There is something inherently fascinating about the theft of a great work of art or priceless jewels. The intricate planning by the thieves and the relentless search to bring them to justice make such tales compelling. — Dorothy Broderick, Contributing Editor, Mysteries and Thrillers, NoveList.
How did they do it? That is the question the mystery reader needs answered. And a good Art Theft mystery immerses the reader in the journey as the plot and its solution unfold. So the mysteries for this month have to do with art, art museums, art dealers, forgery, theft, and murder. Many of them are historical, some are procedurals, and in most of them, the art itself is a character. There are a few series (Nicholas Kilmer, John Malcolm, Iain Pears), but mostly the novels are stand-alones or individual books with the art theme from a series.

The following is a list of authors who fit into this category. The titles in each series is given. Please read one or more of these authors and/or titles, and come prepared to discuss your impressions of them with the group.

Mary Allingham
Death of a Ghost (1934)
Click Here for Murder (2003)

Ruth BirminghamSunny Childs
Atlanta Graves (1998)

Kyril BonfiglioliCharlie Mortdecai
Don’t Point that Thing at Me AKA Mortdecai’s Endgame OUT OF PRINT | NOT IN NOBLE (1972)
Something Nasty in the Woodshed OUT OF PRINT | NOT IN NOBLE (1976)
All the Tea in China (1978)
After You with the Pistol (1979)
Great Mortdecai’s Mustache (2002) (Published Posthumously)

Alistair Boyle
Gil Yates
The Con (1996)

John Ed Bradley
Restoration (2003)

Lilian Jackson Braun
Jim Qwilleran
Cat Who Could Read Backwards (1966),

Simon Brett
Mrs. Pargeter
Mrs. Pargeter’s Point of Honour (1998)

Dan Brown
Robert Langdon
Angels & Demons (2000)
The Da Vinci Code (2003)

Michael Butterworth
Virgin on the Rocks (1985)

Victor Canning
Vanishing Point (1982)

Sarah Caudwell
Thus was Adonis Murdered (1981)

Carol Higgins Clark
Regan Reilly
Iced (1995)

David Adams Cleveland
With a Gemlike Flame (2001)

Carolyn Coker
Balmoral Nude (1990)
Appearance of Evil (1994)

Phillip R. Craig
J.W.Jackson
Vineyard Enigma. (2002)

John Creasey
The Baron and the Missing Old Masters (1968)

Bill Crider
Murder is an Art (1999)

Mary Daheim
A Fit of Tempura (1994)

Gaylord Dold
Mitch Roberts
Samedi’s Knapsack (2001)

Mikel Dunham
Rhea Buerkin
Stilled Life (1989)

Aaron J. Elkins
Chris Nogren
A Glancing Light (1991)
Old Scores (1993)
Loot(1999)

Loren Estleman
Amos Walker
Hours of the Virgin (1999)

Linda A. Fairstein
Alexandra Cooper
Cold Hit (1999)

Robert L. Fish
Kek Huuygens
The Tricks of the Trade(1972).
The Wager(1974).

Ken Follett
Modigliani’s Scandal (1976)

Earlene Fowler
Benni Harper
Fool’s Puzzle (1994)

Dick Francis
To the Hilt (1988)

Michael Frayn
Headlong (1999)

Caroline Garcia-Aquilera
Lupe Solano
Havana Heat (1999)

Michael Francis Gilbert
Paint, Gold and Blood (1992)

James Goldman
The Man From Greek and Roman (1974)

Martha Grimes
Richard Jury
Stargazey (1998)

Robert Lee Hall
Ben Franklin
Benjamin Franklin and a Case of Artful Murder (1995)

Lyn Hamilton
The Etruscan Chimera (2002)

Dashiell Hammett
The Maltese Falcon (1929)

MacDonald Harris
Treasure of Sainte Foy (1980)

April Henry
Circles of Confusion (1999)

Diane Johnson
Le Mariage (2000)

Kelly Jones
Seventh Unicorn (2005)

Nicholas Kilmer
Fred Taylor

Harmony in Flesh and Black (1995)
Man with a Squirrel (1996)

O Sacred Head (1997)
Dirty Linen (1999)

Lazarus, Arise (2001)

Jayne Ann Krentz
Lost and Found (2001)

Allen Kurzweil
Alexander Short
The Grand Complication (2001)

Jane Langton
Homer Kelly
Murder at the Gardner (1988)

Donna Leon
Guido Brunetti
Aqua Alta (1996)

Robert S. Levinson
Neil Gulliver
Hot Paint (2002)

Ross MacDonald
The Blue Hammer (1976)

Charlotte MacLeod
Max Bittersohn The Family Vault (1979),
For the rest of the series, see Cozies.

Lise McClendon
Alix Thorssen
The Bluejay Shaman (1994)
Blue Wolf (2001)

Val McDermid
Kate Brannigan
Clean Break (1995)

John Malcolm
Tim Simpson
Whistler in the Dark (1986)
Wrong Impression (1990)
Sheep, Goats, and Soap (1991)
Hung Over (1995)
Into the Vortex (1997)
Simpson’s Homer (2001)

Shane Maloney
Brush-off (1998)

Ngaio Marsh
Artists in Crime (1938)

David Derbin Nolta
Grave Circle: An Ivory Tower Mystery (2003)

A.E. Maxwell
Fiddler
Art of Survival (1989)

Marcia Muller
Joanna Stark
Cavalier in White (1986)
There Hangs the Knife (1988)

Susan Oleskiw
Joe Silva
Double Take (1994)

Jake Page
Mo Bowdre
The Stolen Gods (1996)
Lethal Partner (1996)

Martin Page
The Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa (1998)

Elliot Paul
Homer Evans
Waylaid in Boston (1953)

Iain Pears
Jonathan ArgyllFlavia DiStefano
The Raphael Affair (1990)
TheTitian Committee (1991)
The Bernini Bust (1992)
The Last Judgement (1996)
Death and Restoration (1996)
Giotto’s Hand (1997)
The Immaculate Deception (2000)

Arturo Perez-Reverte
The Flanders Panel (1994)

Ellery Queen
Ten Days Wonder (1994)

David Ramus
Thief of Light (1995)
Gravity of Shadows (1998)

Jonathan Santlofer
The Death Artist (2002)

Dorothy Sayers
Five Red Herrings (1994)

Douglas Skeggs
The Estuary Pilgrim (1989)
The Triumph of Bacchus (1993)

Richard Stark
Parker
Firebreak (2001)

Thomas Swan
Walter Deats
The Cezanne Chase (1997)
The Da Vinci Deception (1998)

William G. Tapply
Brady Coyne
The Spotted Cats (1991)

Jonathan Valin
Final Notice (1980)

Paul Watkins
The Forger (2000)

Clarissa Watson
Persis Willum
Runaway (1985)
Somebody Killed the Messenger (1988)
Last Plane From Nice (1988)

Paul Watson
Landscape of Lies (1989)

David Westheimer
Olmec Head (1974)

Collin Wilcox
Alan Bernhardt
Full Circle (1994)

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