The Forger
A Novel
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ISBN10: 0312276966
ISBN13: 9780312276966
Trade Paperback
336 Pages
$23.00
CA$24.99
On the eve of World War II, David Halifax, a young American painter, receives a scholarship to come to Paris and work under the tutelage of the mysterious Russian artist Alexander Pankratov. But as Nazi forces encroach, Halifax realizes the true purpose of his visit: to forge masterworks of the Paris museums, and with the aid of a wily art trader, barter the fakes to Hitler's legion of art dealers. What develops is a riveting cat-and-mouse game that moves through Paris's silent streets, through the tunnels beneath its museums, and eventually into the war-torn countryside of Normandy.
Reviews
Praise for The Forger
"His novels are thrilling, fast-paced, intricately plotted, and extraordinarily atmospheric . . . [He] can create a wartime sensibility in which every football on the stairs has you holding your breathe in anticipation."—Katharine Weber, The New York Times Book Review
"Eerily moving . . . Watkins has generated a complicated plot full of suspense and action . . . Exceptionally good."—Leonard Michaels, The Washington Post Book World
"A well-thought-out thriller, with lots of action and historic and geographic authenticity."—Kathleen Daley, The Star-Ledger (Newark)
"Ambitious . . . utterly gorgeous writing."—Boston Review
"Watkins writes with panache . . . The Forger is another demonstration of Watkins's old-fashioned appreciation of a tale well told."—Erica Wagner, The London Times
"Watkins has written a fine novel of character and setting, which is just as much about heroism as it is about art. Full-fleshed personalities, dramatically visual prose, and a strong narrative thrust make this novel a success."—Library Journal
"Intricately plotted . . . The Forger is a pleasure to read; smoothly written, vividly peopled, and fall of interesting details about Paris during the war."—Margot Livesey, The Times Literary Supplement (London)
"You come out of his book feeling like an art expert. And feeling like you've lived in Paris in the 1940s—Watkins is meticulous in his use of period detail, without loading the book down . . . Well and intelligently written."—David Walton, Pittsburgh Tribune
"Thoroughly researched, richly detailed . . . Watkins has put the past to good use in The Forger."—Laurence Chollet, The Record (New Jersey)
"The author writes well and convincingly, the story flows swiftly and compellingly."—The Anniston Star (Alabama)
"Watkins has mastered using details to enliven his writing and has crafted an unusual and worthy story."—Associated Press
"Watkins artfully combines literary finesse with the pleasures of intelligent thrillers . . . A high-adrenaline tale . . . Watkins is a terrific storyteller, as precise and knowledgeable as he is suspenseful and psychologically astute."—Booklist
"The best thing Watkins has yet written."—D. J. Taylor, The Guardian (London)
"Suspenseful . . . elaborate . . . While Watkins's themes are familiar, they are deftly handled, the writer's painterly eye for detail matching that of his protagonist."—Publishers Weekly
