This was quite different to many books I read. The depth of research into the art world was interesting, an area I know little about. At first, I couldn’t see how the two stories fitted together, and then all was revealed. I was a touch sceptical about some of the action and the way the story unfolded, but that is a minor quibble. This was a fun read, and I enjoyed JJ's journey.

Framed is a fun art-heist thriller that is both a tribute to the genius of Vincent van Gogh and a homage to the plucky perceptiveness of Veronica Mars.

JJ is a meek art conservator and van Gogh superfan from Sydney that finds herself swept into a sprawling international crime syndicate of stolen art, fake identities, and missing appendages.

When JJ takes a photo of her neighbour’s apartment and she spies what she thinks may be a priceless artwork or two, she begins an investigation that will ultimately lead her to reconnect with her estranged father, a detective with a deep knowledge of Sydney’s criminal underground. The plot is therefore a delightful mix of Rear Window meets The Da Vinci Code meets Underbelly, with a sprinkling of Antiques Roadshow on top.

John M Green writes with a fast pace that captivates and intrigues - even when describing tedious art restoration techniques.

Not all the characters are a delight. Some are actually quite repugnant in their villainy and I dreaded every time we returned to them. However, the protagonist JJ makes up for all that with her unique mix of charisma, neuroses, and pop culture references.

Judging from the bombshell last line of this book, I suspect this will not be the last time we hear from JJ. If that’s the case, I can’t wait.

An art heist mystery/thriller set in Sydney, Australia.

The opening page had me hooked, lifted directly from the Smithsonian magazine, an article about the great art robbery of 1990. None of the artworks were ever recovered.

Justine "JJ" Jego is an art conservator house & dog sitting for her boss in Wooloomooloo, when she spots something unusual one night in the apartments across the harbour.

Insert Veronica Mars plotline here, has JJ stumbled across a master forger or could the photos she took be of the real deal? Where are they now?

Dull in patches unless you're hugely into art, with a cliffhanger ending. The original heist is not a part of the plot except to be explained away by the novel's antagonists.

JJ was an art conservator with the Art Gallery of NSW, in Sydney. She'd been brought up knowing all about Vincent Van Gough through her father, Hugo, who was sure he was a descendant of the great artist. That was one of the reasons she'd shortened her name to JJ. When she was relaxing on a marina bound yacht belonging to her boss - she was sitting it and the boss' dog - JJ spotted a couple in an apartment across the harbour, fighting, so out came her trusty camera and she took photos and videos, thinking she could supply evidence to the police. But once the excitement had died down, and she checked her images, she was shocked to see a painting on the apartment wall which had supposedly been destroyed during WWII. "Six Sunflowers" was famous - she knew she had to find answers.

Across the ocean, Nessa Farrelly and her brother Niall had taken over the business from their father. Nessa was the brains, Niall the brawn. But their control of their "partners" was immense, and while those who partnered with Nessa and her brother didn't like it, they had no choice. It was an organised crime empire and their tentacles had wrapped tightly around those who wanted to escape and couldn't. What would happen if JJ crossed paths with these nefarious killers?

Framed by Aussie author John M. Green is based on a true story and is an art heist/crime novel which I enjoyed in part. Slow moving with a lot of description, I found it tedious in places. Other reviewers have commented on their love of art and especially Van Gough - as I'm not all that interested in the art world, I think that's why Framed didn't impact with me. But I'd suggest reading it for yourself as I'm in a minority!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an unexpected delight! Using the real stories behind some important missing paintings, like the 1990 heist of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum where 13 paintings were stolen, Framed asks what would happen if they were found. I found this to be an enjoyable & gripping page turner, and you can tell that it has been well researched. I liked the way that the three storylines were woven together - there were some reveals that had my jaw on the floor! I thought JJ was fantastic, and even when I was reading about her past with her father or her day to day life, there was something there that had me eagerly turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. This mix of the art world, shady criminal activities, and family drama & dysfunction was fantastic, and I can’t wait to read more by John M. Green.

‘From start to finish, the biggest art heist in modern history lasted just 81 minutes.’

Thirteen treasured artworks were stolen from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990 and, as reported in the Smithsonian Magazine in 2021, had never been recovered.

In Sydney, art conservator JJ Jego is housesitting her boss’s luxury harbourside apartment, when she spots a long-lost masterpiece though the window of another apartment. The painting looks like Van Gogh’s ‘Six Sunflowers’: a painting destroyed during World War II. JJ also catches glimpses of a Rembrandt, one of the paintings stolen in 1990.

Can these paintings be genuine? How, and why, are these paintings in Sydney? JJ befriends the mysterious woman who lives in the apartment, and circumstances provide her with an opportunity to investigate. But JJ is not the only person interested in these paintings and she finds herself in a dangerous situation.

Mr Green has penned a fast-moving novel which takes us to Belfast, Monte Carlo and Sydney, while introducing us to the shadowy world of organised crime, to priceless art, and to family intrigue and dysfunction. I learned more about Van Gogh and his art.

And the ending? You’ll need to read it for yourself. Suffice to say that the story ends well for some characters but not for others.

Highly recommended.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Pantera Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for
review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for review.

John M Green’s ‘Framed’ follows art conservator JJ who finds herself in the centre of a mystery spanning Belfast, Monaco and Sydney. Filled with strong, fleshed out characters and consistent rising tension, ‘Framed’ touches on the real life art heist of 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft and explores the passion of art and the price some will pay.

Green does an amazing job of bringing the reader into the art world. His descriptions of the paintings, the smells, and the feelings they evoke are vivid and stay with you. The writing style is accessible, but intelligent. Each character on the page serves a purpose and the main character, JJ, is very likeable and easy to relate to. The antagonists, and secondary characters are well-rounded and believable.

Once I started this book I could not put it down. I read it every chance I got, I needed to know what happened next. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a mystery/thriller.