This should be the cushiest job Alix London's ever had.
The second Alix London mystery finds the art restorer in a world
brimming with idle luxury, spectacular locations, and deadly intrigue.
Surrounded by art and wealth and the sun-drenched Greek isles, she's
aboard a sumptuous mega-yacht with no responsibilities save the
occasional lecture to the guests of her temporary employer, Panos
Papadakis, one of the world's richest men. But there's a catch:
Papadakis has long been suspected of being at the center of a
multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme and Alix is actually there as an
undercover operative of FBI special agent Ted Ellesworth, a member of
the Bureau's Art Crime Team. They hope Alix can gather the inside
information they need to finally put the cagey Papadakis away.
Alix's exposure to the enormous wealth of high-end collectors and the
shadier aspects of the art trade--the avarice, naked greed, and
ingenious scams--somehow brings her closer to her charming, "reformed"
rogue of a father, and helps crystalize in her own mind just where she
fits into the mix.
Moguls, murders, a forged Manet, and the Albanian mafia all play a role
and send this pleasure cruise into brutally dangerous waters.
Set on the Aegean--Homer's fabled "wine-dark sea"--with stops at
enchanted islands where ancient legends still live, A Cruise to Die
For delivers a witty blend of suspense and mystery, as well as an
insider's take on the contemporary art world and its eccentric
characters. It's all served up with the style and sophistication with
which Charlotte and Aaron Elkins have rewarded mystery readers for the
past 30 years.
