‘An engaging insight into art, obsession and 20th century history… An entertaining, picaresque thriller which will reward many a reader.’ Thomas Waugh.
London, 1964.
The artist Sam Gaskell, womaniser and drunk, but not without charm or fame, looks back on his life during a BBC radio interview.
Relived memories include the murder of his father by his mother and her lover, his schoolboy infatuation with art before the First World War, friendships forged in the trenches with the likes of Hemingway, his rivalry with Picasso, and his unintentional killing of the German artist, Franz Marc.
Art school follows, along with mistresses, his first marriage – and the creation of his first major painting, which he parts with before he realises that it isn't, in his mind, finished.
This starts a quest to retrieve the lost masterwork, in the course of which Gaskell will stop at nothing. The artist becomes obsessed.
Meanwhile, his wife conducts an unexpected affair – and that's not the least of his worries, as his memory merges with real life.
Anton Gill’s notable credits include The Journey Back From Hell (conversations with concentration camp survivors), A Dance Between Flames (cultural history of Berlin between the Wars) and An Honourable Defeat (a history of the German resistance). He is also the author of three detective novels set in Ancient Egypt. Anton Gill lives in London.
Praise for Anton Gill:
‘Immensely informative and readable...Gill fills in the political history of Berlin between the wars with brilliantly evocative passages describing the cultural scene in theatre, opera, cinema, architecture, cafés and clubs.’ Stephen Spender in The Times. (The Journey Back from Hell)
'Resounds with authenticity ... a wonderful tale.' Charles Spencer, Mail on Sunday. (The Great Escape)
'Both a gripping thriller and a warning from history.' Richard Foreman. (Into Darkness)
Genre: Mystery
London, 1964.
The artist Sam Gaskell, womaniser and drunk, but not without charm or fame, looks back on his life during a BBC radio interview.
Relived memories include the murder of his father by his mother and her lover, his schoolboy infatuation with art before the First World War, friendships forged in the trenches with the likes of Hemingway, his rivalry with Picasso, and his unintentional killing of the German artist, Franz Marc.
Art school follows, along with mistresses, his first marriage – and the creation of his first major painting, which he parts with before he realises that it isn't, in his mind, finished.
This starts a quest to retrieve the lost masterwork, in the course of which Gaskell will stop at nothing. The artist becomes obsessed.
Meanwhile, his wife conducts an unexpected affair – and that's not the least of his worries, as his memory merges with real life.
Anton Gill’s notable credits include The Journey Back From Hell (conversations with concentration camp survivors), A Dance Between Flames (cultural history of Berlin between the Wars) and An Honourable Defeat (a history of the German resistance). He is also the author of three detective novels set in Ancient Egypt. Anton Gill lives in London.
Praise for Anton Gill:
‘Immensely informative and readable...Gill fills in the political history of Berlin between the wars with brilliantly evocative passages describing the cultural scene in theatre, opera, cinema, architecture, cafés and clubs.’ Stephen Spender in The Times. (The Journey Back from Hell)
'Resounds with authenticity ... a wonderful tale.' Charles Spencer, Mail on Sunday. (The Great Escape)
'Both a gripping thriller and a warning from history.' Richard Foreman. (Into Darkness)
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"An engaging insight into art, obsession and 20th century history...An entertaining, picaresque thriller which will reward many a reader." - Thomas Waugh
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Used availability for Anton Gill's Artistic Licence