The Painted Lady

by Harriet Crawley

‘Splendid first thriller.’ DAILY EXPRESS A spate of daring thefts is plaguing the art collectors of the ‘Blond Maniac’ is targeting pictures of fair-haired ladies and the police are grappling for answers. Meanwhile, the dashingly handsome Archie Gibbs, retired from the army and tired of his grotty flat, is given a superb job opportunity by his old pal’s father. Gibbs is charged with supervising the passage of priceless paintings belonging to the Queen, on their route to an exhibition in Paris. Catastrophe strikes as the vehicle is hijacked. But curiously, it is not clear what exactly has been stolen. Archie and his lover Madeleine, the Parisian police commissioner, embark on a bold mission of discovery and recovery, finding that the only way to combat robbery and fraud is with an equal dose of trickery. The Painted Lady is racy thriller, spanning London, Paris and Tokyo. As the world of the international art market is sullied with scandal, no amount of deception or glamour can save the guilty from suspicion. Harriet Crawley, educated in France, Austria and Italy, studied history at King’s College, London and in 1969 wrote a book on European universities and revolt entitled 'A Degree of Defiance'. She has worked freelance for The Daily Mail, done some television interviewing for the BBC and London Weekend, and travelled all over the world to Bhutan, Silkin, Nepal, India, N. Africa, Turkey, Greece, W. Europe, Romania, Hungary and the US.

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great read. Archie is a security expert and is hired to oversee the transfer of paintings from London to Paris for an exhibition. Things go awry and Archie, and Madeleine from the police in Paris, hunt down those involved with surprising results. I was so engrossed as the events unfolded and the characters played their parts so well.

[Jeff Cochrane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Painted Lady

A good read. Kept my interest throughout the story. Characters were developed nicely. Good plot. Lots of action. I liked the idea of finding the painting unexpectedly and the havoc it caused. Recommended

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! I would enjoy it as a movie, the story is on the caliber of The Da Vinci code!

[Donna palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected.

I thought it was slow getting to the plot. I wanted it to be more exciting. To many technical combo gombo.

[Viola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Plot kept my attention from beginning to end. Never a dull moment. Wonderful characters true and thorough. Looking forward to more of this writer.

[Sherry A Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing, great read

An intriguing great read that kept me involved every step of the journey. Truly enjoyed reading this book. Great job!

[Mikhail Semenov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story.

I enjoyed the plot: painting robbery, investigation, undercover. The events take place in England, France and Japan. It has been quite pleasant bedtime reading.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story

I love good books about art theft. Our author clearly knows a great deal about art history.Our hero is smart and capable and the supporting characters are well drawn.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written exciting story fun to read book.

[Bill Mitchell]

Did not read book- account hacked