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Catacomb
Art conservator Flora Garibaldi is just getting the hang of her new job restoring paintings in Rome, Italy. Then her policeman boyfriend, Vittorio Bernini, asks her to join a risky search under Rome for a lost trove of Nazi-looted art worth millions. Along with an international team of art experts, they face the daunting task of locating art in miles of underground tunnels.
After they discover evidence of recent digging underground, one of Vittorio’s Carabinieri colleagues is murdered. Flora and Vittorio find themselves up against a group of ruthless art thieves who will do anything to prevent the discovery of the art and its return to its rightful Jewish owners.
After they discover evidence of recent digging underground, one of Vittorio’s Carabinieri colleagues is murdered. Flora and Vittorio find themselves up against a group of ruthless art thieves who will do anything to prevent the discovery of the art and its return to its rightful Jewish owners.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2016
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Wisseman
29 books18 followersSarah Wisseman (a.k.a. Sally Underhill) grew up in Evanston, Illinois and Weston Massachusetts. She remembers being surrounded by books all her life, especially moldy old Penguin paperbacks (Rex Stout, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey) that were fought over by her parents. Her mother was a weaver and avid reader, and her father, Thomas Underhill, was a lawyer who wrote mysteries and crossword puzzles. Her son, Nick, has adopted the pen name of his deceased grandfather ("Tom Underhill") and writes historical fantasy in northern Michigan.
Sarah hadn’t a clue that she wanted to be an archaeologist until she traveled to Israel right after her freshman year in college. There she ate felafel, fell in love with Jerusalem, camped illegally on Masada, and spent a month at the excavation of biblical Beersheba. Once hooked by archaeology, she returned for her Junior Year Abroad at Tel Aviv University, an experience that eventually inspired Book 1, The Dead Sea Codex. Books 2 and 3, Bound for Eternity and The Fall of Augustus, were inspired by Sarah's job as a curator in a dusty attic museum. Book 4, The House of the Sphinx, was the result of a trip to Egypt in 2005.
Sarah hadn’t a clue that she wanted to be an archaeologist until she traveled to Israel right after her freshman year in college. There she ate felafel, fell in love with Jerusalem, camped illegally on Masada, and spent a month at the excavation of biblical Beersheba. Once hooked by archaeology, she returned for her Junior Year Abroad at Tel Aviv University, an experience that eventually inspired Book 1, The Dead Sea Codex. Books 2 and 3, Bound for Eternity and The Fall of Augustus, were inspired by Sarah's job as a curator in a dusty attic museum. Book 4, The House of the Sphinx, was the result of a trip to Egypt in 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 24, 2020
I enjoyed this book. I did get a bit confused keeping everyone straight with all the Italian names but still enjoyed the mystery. It had a few twist and you send most of the time trying to work out who was helping the bad guys. The story was set in the present but spent a bit of time looking into the past in the form of a diary, which helped you picture what went on and the struggles of the times.
Flora is settling into her new job when her boyfriend asks her boss if the police can hire her to work for them. They have just got word that there is hidden works of art hiding in the catacombs from the Nazis that has never been found and as head of the art squad he has been tasked with tracking it down. Knowing he will need help he turns to Flora and her expertise as an art restorer for help. The problem is word has gotten out and is beating them to every location they decide to look at. The things turn deadly and one of the officers is killed and now more than missing art is at stake. Who can the pair trust because someone is not who they pretend to be. Can Flora keep up working two job and trying to beat a killer to the loot. With flooded tunnels, guns, betrayal and lies only time will tell.
I liked the narrator and thought she did a lot job with all the different accents need for this story.
Flora is settling into her new job when her boyfriend asks her boss if the police can hire her to work for them. They have just got word that there is hidden works of art hiding in the catacombs from the Nazis that has never been found and as head of the art squad he has been tasked with tracking it down. Knowing he will need help he turns to Flora and her expertise as an art restorer for help. The problem is word has gotten out and is beating them to every location they decide to look at. The things turn deadly and one of the officers is killed and now more than missing art is at stake. Who can the pair trust because someone is not who they pretend to be. Can Flora keep up working two job and trying to beat a killer to the loot. With flooded tunnels, guns, betrayal and lies only time will tell.
I liked the narrator and thought she did a lot job with all the different accents need for this story.
November 8, 2019
This Review is for the audiobook version:
The City of Rome, the Monuments Men, the catacombs, Sotterranei di Roma, missing art...sign me up! I loved the history behind this book. Also the description of the catacombs, like the Jewish and Christian markings, reminded me of my own trip to Rome a few years ago. The geek in me loved the description of the database they were creating to help organize their search using data from old WWII files, maps, and dusty archive materials.
The mystery of the missing art was not much of a mystery. The author uses a diary as a device to give the backstory of the missing artwork and why and where it was hidden. That was definitely a ‘tells instead of shows’ way of doing it and I didn’t care for it.
I liked the murder mystery part of the story much better. I didn’t guess who the murderer was until it was revealed to me in the end.
The City of Rome, the Monuments Men, the catacombs, Sotterranei di Roma, missing art...sign me up! I loved the history behind this book. Also the description of the catacombs, like the Jewish and Christian markings, reminded me of my own trip to Rome a few years ago. The geek in me loved the description of the database they were creating to help organize their search using data from old WWII files, maps, and dusty archive materials.
The mystery of the missing art was not much of a mystery. The author uses a diary as a device to give the backstory of the missing artwork and why and where it was hidden. That was definitely a ‘tells instead of shows’ way of doing it and I didn’t care for it.
I liked the murder mystery part of the story much better. I didn’t guess who the murderer was until it was revealed to me in the end.
March 4, 2020
This was a good read.Under the Catacomb there may lie great treasure!The rumor is that art work stolen from Jewish people was hidden there.A team is formed to find it.Who knows what all they will find. Carrie Coello was a fine narrator. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
June 3, 2020
Catacombs, hidden art from the Nazi and a diary add up to make one interesting plot. Flora is once again involved. Narration by Carried was great. Given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
December 24, 2019
Flora has hardly settled into to her new job when she is asked to assist in the tracing of a hoard of WW2, Nazi looted, fine art, somewhere in the catacombs of Rome. This is fast paced, full of intrigue and mystery, with a cast of intriguing characters. A murder is added to the mix making this an excellent listen, especially as the writing and narration are very good.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews