While I generally enjoy mysteries, I was drawn to this one because of its intersection with one of my other great interests--art. The art aspect of the book was very interesting and added a special something. But like other readers, I did not settle into this book as much as I would have liked.

A fun if improbable alternate history of the Gardner Museum heist investigation.

In this reimagining of the aftermath of the biggest art heist in modern history, the author creates a fictional solve of the unsolved in reality crime via a grieving gallery owner who takes on the reacquisition of the stolen art work as her personal mission.

Though this was a fun approach to the topic, it suffers in terms of plot from the same issue that many based on a real life unsolved mystery books do: Is it really satisfying to those interested in the subject to see the crime faux-solved when it hasn’t been and isn’t likely to be solved in reality? And how much of reality do you have to bend in the plot to render it solveable? That but creates some authenticity issues that are sure to rankle those who followed the case closely.

Portia’s role in particular feels absurd. Might the FBI consult with a local gallery owner with good insight on the topic? Sure, why not. Would they be happy to use that person’s professional connections to help solve the case? Of course. But would they send an untrained civilian not just “into the field” but undercover on a steal mission that requires her to meet with cartel kingpins? Uhhh no. It’s a fun idea but it’s patently ridiculous.

Further, that this or something like it is even what happened to the paintings at all doesn’t really jive with what we do know about the heist. And don’t even get me started on where the art was hidden and how easy it was to discover and access (rolls eyes).

Still, it’s a fun and well-paced story if you’re into, um, let’s call it the Art Adventure genre. And the aspect of the book that is purely a love letter to the Gardner (which, like Portia, is my favorite museum in the world) is a joy to experience.

The premise of this novel was intriguing and the author's own background in the art world was undoubtedly a strength, but this book never came together for me. The writing style felt continually stiff and overly factual in a way that never felt natural; Portia as a character felt continually distant to me as a reader. This was also a problem for me in a lot of the more descriptive narration as, for example, Portia is not reminded of Michael Corleone, she is reminded that "in the Godfather, Michael Corleone, the American Mafia son who graduated from Dartmouth, had been awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery in WWII. Later in life he took over his father's nefarious business, and became a ruthless killer." Surely it is ok to simply allude to one of the most famous characters in American cinematic history; frankly, I would be fine if she mentioned someone far less known. Surely it is ok to let people Google things.

Possibly as a result of my disconnect with the writing style, a lot of the character work felt very inscrutable to me. Portia has a lot going on - transforming from civilian to FBI agent, unhappy husband, attractive new guy, the loss of her brother - and I'm not sure that these threads were carried throughout the book. The brother one in particular seemed to disappear when she was in Colombia, which is odd because he is one of the main reasons she's so obsessed with getting the paintings back. At the end of the book we get a sudden resolution to the husband/new guy dilemma that I'm not sure feels very earned given that she mostly hasn't been doing anything about it. Portia also finishes the story by resolving to continue working with the FBI, which fell rather against my expectations given she'd spent the past few chapters angsting about the work and how much she wanted to get back to her family. Overall I found this a clunky experience, but I did finish it and it introduced me to a few cool new art facts and faces, which is nice. Thank you to NetGalley and Cavan Bridge Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First, thank you to both NetGalley and Cavan Bridge Press for providing me an advance copy of Carol Orange’s debut novel, A Discerning Eye.

While this novel was written by a veteran of the art world and contained many interesting facts about art history and the works discussed throughout, the novel itself unfortunately did not do it for me. While the first chapter or so definitely peaked my curiosity, I was disappointed to see that neither the characters nor the dialogue improved or became anymore vibrant or three dimensional. I felt like there was so much potential to build multi-faceted characters due to the interesting subject matter, but I felt personally that they remained a little flat. Additionally, I felt that the story line was rushed and not as well fleshed out. Portia, our main character, becomes involved with the investigation to recover some major art works but her inclusion in the team felt hasty and unbelievable. While the author clearly did a lot of research on the art side, there seemed to be little research done on FBI/Law Force procedure etc. which hurt the believability of the novel for me.

In all I certainly learned some things about art and was introduced to an interesting event that did actually shake the art world (that's right, these works were actually stolen from the Gardner Museum), however, the novel itself was, in my opinion, predictable and a little bit underwhelming!

