They never found his hands.
For days into weeks they searched the windswept coast south of the Montauk highway, fanning out into the icy scrub that edged the dunes, combing miles of coastline looking for a possible small makeshift grave where the pair might be buried.
Description:
After an opening sentence like this, who could possibly decide to put down Bradford Morrow's The Forgers: A Novel? Certainly not me, especially as I learned the plot involved rare books, forgery, forgeries of forgeries, and an unsolved murder. I am all in for a book like this and Morrow doesn't disappoint.
The narrator, Will, is a skillful, convicted forger noted for being able to create the signatures and writing styles of two dozen authors. Including an author's signature in a rare book obviously increases the value many times, so Will leads a good life in the rare book trade pedaling autographed rare books. Before this current story begins, he apparently was turned in by someone unknown and served time in jail for his crimes. Once out, his life is now dedicated to never forging again, a promise made to his girlfriend Meghan.
But Will learns of a particularly grisly murder, a shocking loss of a rare book collector named Adam Diehl. Diehl is found dead in his home with his hands cut off, surrounded by shelves of incredibly valuable, signed rare books in his collection. Diehl turns out to be the brother of Will's girlfriend, Meghan, so Will becomes interested.
But Will begins to receive several blackmail notes with threatening contents that catch his professional interest as well his sense of self-preservation. You see, the notes are written in the handwriting of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Will is himself a Doyle forgery expert, having created many signed books and letters from this author for sale. The notes are threatening to be sure, yet ironically artistic in Will's mind.
Who is sending him these notes? Why does he use Conan Doyle's (and later other authors') perfectly forged writing styles for the notes? As the contents become more threatening, Will must choose whether to meet the blackmail sums and possible other demands to protect himself and Meghan or try to confront the mysterious forger with whatever consequences.
While this may sound like another horrific murder mystery, The Forgers is primarily a tale of the skills and temptations of a forger pursuing his art. Most of the book focuses on rare books, the people who collect them, and the art of adding signatures and inscriptions in the words and hand of authors.
Certainly there is tension on each page. Who is the forger's blackmailer? What will be his/her next move? What does he know and not know? Should a chance be taken to end the threats or should the forger simply pay off the demands? Each day brings a new real and imagined danger which pushes readers to gobble up page after page.
Highly recommended for rare book and mystery lovers looking for an unusual story as told by a perceptive, if criminal, narrator who happens to be very successful at the art of forgery.
The narrator, Will, is a skillful, convicted forger noted for being able to create the signatures and writing styles of two dozen authors. Including an author's signature in a rare book obviously increases the value many times, so Will leads a good life in the rare book trade pedaling autographed rare books. Before this current story begins, he apparently was turned in by someone unknown and served time in jail for his crimes. Once out, his life is now dedicated to never forging again, a promise made to his girlfriend Meghan.
But Will learns of a particularly grisly murder, a shocking loss of a rare book collector named Adam Diehl. Diehl is found dead in his home with his hands cut off, surrounded by shelves of incredibly valuable, signed rare books in his collection. Diehl turns out to be the brother of Will's girlfriend, Meghan, so Will becomes interested.
But Will begins to receive several blackmail notes with threatening contents that catch his professional interest as well his sense of self-preservation. You see, the notes are written in the handwriting of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Will is himself a Doyle forgery expert, having created many signed books and letters from this author for sale. The notes are threatening to be sure, yet ironically artistic in Will's mind.
Who is sending him these notes? Why does he use Conan Doyle's (and later other authors') perfectly forged writing styles for the notes? As the contents become more threatening, Will must choose whether to meet the blackmail sums and possible other demands to protect himself and Meghan or try to confront the mysterious forger with whatever consequences.
While this may sound like another horrific murder mystery, The Forgers is primarily a tale of the skills and temptations of a forger pursuing his art. Most of the book focuses on rare books, the people who collect them, and the art of adding signatures and inscriptions in the words and hand of authors.
Certainly there is tension on each page. Who is the forger's blackmailer? What will be his/her next move? What does he know and not know? Should a chance be taken to end the threats or should the forger simply pay off the demands? Each day brings a new real and imagined danger which pushes readers to gobble up page after page.
Highly recommended for rare book and mystery lovers looking for an unusual story as told by a perceptive, if criminal, narrator who happens to be very successful at the art of forgery.
It takes a lot of truth to tell a lie. Truth must surround the pulsing heart of any lie for it to be convincing, believable....a gracefully designed construction built on both visible and underlying truths had every chance of passing muster, passing the test of time.
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Worrall, Simon. The Poet and the Murderer
Non-fiction, riveting look at the world of a forger, his skill and techniques, as well as the faked Emily Dickinson poem and double murder that lead to his capture. Highest of recommendations for a quality read. (previously reviewed here)
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