Конспирацията Караваджо

The Caravaggio Conspiracy #1

by Alex Connor, Алекс Конър

1608 Микеланджело Меризи да Караваджо, велик италиански художник за своето време, е отлъчен от Ордена на рицарите на св. Йоан в Малта. като обект на таен слух, неговото престъпление остава строго пазена тайна.
2014 Две тела са открити в Лондонската картинна галерия - голи, приседнали гръб в гръб, вързани здраво един за друг с тел за картини. Близнаци са - успешни търговци на картини - техните брутални убийства се свързват с мистериозното изчезване на две от творбите на художника Караваджо.
Следователите са объркани и разчитат на експерта по изкуства - Гил Екхарт - да им помогне преди убиецът да предприеме нови действия. Търсенето на улики го отвежда от бляскавия Ню Йорк до катакомбите на Палермо. Екхарт открива, че на най-високите нива в света на изкуството доброто и лошото често са обрисувани с една и съща, окървавена, четка.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Crime, Art, Ebooks, Italy

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Alexandra Connor (aka Alex Connor) was born in UK and lives in England. She is an author, artist and art historian. Also arts presenter on TV and in 2018 won the Rome Prize for Isle of the Dead, aka Il Dipinto Maledetto. Fellow of Royal Society of Arts, listed in Debretts 'Prominent People of Today.'

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Per Connor sono 4 stelle, non è sicuramente un opera spettacolare dopotutto si tratta di un thriller abbastanza classico, tuttavia trattando il mondo dell'arte devo dire che mi ha favorevolmente colpito!
La trama ha una sua consistenza, quel pizzico di romanzo storico che tratta di Caravaggio si mescola bene con la trama attuale senza confondere le idee, torna in auge il tema della suggestione come canale per gli omicidi, non mi dilungo oltre per non spoilerare il romanzo XD.
I luoghi sono ben descritti, mi è stato facile volare da Londra a Berlino, poi New York e Palermo alla ricerca della verità su chi sia l'assassino e quale sia il vero movente; fino alla fine è impossibile capire chi sia l'assassino perché lo scrittore è stato molto bravo in questo.
Gli intrighi che sono alla base del commercio di opere penso sia un tema molto interessante e poco trattato in libri di questo genere, quindi penso sia stata una mossa vincente per Connor; a mio avviso la ha un impronta molto realistica quindi in definitiva posso dire che questo è un buon romanzo con cui passare qualche ora!

[Ренета Кирова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Авторката ни потапя в света на изкуството. Лука Меризи твърди, че е наследник на Караваджо и притежава две от неговите изчезнали картини. Междувременно стават гадни убийства в средите на търговците на изкуство. Преди седем години е имало такова убийство в Берлин. Сега това се повтаря в Лондон, след като Лука обявява официално, че знае къде са скрити двете платна на Караваджо. Гил е нает от галериста Якоб да разследва убийствата и да открие изчезналите картини. Само че светът на изкуството е сложен, пропит с тайни и може да се окаже, че убиецът е някой от тях. Неочакван край и развръзка.
Прави ми впечатление, че авторката измисля много гадни убийства. Книгата е едно шеметно препускане по света – Ню Йорк, Лондон, Италия, Берлин в опит Гил да открие истината и така да успее да загърби миналото си.

[Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first discovered Alex Connor in December last year when I read and reviewed The Rembrandt Secret, a thrilling entry for me into her fictional world of art history – I should also say that the story is loosely based on true events. The Rembrandt Secret is a subtle blend of fact and fiction that cannot fail to interest the reader and heighten one’s hunger for discovery. The fun in books of this ilk, certainly as far as I’m concerned, is discovering what really happened all those years ago and what events were a by-product of an intelligent authorial mind!

The Caravaggio Conspiracy follows the same format, why fix if it ain’t broke?! This thriller moves along at a rapid pace, not quite as fast as her previous title but it’s still a very quick and enjoyable read. The murders are a little gruesome, although very well thought out, and there’s a part in the book you may want to avoid if you are claustrophobic! The macabre in me loved that passage of the thriller.

