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The Lost Canvas
45 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 29, 2012
About the author
Ernest Dempsey
71 books483 followersErnest Dempsey is a huge fan of action/adventure thrillers and science fiction.
He has been creating stories since he was in high school but never published a book until 2010, long after the days of high school were gone.
His action & adventure books come from a lineage similar to Clive Cussler, Dan Brown, Steve Berry, and James Rollins. While his science fiction novels are full of influence from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, The Matrix movie, and Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott.
He is quickly becoming one of the hottest fiction authors in the book world.
He has been creating stories since he was in high school but never published a book until 2010, long after the days of high school were gone.
His action & adventure books come from a lineage similar to Clive Cussler, Dan Brown, Steve Berry, and James Rollins. While his science fiction novels are full of influence from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, The Matrix movie, and Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott.
He is quickly becoming one of the hottest fiction authors in the book world.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 22, 2019
The Lost Canvas - a review by Rosemary Kenny
This tiny (45 page) novelette should be read before Sean Wyatt's 2nd adventure The Cleric's Vault in the prolific Ernest Dempsey's The Lost Stones trilogy, as it introduces his feisty, fulsome and MMA fighter heroine Adriana Villa, a Spanish multi-millionairess who runs a 'philanthropic' criminal network with her father in Spain - think Salma Hayek or Penelope Cruz meets Lara Croft - and details how she seeks artefacts and paintings looted/stolen from their owners, then returns them.
As a threat sets her on a race against the clock, (not to mention enemy factions) the action really ramps up to fever-pitch. Adriana must find the eponymous lost van Gogh masterpiece, that allegedly promises to reveal eternal life to the holder of the answer to the riddle hidden within.
Can she find it first?
Get yourself a copy today and find out - then read all Ernest Dempsey's unputdownable full-length
thrillers - but clear your diary first, as you won't want to stop til you've read them all!
This tiny (45 page) novelette should be read before Sean Wyatt's 2nd adventure The Cleric's Vault in the prolific Ernest Dempsey's The Lost Stones trilogy, as it introduces his feisty, fulsome and MMA fighter heroine Adriana Villa, a Spanish multi-millionairess who runs a 'philanthropic' criminal network with her father in Spain - think Salma Hayek or Penelope Cruz meets Lara Croft - and details how she seeks artefacts and paintings looted/stolen from their owners, then returns them.
As a threat sets her on a race against the clock, (not to mention enemy factions) the action really ramps up to fever-pitch. Adriana must find the eponymous lost van Gogh masterpiece, that allegedly promises to reveal eternal life to the holder of the answer to the riddle hidden within.
Can she find it first?
Get yourself a copy today and find out - then read all Ernest Dempsey's unputdownable full-length
thrillers - but clear your diary first, as you won't want to stop til you've read them all!
April 22, 2018
Love the character but too short of a story
I've read most of the Sean Watt books and love Adriana. I knew this was a short story but its just too short to be interesting.
I've read most of the Sean Watt books and love Adriana. I knew this was a short story but its just too short to be interesting.
June 8, 2026
Synopsis:
In the chaos of WWII, the Nazis systematically looted the world’s most priceless treasures. Now, one of the most elusive pieces of the era—a lost Van Gogh masterpiece—has resurfaced, and the race to claim it has begun. Enter Adriana Villa, the world's most capable and renowned treasure hunter, who travels to modern-day Germany to track down the work and return it to its rightful heirs.
But she isn’t alone. Shadowy, dangerous organizations are lurking in the corners, each with their own agendas and a ruthless willingness to spill blood to get it. As Adriana digs deeper, the mystery takes a chilling turn: Why was Hitler so pathologically obsessed with this specific artwork? The search becomes a high-stakes game of survival where the prize is not just a painting, but a secret worth killing for.
Review:
The Lost Canvas by Ernest Dempsey is a lightning-fast read, packed to the brim with action-oriented sequences, sudden thrills, and sharp narrative pivots. For those who want their suspense delivered in a concentrated, breathless burst, the plot certainly doesn't pull any punches.
While the pace is undeniably exhilarating, the execution hit a few roadblocks for me:
• The story is presented as one long, continuous block of text without chapters. In a genre that relies on pacing and suspense, this structural choice makes the reading experience feel surprisingly tedious for me. Without those natural "breathing points," the momentum often feels too much to take on.
