michael Lewis;Norton, $27.95 ISBN: 978-0-393-07223-5

2. Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, Chelsea Handler;Grand Central, $25.99 ISBN: 978-0-446-55244-8

3. The Pacific,Hugh Ambrose;NAL, $26.95 ISBN: 978-0-451-23023-2

4. Change Your Brain, Change Your Body,Daniel G. Amen, M.D.;Harmony, $25.99 ISBN: 978-0-307-46357-9

5. Courage and Consequence,Karl Rove;Threshold, $30 ISBN: 978-1-4391-9105-7

Clark Isaacs is an accomplished book critic who is published in local newspapers andnational book review lists. Visit Clark Isaacs athttp://clarkisaacs.ning.com and tell himwhat you would like to have him write about.

DO NOT PRINT AFTER Here!!!Send Tear Sheets to:

Elly WeisenbergHachette Book GroupGrand Central Publishing237 Park AvenueNew York, NY 10017

Melissa BullockHachette Book Group
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Grand Central Publishing237 Park AvenueNew York, NY 10017

among thieves by david hosp 4-2-2010

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