One of the great things I’m beginning to discover with Alex’s novels is that the person or persons responsible for the ensuing carnage are not at all obvious until very close to the end! You can’t ask for more than that in a thriller. Suspects come and go, some forgotten until later in the story when something occurs to bring them right back in the firing line. She keeps you guessing that’s for sure!

Characterisation is good and no one is perfect, they all have their faults and secrets. I went through a range of emotions with the protagonist – Gil Eckhart – and to be frank I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about him! He’s a complex character that’s for sure!

I really enjoyed the globetrotting yet again and the 17th century timeline a great addition to the story and very well told. As with her previous novels expect a few red herrings and more than one curve ball – she does like doing that to the reader!!

Overall another accomplished novel, I turned the final page wanting to know more and read more from Alex Connor – you can’t ask for more than that. Of the two I’ve read I still prefer The Rembrandt Secret but that may well be down to my preference to all things Rembrandt! Caravaggio is coming up on the outside and the race isn’t over just yet! Bravissimo!

[Bettie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Description: 1608:

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, the greatest Italian painter of his day, is expelled from the Order of the Knights of Malta. Subject to a clandestine hearing, his crime remains a closely guarded secret.

2014:

Two bodies are found in a London art gallery - stripped naked, necks bound with wire and legs obscenely contorted. They are twin brothers - successful art dealers - their brutal murder linked to the mysterious disappearance of two paintings by the master Caravaggio.

Investigators are confounded, and it falls to art expert Gil Eckhart to identify the killer before he slays again. But as the search for clues takes him from the glamorous skyline of New York to the fetid catacombs of Palermo, Eckhart finds that in the high-stakes world of art, good and evil are often tarred with the same, blood-soaked, brush.

[Liz Kaufman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Forgettable. Choppy. Copy had errors in spelling and formatting that even the most basic, half-asleep copy editor should have found. I think the author was absent on the day his high school lit teacher told everyone to "Show, not tell!" during creative writing. I picked it up expecting a quick and mindless read, and I got double helpings of both. I think it might want to be the Davinci Code when it grows up.

[Stargazer · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was really into this at first but by the end i couldn't care less about the plot or any characters.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the essential plot about the search for two missing paintings, and the page-turning pace of the book was also very good. The problem I had though was that I simply didn't care about any of the characters. I wouldn't have been remotely bothered if the main protagonist had come to a horrible end!

My overall feeling was disappointment. I wanted it to be a much cleverer book than it was with a much cleverer solution than it had.

[Kiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved The Rembrandt Secret, so I was excited to read this book, with its equally thrilling title that promised so much. But I'm afraid I was disappointed. This book was just ok. But I never really engaged with any of the characters or felt very drawn into their world. Bit of a shame.

[Aka Nagashima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Titolo: Cospirazione Caravaggio
Autore: Alex Connor
Anno: 2013

Nonostante non sia un genere di lettura che prediligo, mischiare la storia dell'arte con un caso di omicidio la reputo un'idea interessante. Fin dal principio la tensione è palpabile, in quanto non si prende in considerazione una novità, bensì un caso che si era interrotto improvvisamente con anni alle spalle.
Gil, colui che segue tutte le vicende da bravo investigatore, è un personaggio intricato ma semplice da capire, con un passato scombussolato alle spalle che lo ha lasciato un po' con l'amaro in bocca. Anche se adesso ha una nuova vita, ed in attesa di un figlio, il ricordo del passato lo tormenta a momenti alterni, rendendolo volubile.
Il caso di per sè sembrerebbe molto più intricato, in quanto segue le vicende di un gruppo di galleristi segreti, dove vi è persino invischiata la prima moglie del detective stesso.
[. . .]
Non conoscevo questa autrice finchè non ho letto la trilogia Caravaggio. Questo racconto è più datato, del 2013, e di conseguenza avrei dovuto prima leggere questo.. ma ahimè, non è andata secondo i piani.
Come ho scritto nella precedente recensione, mi piace lo stile di Alex Connor, che è semplice da seguire e capire, non annoia. L'unica cosa che, almeno qui, non mi è andata a genio sono i capitoli decisamente troppo corti, a volte non raggiungevano nemmeno una pagina intera.

