The Collection

DeWitt Agency Files #1

by Lance Charnes

Four years ago, what Matt Friedrich learned at work put him in prison. Yesterday, it earned him a job. Tomorrow, it may kill him.

Matt learned all the angles at his old Los Angeles gallery: how to sell stolen art, how to "enhance" a painting's history, how to help buyers hide their purchases from their spouses or the IRS. He made a load of money doing it - money he poured into the lawyer who worked a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney. Matt's out on parole and hopelessly in debt with no way out...until a shadowy woman from his past recruits him to find a cache of stolen art that could be worth millions.

Now Matt's in Milan, impersonating a rich collector looking for deals. He has twenty days to track down something that may not exist for a boss who knows a lot more than she's telling. He's saddled with a tough-talking partner who may be out to screw him and up against a shady gallerist whom Matt tried to send to prison. His parole officer doesn't know he's left the U.S. Worse yet, what Matt's looking for may belong to the local branch of the Calabrian mafia.

Matt's always been good at being bad. If he's good enough now, he gets a big payday with the promise of more to come. But one slip in his cover, one wrong word from any of the sketchy characters surrounding him, could hand Matt a return trip to jail...or a long sleep in a shallow grave.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 14, 2016

About the author

I’ve been an Air Force intelligence officer, information technology manager, computer-game artist, set designer, Jeopardy! contestant, and now an emergency management specialist. I've had training in architectural rendering, terrorist incident response, and maritime archaeology, although not all at the same time. My Facebook author page (https://www.facebook.com/Lance.Charne...) features spies, archaeology, and art crime.

Reviews

[Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note, Nov. 4, 2020: I've just edited this to delete one sentence that's been rendered obsolete since the review was posted; but that doesn't change anything about the evaluation/rating of the book!

Lance Charnes and I are Goodfreads friends, having "met" (electronically) a few years ago through the Action Heroine Fans group. Some time ago, I bought a copy of his outstanding debut novel, Doha 12, and it got five stars from me. This new novel, the opener for a projected series, didn't come to me as an official review copy --instead, Lance generously donated a print copy to the library where I work-- but he knew I would read and review it, and knew my tastes well enough to be pretty sure I'd like it. Of course, we both understood that he might be wrong --but he wasn't! For much of my reading experience, I expected to rate the book four stars --a denouement and conclusion that blew me to pieces and then knit me back together easily pushed it up to five stars.

Being his Goodreads friend, I try to keep abreast of Lance's book reviews, so I know firsthand how well read he is in the whole area of the contemporary fine arts market, and particularly of its increasingly seedy underbelly. (In real life, art by big-name artists can command staggering prices, and in the last 15-20 years it's come to be a major commodity in the world of big-time international money laundering and shady commercial exchanges where cash transfers come too easily to the attention of authorities. (And a lot of art that's traded this way may be stolen, or forged.) Rich collectors with an enthusiasm for art aren't the only players any more; we're dealing with crime syndicates, corrupt and despotic governments and their officials, and billionaires looking for ways to cheat the tax authorities, and violence and murder may be aspects of normal business operations for some of these people. Lance sets this novel in that milieu, and he and his protagonist Matt Friedrich know it like the back of their hand. The author is also well-traveled; he sets his tale mostly in Europe, and principally Milan, and brings the locale to life with an assurance and level of detail which suggests he's actually been there, or researched it a LOT online.

This is crime fiction more than traditional mystery; and as in his debut novel, Lance uses the knowledge of skulduggery, weapons, and high-technology snooping gained as a military intelligence officer to good advantage. The plotting is taut (first-person, present-tense narration is used for maximum immediacy) and the pace brisk, with a steady dose of dangerous situations and life-threatening tension. Matt's crafty scheming sometimes takes the reader by surprise, and he's sometime majorly taken for surprise himself, along with the reader. Action scenes aren't frequent, but you never know when they could erupt, and when they do they're well depicted. I've used the term "thriller" for this book, and that's one I seldom use; I don't seek out books that bill themselves that way, because I think the plotting is usually so cliched and stereotyped that it fails to thrill. This one doesn't fail. I've also used the term "gritty." As described above, the moral world of this novel is a dark one where people are generally guided by the most selfish and cynical of motives, where the law is typically powerless to do much, and where innocent people are hurt as a by-product of what some of the characters routinely do. The DeWitt so-called "Agency" is a morally ambiguous enterprise that works for the highest bidder, and our narrator is an ex-con who was once involved in crooked art deals, and is now so crushed under a mountain of legal debts that he's willing to violate his parole by working for said agency if it gives him a shot at paying it down.