• Perhaps more frustrating is the conclusion. After spending the entire novella caught up in a breathless cat-and-mouse chase, complete with high-stakes suspense and casualties, the ending feels strangely incomplete and inconsistent. It fails to stick the landing, leaving the tension feeling like it was largely wasted rather than resolved.
Rating:
The Lost Canvas is a bold, action-heavy premise that promises a gripping historical mystery but ultimately feels held back by ending. It’s an entertaining afternoon read.
⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3 out of 5 stars)
In the chaos of WWII, the Nazis systematically looted the world’s most priceless treasures. Now, one of the most elusive pieces of the era—a lost Van Gogh masterpiece—has resurfaced, and the race to claim it has begun. Enter Adriana Villa, the world's most capable and renowned treasure hunter, who travels to modern-day Germany to track down the work and return it to its rightful heirs.
But she isn’t alone. Shadowy, dangerous organizations are lurking in the corners, each with their own agendas and a ruthless willingness to spill blood to get it. As Adriana digs deeper, the mystery takes a chilling turn: Why was Hitler so pathologically obsessed with this specific artwork? The search becomes a high-stakes game of survival where the prize is not just a painting, but a secret worth killing for.
Review:
The Lost Canvas by Ernest Dempsey is a lightning-fast read, packed to the brim with action-oriented sequences, sudden thrills, and sharp narrative pivots. For those who want their suspense delivered in a concentrated, breathless burst, the plot certainly doesn't pull any punches.
While the pace is undeniably exhilarating, the execution hit a few roadblocks for me:
• The story is presented as one long, continuous block of text without chapters. In a genre that relies on pacing and suspense, this structural choice makes the reading experience feel surprisingly tedious for me. Without those natural "breathing points," the momentum often feels too much to take on.
• Perhaps more frustrating is the conclusion. After spending the entire novella caught up in a breathless cat-and-mouse chase, complete with high-stakes suspense and casualties, the ending feels strangely incomplete and inconsistent. It fails to stick the landing, leaving the tension feeling like it was largely wasted rather than resolved.
Rating:
The Lost Canvas is a bold, action-heavy premise that promises a gripping historical mystery but ultimately feels held back by ending. It’s an entertaining afternoon read.
⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3 out of 5 stars)
August 9, 2020
Love, love, love your style of writing!
To be honest; I am really sad Mr. D. The pandemic isn’t over and I have read all of your works...Oh well, guess that means I go back to the beginning and start over! Anything new coming out? Please....pretty please with a cherry on top? Thank you for all of the wonderful adventures!
To be honest; I am really sad Mr. D. The pandemic isn’t over and I have read all of your works...Oh well, guess that means I go back to the beginning and start over! Anything new coming out? Please....pretty please with a cherry on top? Thank you for all of the wonderful adventures!
May 5, 2018
Introducing Adrianna Villa who seems to match Sean Wyatt in moxy - hope they will team up at some point in one book - very short story but very entertaining.
August 27, 2018
Adriana does what she does so well!
What a great story!!! This is a great prequel to the Sean Wyatt set of adventures! We must keep reading!!!
What a great story!!! This is a great prequel to the Sean Wyatt set of adventures! We must keep reading!!!
October 7, 2018
Fantastic
Another exciting tale. Its a shame it's a short story, but it may carry-on in another novella ,l do hope so.
Another exciting tale. Its a shame it's a short story, but it may carry-on in another novella ,l do hope so.
August 9, 2019
Was all right, but never had any real resolution to much of anything. <><
December 24, 2020
A great start to a series! Left me wanting more!
I received a free copy of the book and I am giving you my honest review.
I received a free copy of the book and I am giving you my honest review.
July 31, 2021
Good but I prefer endings.
January 3, 2022
A fun short story.
The protagonist is an adventurous lady seeking a painting stolen by the Nazis in WWII. The modern Nazis want to stop her.
The protagonist is an adventurous lady seeking a painting stolen by the Nazis in WWII. The modern Nazis want to stop her.
January 24, 2022
What a great story with twist and turns and bodies left behind.
Look forward to reading more of Ernest's books.
Look forward to reading more of Ernest's books.
May 3, 2022
Adriana Villa , a thief who steals stolen art and returns it to rightful owners. is given a van Gogh painting, The tree which promises the secret of immortality. People are killing to get it.
September 25, 2022
Quick but wonderful mystery about a missing Van Gogh piece of art. Many twists and turns - good read of a short book.