[Gordon Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent thriller set in the art world. The premise is interesting: the murder of several art dealers linked to the rumoured discovery of two lost Caravaggio paintings. Gil Eckhart is brought in to investigate and things get complex early on. His quest takes him across the world, discovering painful truths about his own past.

The various characters in the book are almost universally unlikable - ruthless and hungry for money, fame or both. Its not possible to warm to any of them, even as the suspect pool is diminished with each murder. Any one of several suspects could be the killer ...

My main gripe about Connor's writing is the way he switches point of view backwards and forwards during conversations. As well as making it difficult to keep it all straight at times, it feels like he doesn't trust the reader to work out motivations and feelings from the dialogue. It also takes away some of the suspense.

[Diliyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written in typical Alex Conner fashion. There is a series of murders, a killer, and a conspiracy waiting to be solved by the main character.
While I like this formula that Alex has going on in her books I must say I enjoyed her other books more than this one. This is why while I gave the other ones a five-star rating I will give this one a four.

All the elements I expected were there however the story wasn't as clear to me as the ones in her other books. In the end, even though most of the questions a reader will have were answered I was just not that satisfied with the explanation, and I had other questions that I didn't get an answer to.

Additionally, I was a bit disappointed with the ending that was left open for another book that we probably will never get.

Overall it was a good and enjoyable book for when you want to relax and escape the world but for me, it was definitely not up to standard with her other books.

[Annemarie · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. Just no.
I didn't expect much of the book, some thriller with a nice subject, but no intelligent plot. Which is perfect now and then and I really like to read these kinds of books.
But I couldn't finish it. When someone really writes that Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is from the small town Merisi in Italy, while his name literally means 'Michelangelo Merisi, from Caravaggio', how can a reader take this rubbish seriously? Not me.
It's one of the very few books I didn't finish. And the hour I read in it, will never come back. What a pity!

[Patricia Beddoes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. Kept you guessing right to the end

Being a Dan Brown can this was an interesting read . I liked the references to the life of Caravaggio, which have good insight into the painters life

[Sourav Dutta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was hooked till the final quarter of the book, when it all fell apart. The murderer's motives are unconvincing. I am a fan of Caravaggio, and Renaissance/Baroque art in general, but there is not really much about art in this novel, more about the murky world of art dealers and collectors.

[Lola · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning of the book was so incredibly slow, it bored me to death, however, close to the end of the book, when Gil was close to finder the killer, it got kind of interesting. I did not expect that certain individual to be the killer.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2017:
A book set in two different time periods.

[KishAn Aranwela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing ! first book I read about the notorious art world.. but will be reading more from the author.. I prefer more dialogs than never ending history lessons to which you fall asleep !

[rogerjones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art intrigue at its best.

A very good whodunnit,with A few twists and turns thrown in for good measure.A thoroughly enjoyable book to read. A1.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only Alex Connor book I’ve actually liked. Gil seems a bit wet by the end and doesn’t fully live up to the hard man reputation but apart from that it’s a good book

[MaxKender · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carino, molto carino. Nulla di eclatante o di imperdibile, però la storia è carina ed appassionante. Si legge volentieri e facilmente anche se non è una pietra miliare nel panorama dei thriller.

[Jyv · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got to chapter 17 and realised I just didn't care. Some of the dialogue was like it was from a third rate movie. Luckily I had picked up the book free so I donated it elsewhere.

[Alan Barratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel about someone claiming to be a descendent of Caravaggio and having two of his missing paintings

[Rosaria Sgarlata · Rating 4 out of 5]

E' un raccapricciante omicidio quello che sveglia Londra un lunedì mattina come un altro. I proprietario della galleria d'arte, i fratelli Weir, vengono trovati morti e mutilati. Questo omicidio non è il primo, il modus operandi è identico ad un precedente omicidio avvenuto sette anni prima a Berlino. Contemporaneamente, a Berlino, Luca Meriss ha annunciato al mondo intero di essere un discendente diretto del famoso Caravaggio e della prostituta Fillide Melandroni e di sapere con certezza dove si trovano due dei quadri più famosi e più pregiato del pittore. In mezzo, Gil Eckhart. Ex investigatore che dopo gli omicidi di Berlino ha deciso di cambiare vita. Ma quando i galleristi del Circolo degli Otto iniziano a cadere come mosche, Gil è costretto a tornare nel passato per mettere fine a quella storia una volta per tutte.