And yet this is a surprisingly (or perhaps not surprisingly, given the moral vision that animates the author's earlier novel) moral work of fiction, with a main character who's learned something about life and ethics from his time in prison, and who wants to become a human being that he can look in the mirror and respect. He's going to encounter challenges and decisions here that will put that resolve to the test. Both Matt and Carson (the female operative he's paired with --who provides the team's muscles and fighting skill when it's needed) are intensely vital, round, realistic characters with a credible pattern of interactions that doesn't stay static, but develops believably. Unlike some writers of this type of fiction, Lance understands that characters you care about are the only thing that can truly provide it with its heart, and he gives character development and relationships their due. There's a lot that I can't tell you because I'm determined to avoid spoilers; but I can say that this is where the book really earns its stars. (The principal supporting characters are masterfully drawn as well.)

You don't have to be familiar with the world of the contemporary art market to enjoy this book (I'm not, at all); the author explains everything you have to know, and he does it easily and smoothly, in small doses with no info-dumps. None of the discussion is detailed enough to be boring. He uses enough physical description to let you visualize scenes, but not, IMO, too much; the same with technological exposition. (At one point, I didn't really understand what one of the villains was trying to gain by his conduct; but the narrative drive carried me through without asking questions.) Matt's very sensible to feminine charms (he hasn't been out of prison very long), but there's no sex here, and actually some modeling of responsible sexual behavior, which I found quite refreshing. Violence here isn't any more frequent or graphic than it needs to be. As for bad language, not all of the characters swear, which is more realistic than some writers admit; but (also realistically) some do, including Matt, though he's more restrained than some. Carson and one of the villains have the worst mouths (including the f-word as regular vocabulary), the latter is a lowlife and sounds like it, while Carson is an ex-cop whose speaking style tends to be shaped by cop culture. (Lance has explained in a personal message that this kind of language is common in that circle --I'd guess because of affinities to military culture, from which a fair number of cops are actually recruited.) I never felt that he was trying to mainstream that kind of thing, nor push the envelope with it.

If you're any kind of fan of crime fiction thrillers in a contemporary setting, and my review intrigues you rather than turning you away, I'd say this is definitely worth your checking out.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, realistic thriller, just what I'd expect from Lance after reading a couple of his other books. This was excellent, fast-paced, & had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I'm way behind on other things because I pushed them off to read this.

I'm not an art aficionado, but I didn't have to be. The jargon & situations were well enough explained without bogging down. As usual, great characters. No perfect super men/women, although some are better than others. Murky affiliations & loyalties. Some very good sexual tension without resorting to porn.

I really like the whole setup with the DeWitt Agency. If there isn't such a thing, there should be, so it was easy to believe in. This book wraps up well, but ends with another ready to take off. I'm buying it as soon as I'm done with this!

[Mickey Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't have to be an art lover to enjoy this book which goes way beyond the pristine galleries and auction houses where the ultra rich gather. Recent news articles about art theft make this book seem almost like a nonfiction work at times, especially the recovery of a trove hoarded by an Italian mafia boss. It is quite amazing really how a work of art, often created by an impoverished artist can later be manipulated into an investment of high value, either legally, or as you will see in this novel, with varying degrees of villainy. The hero here is an interesting guy. He's had some tough reversals, mostly of his own making, and seems to have learned enough to want to avoid a repeat of the worst mistakes when he pushed the limits in his art dealings. He knows right and wrong but remains somewhat ambivalent about where one becomes the other. He's now weary of his colorless and all to "normal" life; he's just barely making a living and fondly recalls days when he did better than just okay. So he does the only thing he can think of to fix his situation, he reaches out to an old acquaintance. When she offers him work, he jumps at the chance without knowing what he's getting into. Before long, he's in Italy and armpit deep in a scheme to locate some vanished art.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like “ticking clock thrillers,” in this first-person caper, narrator Matt Friedrich faces a whole clockwork factory ticking toward deadlines, emphasis on “dead.”
If he doesn’t find certain stolen art, the women in his life will be dead at the hands of ʼNdràngheta, the Calabrian mafia, a group that makes those Sicilian guys look like amateurs. If he doesn’t find out who’s fencing stolen art, he won’t be paid the desperately needed $10,000 he’s supposed to earn for this mysterious gig. Meanwhile, he has to come up with a plausible tale and report in on time to his parole officer, who would send him back to the slammer if he knew Matt was flitting all over Europe on a venture with a growing body count.
But Matt is an engaging protagonist and you can't help but hope he finds a way out of all these dilemmas--in time!
He trained as an architect and got into trouble working for a corner-cutting Southern California art gallery. In a tense early scene, we see him pushing up the auction price of a Corot landscape with fake bids. Eventually, his shenanigans landed him in the federal Prison Camp Pensacola for 14 months. Now Matt’s out of prison, working as a barista, staying with a generous friend, and broke. Lawyer fees and restitution payments take almost everything he earns.
He reconnects with a woman he met in Geneva, Allyson DeWitt, who said she sometimes needs art experts. She’s purposefully vague about the nature of her business and the identity of her clients, but a few weeks later, a bike messenger gives Matt a package containing a flash drive, a packet of €1,100 in used bills, a well-used fake passport, and a European trip itinerary. Consumed with curiosity, lust for Allyson, and the need for cash, Matt flies to Europe and the adventure begins.
Charnes’s writing is full of Matt’s self-deprecating humor, breezy asides, and an occasional pleasing literary flourish. They cleverly elucidate Matt’s character, putting you squarely in his corner, as in: “The pressure from the fifty hundred-euro notes in my pocket eventually cuts off the blood flow to my better instincts.”
Even though he’s seriously back-footed by everything he does not know (and won't be told) about his assignment, Matt gamely plows ahead. He’s aware that stolen artworks are being used to move large amounts of dirty money, since cash has become too easy for governments to track. Allyson’s assigned him a partner named Carson, a woman short on details and temper. They make an interesting pair, as they delve into this complicated scam. Matt and Carson each have skills the other lacks, which makes for a believable partnership, even if Matt is never quite sure whether he trusts her.
Author Charnes has developed a meticulously complex, rapid-paced plot, and some of the ways the scam works are briefly difficult to follow, but you never believe for a moment that he hasn’t thought the whole thing through. The subtitle of this book is The Dewitt Agency Files #1, which sets you up for the final scene, when Matt the bike messenger reappears with an envelope containing information for his next case. Can’t wait!