Although the robbery at the Isabella Stewart Garden Museum in Boston was a real event and the stolen artworks have never been found, I thought this book made many false assumptions about the theft., I did not like the lead character, I don't know how she wound up chasing a cartel in Medellin and how that related to the theft. I did not get that far into the book. I thought there was potential when I first started reading, but the character was so obnoxious I could not finish.

Books that weave art history and mystery together are right up my alley. This was a lovely book, well written with an intelligent main character. Portia is married, a mother, and an art gallery owner. She is also grieving her brother's unfortunate death. When the Gardner Museum is robbed, Portia believes she can find insight into the thief by looking at the specific works they stole. She then becomes involved in the hunt for the missing paintings. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but if enjoy fiction that spins an artsy mystery with a real life heist then this book is a good pick.

The 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum Heist remains the single largest property theft in the world. In 81 minutes, thieves removed 13 works from the Museum valued at over $500 million. The crime remains unsolved today, and the Museum continues to offer a $10 million reward for information leading to the direct recovery of these works of art.
Carol Orange, author, has worked in the art world for 20 years, and was an art dealer in Boston. She deftly spins a tale of Art Dealer Portia Malatesta working with the FBI to try to solve this mystery and recover the 13 pieces of art she is personally devastated to miss. She profiles the thief and becomes part of a high-stakes sting operation that involves the Mafia, drug lords and the complicated underworld of Medellin.
A Discerning Eye is a great read with a tantalizing build. The combination of a heist that took place in my life time at a museum I have visited and Orange’s clever imagining of a solution kept me engaged and curious. Orange’s expertise in the art world, and her meticulous research create a fast-paced read. Portia’s home life and her flirtation add some zest to the story, making it even more believable. Fans of historical fiction, unsolved mysteries and the art world will want to add A Discerning Eye to their TBR stacks.
Thank you NetGalley and Smith Publicity for the ARC of A Discerning Eye. It was a delicious read!

First, thank you to both NetGalley and Cavan Bridge Press for providing me an advance copy of Carol Orange’s debut novel, A Discerning Eye.

Having been led astray by many alleged art heist blurbs, I researched the author first and discovered that she is indeed a veteran of the art world. That being said, it does help if you have an art history background, or at the very least, enjoy learning about art if you are debating whether to read this book. I happen to fall into the latter category. Most of what I know about the art world, which admittedly is not much, I have learned from reading fiction novels written by authors who are well-versed in the subject.

Why so much discussion about art? Well, the first chapter refers to a smattering of paintings that I had to look up to get a feel for what the characters were discussing. Not sure whether it is because I have an early edition, but it seemed as if the book required editing right from the start. The pacing is a bit off, the dialogue is flat, and some paragraphs need to be rearranged. Also, while I am someone who tends to like lots of description and flowery imagery, even I thought that some sentences were too wordy.

The reason I continued reading was because there was enough meat (e.g., small quips, interesting facts, adequate description) in that first chapter to intrigue the reader, which is how I’m guessing the work got published.

Having discussed the novel’s technical issues, the story opens in 1989, and by chapter two, the reader will notice that every chapter begins with the date of the current setting and a patent title that alludes to precisely what will occur in that chapter. Personally, I prefer clever headings, as opposed to “The Day After.” But, alas, I am not the author. Moving on…

This book simply did not work for me. The dialogue never became more vibrant and I really didn’t care for any of the characters, despite the fact that there were many of them. Although the subject matter and art history provided throughout the novel was definitely interesting, it read more like a nonfiction work than a fictional telling of an art heist and I managed to finish two other books before I could finally slog through this one.

I think the story could have used a bit more polishing and better developed characters (aka quality vs. quantity). Overall, solid first effort, but needs some serious improvements and a keen editor. Although this novel did not work for me, I am curious to see what the author comes out with next. She definitely is onto something, but I am uncertain as to whether it is all adjectives and fluff, or someone needs to be more diligent when reviewing her work.

If you are interested in art and art history read it, but if you are simply looking for a crime thriller, keep searching.

Art heist, FBI, scandal, drug lords, affairs, the mafia.... the list goes on! When a seemingly unrelated combination of paintings are heisted from a reputable Boston art museum, smaller-scale dealer Portia Malatesta might be the only hope of recovering them.