Cospirazione Caravaggio è il genere di romanzo che preferisco. Un thriller storico, che ci racconta un pezzo di vita di uno dei pittori più famosi del Barocco, Caravaggio. Tutta la storia ruota intorno al personaggio e ai due quadri perduti o presunti tali. E' un thriller serrato con moltissimi personaggi che non sempre trovano il loro posto nel romanzo. Nonostante questo la trama scorre fluida, passa da un sospetto all'altro e da una situazione all'altra senza preavviso e senza dare il tempo di riprendere fiato. Ti trascina nella storia del pittore riportandoti bruscamente ai giorni nostri. Ti mette davanti a delle morti assurde e sfiora ad ogni capitolo il colpevole senza trovarlo. Fino alla fine, fino all'ultimo capitolo, con la speranza che la storia di Gil Eckhart non sia finita qui.

La storia, come detto, è avvincente. Mi ha coinvolta fin dalla prima pagina, non sono riuscita a staccarmi dal romanzo se non alla parola FINE. E anche una volta terminata la lettura son rimasta a fissare per qualche minuto lo schermo del Kindle, sperando di trovarci ancora qualcosa. Alex Connor ha saputo dosare le parole, senza affrettare la situazione. Come una matassa che si srotola poco alla volta, per non creare nodi difficili da sbrogliare. I personaggi sono superlativi, con carattere.

Inizialmente ho faticato a ricordare i nomi. Otto galleristi, i detective coinvolti, i personaggi di contorno e Luca Meriss. Ad un terzo del romanzo avevo ben chiaro chi fosse chi e chi facesse cosa. L'unico dettaglio non chiaro era chi fosse l'assassino. E se non fosse stato svelato dall'autore mai e poi mai ci sarei arrivata.

Gil, dopo la morte della moglie, si è risposato ed è in attesa di un figlio. Ha lasciato la vita da investigatore per amore della nuova moglie ma si trova coinvolto contro il suo volere. Preso l'impegno, però, si rende conto che se vuol davvero buttarsi alle spalle il passato deve trovare l'assassino e chiudere per sempre quella storia. E' l'unico personaggio chiaro fin dall'inizio. Non nasconde niente, è limpido come l'acqua. Ad essere torbidi sono tutti gli altri personaggi, a partire da Luca Meriss. E' ingenuo, spaventato da tutto e da tutti ma con un solo desiderio: essere famoso, essere riconosciuto da tutti come legittimo discendente di Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Per farlo si metterà in pericolo più di una volta e più di una volta nessuno lo prenderò sul serio.

Caravaggio non è uno dei miei pittori preferiti ma la sua arte è conosciuta in tutto il mondo. Seppur storia di fantasia non mi meraviglierei se per una sua opera non si arriverebbe ad uccidere. In fondo, si uccide per molto meno.

#2016bingoreadingchallenge

[Andrew Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable, could have been 200 pages shorter than it was. Slightly better than Dan Brown, but not by much.

[Stefan Verkerk · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.amazon.nl/Caravaggio-Cons...

why? another book in best new art books, thisnis first in three book series, sounds like great escapaist historic and now timelines about art thriller

[V.E. Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read several of Alex Connor's historical novels (authored under the name Alexandra Connor) I was interested to see that she has changed direction and is now writing thrillers set in the art world. "The Caravaggio Conspiracy" follows a bit of a winding road, in terms of storyline, that starts with the discovery of the bodies of the Weir twins, renowned art dealers, in their London gallery. Their murders were pretty gruesome, to put it mildly, and are reminiscent of killings carried out in Berlin seven years earlier. Gil Eckhart, the detective who worked on the Berlin case, is reluctantly called in and things take an unexpected turn when an alleged descendant of 17th century painter Caravaggio starts advertising on the internet that he knows the location of several paintings of his antecedent that were long thought to have disappeared. Paintings that many people are prepared to kill for. While the plot was a bit complex at times this book was quite enjoyable and I certainly came away from it much better informed on Caravaggio and the murky world of 'lost' or stolen artworks than I was before. The murders were a bit grisly for my taste but otherwise it was a solidly entertaining read.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free copy from Goodreads First Reads so many thanks to Goodreads and Quercus Books.

