imamandajulius's review
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
See here for entire review.
Hoppe’s novel is a highly-detailed and outlined story about reformed art thief, Tyler Sears. Even though Sears says that he will never steal again, a wealthy business tycoon blackmails Sears into stealing some high-profile paintings. What follows is an interesting story about art, loyalty, and doing what you must to survive.
The book could’ve used some editing to eliminate redundancies, but the plot is engaging and I enjoy the level of detail that Hoppe goes into when describing how the protagonist sets up for and carries out the heist.
The female characters are not very well-rounded, but the touching B storyline with the protagonist’s brother almost makes up for it. I would highly recommend this book to others who love thrillers or heist novels.
See here for entire review.
Hoppe’s novel is a highly-detailed and outlined story about reformed art thief, Tyler Sears. Even though Sears says that he will never steal again, a wealthy business tycoon blackmails Sears into stealing some high-profile paintings. What follows is an interesting story about art, loyalty, and doing what you must to survive.
The book could’ve used some editing to eliminate redundancies, but the plot is engaging and I enjoy the level of detail that Hoppe goes into when describing how the protagonist sets up for and carries out the heist.
The female characters are not very well-rounded, but the touching B storyline with the protagonist’s brother almost makes up for it. I would highly recommend this book to others who love thrillers or heist novels.
abookishaffair's review
3.0
In "The Curse of Van Gogh," Tyler has just gotten out of prison. He isn't sure that he ever wants to go back but he gets an offer that he can't refuse and it involves stealing major pieces of art from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. He knows that it is a high-stakes game but he doesn't think he can say no without bringing harm to him or his family.
I was drawn to this book because of the setting (I absolutely love reading about my beloved hometown of Washington, D.C.) and because I am an art lover. I don't read a lot of mysteries or thrillers but this one piqued my interest because it seemed to have something a little bit more to it, which I ended up really appreciating.
The storyline was definitely interesting to me and I enjoyed it. There were some parts that were really unrealistic to me though and I really had a difficult time getting over them. First off, Tyler has just gotten out of prison and he really doesn't want to go back there because of his girlfriend, his best friend, and his brother who he all feels responsible for in various ways. My logical mind says that he probably would not want to get involved with the heist because of that. Tyler is also able to move very freely around the entire country, no questions asked, which did not fit with him just having gotten out of prison! The suspension of disbelief here was really a little difficult for me!
I did like the excitement of the story though. Hoppe gives the book lots of little twists and turns in order to keep the reader engaged, which I really liked! Overall, this book was a mixed bag for me. I think some of the book could have been tightened up somewhat.
I was drawn to this book because of the setting (I absolutely love reading about my beloved hometown of Washington, D.C.) and because I am an art lover. I don't read a lot of mysteries or thrillers but this one piqued my interest because it seemed to have something a little bit more to it, which I ended up really appreciating.
The storyline was definitely interesting to me and I enjoyed it. There were some parts that were really unrealistic to me though and I really had a difficult time getting over them. First off, Tyler has just gotten out of prison and he really doesn't want to go back there because of his girlfriend, his best friend, and his brother who he all feels responsible for in various ways. My logical mind says that he probably would not want to get involved with the heist because of that. Tyler is also able to move very freely around the entire country, no questions asked, which did not fit with him just having gotten out of prison! The suspension of disbelief here was really a little difficult for me!
I did like the excitement of the story though. Hoppe gives the book lots of little twists and turns in order to keep the reader engaged, which I really liked! Overall, this book was a mixed bag for me. I think some of the book could have been tightened up somewhat.
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