July 3, 2015
A New Player in Dempsey's Treasure Hunt
This novella introduces Adriana Villa, who joins Sean Wyatt's crew of treasure hunters in The Cleric's Vault, which is Book 2 of that series (making this story Book 1.5?). Although not crucial to the series, The Lost Canvas gives us Adriana's backstory and her reasons for joining Sean's team. Even Sean hasn't figured that out yet -- she is still a mystery to him.
Adriana is in Germany in search of a painting believed to be part of the treasure trove the Nazi's looted throughout Europe during World War II. It is here she learns of a group of people also after the same painting, but for much more nefarious purposes. You see, this particular piece of art is believed to hold a clue to the secret of immortality -- a prize once sought by Hitler and now by the leader of this other group, the Order of the Golden Dawn. They are also after Sean Wyatt and his team for the same reasons. The Order will stop at nothing to get it, including murder and arson.
The book starts out with Adriana running and it kept me turning the pages until the very end. Being a novella, character development is sacrificed for action, which is not a bad thing. The plot moves along swiftly and, by the end, it sets the reader up nicely to continue the Sean Wyatt series.
This novella introduces Adriana Villa, who joins Sean Wyatt's crew of treasure hunters in The Cleric's Vault, which is Book 2 of that series (making this story Book 1.5?). Although not crucial to the series, The Lost Canvas gives us Adriana's backstory and her reasons for joining Sean's team. Even Sean hasn't figured that out yet -- she is still a mystery to him.
Adriana is in Germany in search of a painting believed to be part of the treasure trove the Nazi's looted throughout Europe during World War II. It is here she learns of a group of people also after the same painting, but for much more nefarious purposes. You see, this particular piece of art is believed to hold a clue to the secret of immortality -- a prize once sought by Hitler and now by the leader of this other group, the Order of the Golden Dawn. They are also after Sean Wyatt and his team for the same reasons. The Order will stop at nothing to get it, including murder and arson.
The book starts out with Adriana running and it kept me turning the pages until the very end. Being a novella, character development is sacrificed for action, which is not a bad thing. The plot moves along swiftly and, by the end, it sets the reader up nicely to continue the Sean Wyatt series.
June 5, 2015
It kept me reading as much for the story as to when Sean Wyatt was going to show up. This is his kind of story. But had to laugh at the end when I got my way and there he was. Adrianna would make a good partner for Sean. Trouble just follows. Adrianna did pretty good standing up for her self and taking on a big task. Hope more to come on this.
April 11, 2018
This seems to be book 1.5 in the Sean Wyatt series in that it gives some backstory to Adriana Villa who appeared for the first time in The Cleric’s Vault, book 2 in the Sean Wyatt series. Adriana Villa is an unusual thief in that she only steals from those who have stolen.
A non-essential story but not without interest. However, the ending is confusing - what gives?
A non-essential story but not without interest. However, the ending is confusing - what gives?
February 19, 2014
Very Good Read!
This book will catch your attention and hold it right till the ending which leaves you hanging "on the edge of a cliff" trying to figure out what is next! Great Read!
This book will catch your attention and hold it right till the ending which leaves you hanging "on the edge of a cliff" trying to figure out what is next! Great Read!
February 14, 2016
W at too short
Novellas, especially well written exciting ones like "The Lost Canvas" will leave the reader wanting more and at the same time disappointed because they are too short. This nouvelle would have earned 5 stars if it had been full length
Novellas, especially well written exciting ones like "The Lost Canvas" will leave the reader wanting more and at the same time disappointed because they are too short. This nouvelle would have earned 5 stars if it had been full length
April 23, 2015
Great, short read! Very interesting premise.
September 3, 2015
This is another short story and introduces another character to the series. Great description and story with good character building looking forward to reading the first full length novel.
June 8, 2015
My first read of Mr. Dempsey's, and it was short but oh so very good...loved it and look forward to reading more of his works.
November 8, 2015
Another good read by Ernest Dempsey, got hooked from the begging. Looking forward to reading the next book. Definitely worth a look
January 4, 2016
Another solid read by Dempsey - A lot like Steve Berry with the historical fiction aspect - Love that in a book
January 20, 2016
This may have been a short story, but it was packed with action, giving you a taste of adventure that makes you want more. Very addictive.
July 19, 2020
This was an excellent story about retrieving lost art from former Nazi homes.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews