Goodbye Again

by Joseph Hone, Gary Dikeos (reader)

A discovery in his mother’s attic leads a painter into the dark world of underground art dealings

Since childhood, Ben Contini has been enchanted by nudes. The first painting ever to move him was a Modigliani, a portrait of a naked and beautiful reclining woman. Though it scandalized his mother at the time, it inspired him to become an artist; he specializes in portraits but paints nudes whenever he can. Only when his mother dies does Ben realize why Modigliani upset her so much: She had one hidden in her attic.

It is the most beautiful painting he has ever seen, but he has no idea how the widow of an Italian refugee could have come upon it. With the help of a mysterious Austrian woman who appears at his mother’s funeral, Ben discovers the painting’s connection to the art thieves of Nazi Germany. The beautiful nude has made a strange journey to the Contini attic, and there are men who would kill to cover her up.

Genres: Fiction

MP3 CD

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

Joseph Hone (b. 1937) is a British author of spy novels. Born in London, he was sent to Dublin in 1939, and spent most of the next two decades living in Ireland. His first novel, The Private Sector (1971), introduced the globetrotting spy Peter Marlow—the character for whom Hone would become best known. Set during the Six Day War, The Private Sector was well received by critics, who have compared it to the work of Eric Ambler, Len Deighton, and John le Carré. Hone published three more titles in the series—The Sixth Directorate (1975), The Flowers of the Forest (1980), and The Valley of the Fox (1982)—before moving on to other work.

In addition to his espionage fiction, Hone has found success in travel writing. His most recent books include Wicked Little Joe (2009), a memoir, and Goodbye Again (2011).

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright, in my opinion the author wasted fine potential for a brilliant story.
First off, the story started off with excellently, teasing a five-star rating by book's end. However, Hone foolishly went ahead and ruined the plotline with a story nobody asked for, least of all me. What ruined it? Nazi hunting. No joke, Nazi Hunting. FFS!
Also, because of this stupid plot direction, the book ended up being at least 70 pages too long, but that's opinion.
Another peeve I have with this book is that the dialogue between Ben and Elsa, and other characters, can become rambling, exposition-heavy and state the obvious as if the reader were a child. Totally unnatural.
Honestly my favourite character in the book is the Modi Nude, it might be an inanimate object, but I felt more of an emotional connection to the painting than I did towards the other characters in this novel.

[Mim-Is-Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tragic.