[Norita]

Like me, you don't have to be an art lover to find this book engrossing. It takes you beyond the beautiful galleries and introduces you to the auction houses where the 1% gather. I’ve found the recent news articles about art theft interesting and Charnes’ book uses the excitement from those thefts to craft a great read. I had no idea how a work of art, often created by total unknown artist, can later be turned into an investment of high value. You will see in this novel, how this is accomplished either legally, or by treachery.

Matt, the hero, is an interesting guy who has had some mostly self-imposed problems. He seems to have matured enough to want to avoid repeating his worst mistakes when he pushed the limits in his art dealings. Although he seems to know right and wrong, he sometimes has trouble separating the two. Now he's just barely making a living and wants to return to a time when he did better than just getting by. In an effort to correct his situation, he reconnects with an old acquaintance, Allyson DeWitt. When offered work, he jumps at the chance without knowing what he's in for. Soon he's in Italy and deep in a scheme to locate some vanished art for a mysterious shadowed client. Matt, his “partner” Carson ( a former police officer) and their boss Allyson take you on this exciting journey.

Charnes mastery of storytelling (as evident in his earlier two books) brings to life the world in which many of the questionable ultra-wealthy launder millions of dollars and certain art dealers who help them, knowingly or not. The novel brings you close to the action. One of the best things about this book is how Matt and Carson take you into the cafes, cathedrals and bodegas of Europe. I felt as though I had actually traveled with them on this exciting adventure. This is a home run for Charnes!

[Baer Charlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was supposed to meet Lance Charnes in San Diego. The assignation was set for one in the afternoon on Friday. The weather was wonderfully agreeable, which is iffy at best, in March.
At four in the afternoon on Thursday, the authorities stepped in. The assignation was off. Due to the pandemic, the panel was cancelled, the convention was cancelled, and any chance I had to tell Lance how much I liked his The Collection, were smashed on the rocks at the bottom of the La Jolla cliffs. The only thing missing, for two mystery writers of the grittier side of life, was a tall blond silhouetted in the broken doorway with a smoking gun in her hand.
I had bought the book with a nod toward being able to converse with at least one person on the panel about their book. Lance was the moderator and obvious suspect. It didn’t hurt that the other three fell from someone’s fantasy basket and wrote vampires and other paranormal.
With over fifty-years around the art world, but on the museum and fine framing, I entered Lance’s world of Matt and Carter with more than a brushstroke of a raised eyebrow.
What I found was a couple of my kind of characters. And then, BAM it was off to Milan—one of my favorite cities outside of Florence. Lance made the streets and places familiar and welcoming. And as I settled into his smooth curve to the right.
The large truck hit from the left and I realized it was after midnight.
Note to self: Don’t start one of Lance Charnes books after dinner… or you may find yourself with ‘just one more page’ as the sun rises.
Lance’s “grit” comes from a more refined perspective that fit the world of fine art like a well-chosen frame.

[AbiOly2019]

Entertaining enough to want to read #2

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked characters and story line. Looking forward to next book in DeWitt Agency Files.