This thriller is set in the art world of Berlin and London. Investigator Gil Eckhart tries to solve the brutal murder of two art dealers, unravelling links to a similar murder seven years previously and to the fate of two lost paintings by Caravaggio.

This is a pacy thriller, the action shifts from one character to the next very quickly via short chapters, each with a different setting and timeframe within a single day. This keeps the momentum going, as does the switch in action between Berlin, New York, London and Palermo. The grisly detail of the catacombs in Palermo is particularly well described. There is a genuine sense of menace and suspense that keeps the reader on edge throughout.

The author obviously knows the art world very well and captures the insularity, greed and cattiness of the dealers very skilfully. Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword, as it creates a series of unpleasant and unsympathetic characters that I just could not relate to. If the characters had been more engaging, I think I would have given this 4 stars as I enjoyed the plot and will be reading more of Alex Connor's books.

[Nadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

This book had me confused and on edge throughout all of its 400+ pages! At first, I didn't like it much, I found it too brutal- but it's murders we're talking about. I was interested in it because of Caravaggio and Malta, and I loved reading what the artist went true throughout the last moments of his life- which I know were true. The chapters were short, but that was because of the crimes and suspense that there was.

The story line was very good, although it had me confused at moments. All of it was a tangled web of lies, making one having to be attentive at all times. I found all the characters shady (maybe because I watch and read Pretty Little Liars), and although I know that the Caravaggio paintings are not really going to be found, I was quite nervous for it. I actually managed to guess who the killer was, although yes, I did suspect all characters. The inclusion of everybody into the crime was very good. Out of the characters, I liked Gil and Nareesh, and perhaps Greta. I found Luca very stupid, but then again he had been mentally ill.

Well done Alex Connor! Writing about artists is very intriguing for an art lover. You know what isn't, though? Listing Wikipedia as part of the Bibliography :) that's a no-no, it shouldn't be done!

[Blog Uno Studio in Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caravaggio è uno dei più grandi pittori di tutti i tempi, che con l'uso drammatico e innovativo della luce nelle sue tele ha influenzato il mondo dell'arte e continua ancora oggi a suscitare negli spettatori grandi emozioni. Se da un lato la sua arte gli ha aperto i salotti della nobiltà e della Chiesa, il suo temperamento irascibile spesso lo spingeva a frequentare i bassifondi delle città. Amava la compagnia di delinquenti e prostitute e con molta frequenza si ritrovava coinvolto in risse sanguinose. Nel 1608 venne espulso dall'Ordine dei Cavalieri di Malta che lo hanno definito con disonore "membro fetido e putrido". Quale azione malvagia può avere commesso il pittore lombardo per avere attirato su di sè tanto disprezzo?
E' a partire da questo periodo della vita di Michelangelo da Merisi che si sviluppa "Cospirazione Caravaggio" di Alex Connor, un thriller geniale, il più bello che ho letto nel 2016, ambientato ai giorni d'oggi nel mondo dell'arte europea, dei galleristi e dei collezionisti, che viene sconvolto da una serie di atroci delitti.
Potete leggere la mia recensione completa su Blog Expres a questo link:
http://blogexpres.blogspot.it/2016/06...

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mystery set in the world of fine art. Every time I thought I had figured out who the culprit was and why, there would be another twist and turn of surprise right up to the last page. Very short chapters made it easy to read on the run. Definitely held my interest enough to want to read more by this author, and also sparked my interest in the actual art and biography of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Milan, 28 September 1571 - Porto Ercole, 18 July 1610)

About 2/3 of the way through the book it seemed to be tying some stuff up a bit too conveniently, wandered, then got back on track. There are some lose ends I was not happy about and some answers to lose ends I liked even less.

That being said, I found it an entertaining read and a reminder that circumstances (and people) are not always what we think they are.