Cover Image: The Last Van Gogh

The Last Van Gogh

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I love all things Van Gogh and especially enjoyed this mystery surrounding a missing Vincent Van Gogh masterpiece.

Was this review helpful?

Wow, a great mystery!

The Last Van Gogh is based on the idea that there is a missing painting out there somewhere in the world. In comes a notorious con man who claims he smuggled it into the US from France at the outbreak of World War II. Move forward two years and letters are found that supposedly confirm the painting does exist.

Well crafted characters and an enjoyable storyline make this a must-read.

Was this review helpful?

This is a very well written and plotted novel that starts out a little slowly, but builds over time. The story holds the reader's interest with action and if you like searches for “lost” treasures, this book is for you.

Was this review helpful?

I wanted to like this book, but didn’t. Predictable and clunky it was tough to get through. More backstory about the painting and less about Russian weapons might have made it a better read.

Was this review helpful?

When I first came across The Last Van Gogh on NetGalley, I was instantly interested, and had to read it. Van Gogh is one of my biggest inspirations as an artist, and I tend to read any book that I find which relates to him in any way. This book is in the ‘Mystery & Thrillers’ section on NetGalley, and thriller is usually my go to genre. The Last Van Gogh combines two of my favourite things, how could I resist?

However, after reading a few chapters, I soon realised that this wasn’t going to be the exciting, mystery/thriller I had been so looking forward to getting in to. The Last Van Gogh is by no means a bad book, but it really didn’t live up to my expectations. But, I do think I built this up way too much in my head before I started reading, due to my huge passion for Van Gogh and his work, which may have been why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had anticipated.

The whole story seemed a little uneventful. We followed the characters on their travels around Holland, France, and the US in search of the painting, but even though Adam was accompanied by an ex-assassin, and was being followed by a contracted killer, nothing major seemed to happen on these travels. It wasn’t boring to read, but I certainly wanted more action, and more excitement. The most thrilling parts in the story occurred while they were staying at home, and not out in search of the missing Van Gogh, which didn’t really make much sense to me. Surely it should have been the opposite way around? The story got a little more exciting towards the end, but by then it was a bit too late.

I will say that Will Ottinger clearly did his research on the artist. The chapters that were supposed to be from Van Gogh’s point of view were packed with historical accuracy, and it was interesting to read a fictional representation of how Van Gogh may have felt during those times in his life.

The characters were definitely a positive point for The Last Van Gogh. Ottinger did a great job of including a range of personalities, and portraying each one brilliantly in the process. There was definitely some serious stereotyping going on though… I won’t give examples, but if you do read the book, you will see exactly what I mean.

The thing I enjoyed the most about this story was trying to visualise this immense, unknown, Van Gogh masterpiece for myself, throughout the book. Much like the characters in the story, I couldn’t get the painting out of my head. I kept picturing the image, the colours, the brush strokes, and the sheer size of the piece, and imagining what it would be like to see this incredibly beautiful painting in real life.

I would like to say a big thank you to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for sending me a copy. This book wasn’t terrible, but definitely could have been better. I give The Last Van Gogh a 3/5 rating.

Was this review helpful?

A vivid description of all the greed and the urge to make money out of Art. The protagonists are struggling with the shadow of their dead father, while anyone with money and power is ready to commit any crime to satisfy his greed. Will Ottinger is a fully acknowledged writer, and the thriller is very easy to read, with its own pace, and surprises. The world will stop around you when you'll start to read the last 30 minutes of the book, nothing else will matter ... I just hope for the research of more unknown masterpieces ...

Was this review helpful?

The Last Van Gogh written by Will Ottinger is a fast paced mystery based on the premise that an unknown Van Gogh exists and the search that ensues to find it. It was a gripping and exciting book to read. I recommend it all readers of mystery novels. Thanks to Net Galley and Black Rose Writing for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?