Our protagonist , Michael Grant, career criminal turned thriller writer has been invited to Amsterdam to sit on an Author's book panel at a major bookstore . Attacked and almost drowned aboard a party boat he is at a loss to understand why anyone would try to kill him , he hasn't done anything to warrant an attack - at least not recently
Further attacks follow and in steps an , FBI Agent , Delia Delacourt - with an ultimatum - help prevent an art heist with her or she will arrest him for previous crimes . Will he agree or will another way present itself ?
This is a fast paced thriller with plenty of touches of humour along with twist and turns at every point

I was given an arc of this book by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Touted as the third book in the David Mitre series (there is really only one previous book, so apparently counting isn’t the author’s strongpoint), An Artful Assassin in Amsterdam by bestselling author, Michael Grant, is a humorous thriller with a protagonist, David Mitre, who is a career criminal turned thriller writer. He has been invited to Amsterdam to sit on an author’s panel at Waterstone’s, the leading European bookstore. Arriving a few days early, Mitre, who considers himself a ladies man, is partying on a boat and finds himself attacked and almost drowned by an assassin. Of course, he has no idea why anyone would target him – he has been on the run and hiding out for years – and by the time he has survived several attempts at his life, an FBI agent, Delia Delacorte, gives him an ultimatum to help her prevent a gang of thieves from stealing a famous painting from the Rijksmuseum or be brought in for previous crimes. Mitre is smart, and after thinking and weighing his options, decides that he has to pull off the heist himself so that the gang of thieves can’t get at the painting.

Grant weaves his tale in a way that is easy-to-follow, and fun to read. It will keep everyone laughing, while at the same time, interested in the characters and the plot.

While the novel does contain some profanity, there is no graphic sex or violence. Most of the scenes are of the comic book variety, and while there is plenty of suspense, much of the book is humorous. Grant makes this novel fun, and while the scenarios aren’t really believable - this is fiction, after all - he can make readers laugh while they are on the edge of their seat. Having spent a fair amount of time in Amsterdam, it is evident that Grant has done his research, and the streets, people, and setting are true-to-life. It is easy to imagine Mitre and his escapades throughout the city. Grant has done a good job of developing his main characters – Mitre, Delia, and Chante (a sort of babysitter), and they are quite believable as real people.

For readers who enjoy humor with their suspense, Michael Grant is an author to watch; hopefully that third installment of the series is forthcoming, and while waiting, his previous book (A Sudden Death in Cyprus) will definitely be of interest.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

SO. David Mitre tried to go straight (sort of) and reinvented himself as a crime writer except that didn't go so well and he ended up in a whole mess of trouble (when he was originally just minding his own business) in Cyprus. The one good thing that came out of that was a relationship with FBI SA Delia Delacorte, who enlists his help in this sequel to stop a group of thieves from stealing a painting from the Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam. Oh, and he's trying to find the daughter of a fence he used to work with AND avoid someone who is out to kill him. There's some great atmospherics in Amsterdam, some chuckles and a set of clever twists. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It will be fine as a standalone btw. Grant has packed a lot into this highly entertaining crime romp- it's a page turner.

I'm partial to books set in Amsterdam (or any other Dutch town) written by foreigners. It's fun to see the places and people I know through the eyes of a stranger.

David Mirte has a few jobs to do in Amsterdam. One is to sit on a panel of writers. Another is to find the daughter of a former fence who did some time rather than rat him out. Then Delia Delacourt shows up. She needs his help to prevent that a dying and wealthy American causes some embarrassment by have a painting stolen from the Rijksmuseum. And there's this woman that is trying to kill him. That's got to stop too, for obvious reasons.

This was a fun, fast-paced and action packed narrative. And the descriptions of the Dutch are pretty accurate. Except, we don't say moo-say-um for museum. It's more like mue-say-um.

It takes a thief to catch a thief. At least that is the theory that FBI agent Delia Delacorte presents to David Mitre. David is a former thief who is now an author, currently in Amsterdam to attend a panel of authors. David’s problem is that someone is trying to kill him and he has no idea who or why. Now Delia has recruited him to prevent the theft of Vermeer’s Jewess at the Loom from the Rijksmuseum.

Chip Isaac, a dying arms merchant, believes that the painting belonged to his family before WWII. He has now hired the Ontario Crew, a group of thieves and mercenaries, to steal the painting. The Crew is aware of David’s presence in Amsterdam and they become one more threat to his life. A near hanging, a kidnapping, a stabbing, a chase through the city while being shot at and submersion in the city’s canals leave David in rough shape. He comes to life, however, as he begins to plan a way to stop the theft. It has been a while since his last heist, but as he dons disguises and gathers the equipment he needs, his skills quickly return.

In a race through the Rijksmuseum, chased by the Crew and security, Michael Grant keeps you anxiously turning pages. While he puts David in one dangerous situation after another, he also writes with a good deal of humor. David is joined by Chante, his personal assistant, who frequently expresses her disdain for her employer. David is willing to overlook this since she is also an accomplished chef. She is also willing to help, although this is more of a favor for Delia. There are appearances by new-Nazis and police who question David’s “accidents”, with surprises around every corner. This book was a pure delight to read and is highly recommended. I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for providing this book in exchange for my review.

I recieved an ARC from Netgalley.

This is an action packed novel about a thief that has to prevent other thiefs from stealing a painting from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam all the while trying to survive repeated attempts of an assassin trying to kill him in very creative and artful ways.

The main character is quite creative himself. He handles things in rather unexpected ways and does not take himself too seriously even though he is very proud of his craft.

The book is very well written and while entertaining me it also took me on a trip to Amsterdam and made me feel like I experienced the entire story as a spectator.

In the early stages of An Artful Assassin in Amsterdam, i was not so impressed. Sure, the attempted murder in the canal had its appeal, but the protagonist was not easy to like. For that matter, the FBI agent, Delia, and the personal assistant Chante, especially Chante, were leaving me cold.. David Mitre, also our narrator, was too snarky for me. But I kept on reading and when the novel reached its apex, I was all in. Author Michael Grant had kept me intrigued enough to get there, and I am happy about that because he wrapped things up in spectacular style with the the theft of the Vermeer painting in plain sight of anyone watching. The escape was great reading too.
So, thanks NetGalley, and Severn House, for the ARC.