To be very candid, they had me in the first half.

Early on, when we met Portia and her family, we learned about her gallery, her background, her cunning and her penchant for spotting a masterpiece, I was hooked! Witnessing Portia in her Bostonian element and watching her piece together a mystery was captivating! At times a few turns of phrase seemed overly-explanatory, gilding the lily a bit, but it was easy to forgive because the content was spectacular!

However, as the book progresses, there is a significant shift -- most obviously in location, among other things -- and things just became less enticing. The last half of the book was incredibly slow, for me, and didn't quite live up to the exposition. The dialogue continues to be overly descriptive, tending frequently to serve more as information to the reader, rather than an interaction between two characters or even a balance of both components.

Notably, it becomes, at times, challenging to root for our protagonists. We're introduced to Portia, her husband Stansky, her best friend Margot, etc. in very distinct ways, yet many of these characters' actions and thoughts betray their initially established archetypes. For example, after having introduced Stansky as a trusted, supportive, and equal mate, he, confusingly, becomes very unlikeable at the drop of a hat; this seems to happen only to set up Portia's wavering affections as forgivable, but both of these elements came pretty much out of left field.

There is a lot of good in here, most specifically in the course the mystery takes from beginning to end. The heist's trajectory itself is fascinating and well plotted, but the detail and fleshing out of the story's main conceit leaves a little to be desired. Giving this one a 2.5/5.

This is a most intriguing mystery/thriller, using a real life art theft at a famous Boston art museum as the premise. Art lovers will thoroughly enjoy this story, which gives an authentic look into the world of fine art museums, galleries, artists, and high-stakes collecting, as well as art theft. Mystery lovers will enjoy the slow suspense, well drawn characters, and interplay of art and heist. The author brings in plenty true detail about the crime - the puzzling selection of art works stolen, the circumstances of the theft, and FBI suspicion of the Boston mafia's involvement.
I remember the shocking 1990 art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It is considered the largest art heist in the world and remains unsolved. This novel is a brilliant addition to the growing collection of interesting ideas on what could have happened. The true-life mystery persists, and the museum, to this day, has an entire page dedicated to the theft, with pictures of the stolen works, and a reward for their return.

I wish I could say I liked this book, as the story itself about stolen artwork was very interesting. The author seems to know a lot about art and I think she did a lot of research on the stolen artwork. The telling of the story was what I had a problem with. It was talky, unrealistic and very slow paced at times. There were a lot of unnecessary details and unnecessary characters. The main character, Portia Malatesta, was very knowledgeable about art but she was a real dingbat about her personal life - do I like this guy, or my husband or this guy or that guy???? This novel had a very cut an paste type of structure to me. It kind of drove me nuts.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In this book based around the Famous Art Theft from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston on 18th March 1990,the Author Carol Orange hooks & captures you from start to finish . Although the later left me with more questions especially about several of the stories main characters which includes Portia Malatesta the Art Dealer who while dealing with a very personal tragedy the suicide of the younger brother Antonia , with who she sat & shared many discussions with in front of & about the hidden depth of Dark & Light in Vermeer's The Concert , which ends up also being one of the stolen paintings. Her research about the various stolen Paintings made me google them & look at them again as some I hadn't seen since studying Art at both School & College.Portia draws on her own views about several of the stolen paintings to build a picture of the Thief who has stolen these works purely for his own gratification even though it will end with his wife Maria Alfonso & their children Toto & Diana in grave danger.. When Portia helps the FBI by going to Medellin , capital of the mountainous province of Antioquia in Colombia. Portia has worked in this City earlier in her life & speaks Spanish , plus she has contacts one the most important being a fellow Gallery owner the elegant Colombine Munoz, & it's through her contacts she finds out where the stolen Paintings are. I would highly recommend this book to other readers on so many different levels ,even though it left me hungry for more information on some of it's characters. So it is worth every one of the Five Stars I have given it.

Portia is on her way to Antonio. Portia is thirty seven years old. I liked Antonios and Portia's connection. I liked the characters.

Being from the Boston area and familiar with the Isabella Gardner museum I enjoyed having that as part of the plot of the book. The book focuses on when a painting goes missing from the museum. I wish I was more knowledgeable of the art world because I would have appreciate the book a lot more but i still enjoyed the. book.