ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S BEST BOOKS OF SUMMER!
"Unstoppable what-happens-next momentum."—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author "A deliciously tense read."—Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author
From award-winning crime writer and celebrated artist Jonathan Santlofer comes an enthralling tale about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, the forgeries that appeared in its wake, and the present-day underbelly of the art world.
August, 1911: The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincent Peruggia. Exactly what happens in the two years before its recovery is a mystery. Many replicas of the Mona Lisa exist, and more than one historian has wondered if the painting now returned to the Louvre is a fake, switched in 1911.
Present day: Art professor Luke Perrone digs for the truth behind his most famous ancestor: Peruggia. His search attracts an Interpol detective with something to prove and an unfamiliar but curiously helpful woman. Soon, Luke tumbles deep into the world of art and forgery, a land of obsession and danger.
The Last Mona Lisa is a suspenseful and seductive tale, perfect for fans of the Netflix documentaries This Is A Robbery and Made You Look and readers obsessed with the world of art heists and forgeries.
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"Edoardo Ballerini's fast-paced narration amplifies the suspense in this fictionalized mystery about the very real controversy surrounding the authenticity of Leonardo da Vinci's MONA LISA.… Ballerini provides authentic voices and accents for the various Italians who aid Luke's research and switches to tough-guy New Yorker for Luke and the Interpol agent who is following him. Ballerini clearly distinguishes a cast of characters that include a dangerous hit man working for a collector of stolen art and a mysterious American woman who seduces Luke."
— AudioFile Magazine
“Unstoppable what-happens-next momentum."
— Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author“A deliciously tense read."
— Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author“Edoardo Ballerini’s fast-paced narration amplifies the suspense in this fictionalized mystery…Ballerini provides authentic voices and accents for the various Italians who aid Luke’s research and switches to tough-guy New Yorker for Luke and the Interpol agent who is following him. Ballerini clearly distinguishes a cast of characters.”
— AudioFile“Suspenseful, lush with Florence’s glorious art and architecture, sexy, and emotionally complex.”
— Booklist (starred review)“Details of Florence, Paris, and New York City enhance the twisty plot, as does the insider view of the underground world of art collectors.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Ballerini's smooth voice and lyrical use of linguistics transport the listener to Italy and France as he portrays the suspenseful search to uncover the secrets behind the world-famous smile.… Listeners will find themselves drawn into the intrigue in an attempt to solve this startling whodunit thriller.
— BooklistOh, what a web Jonathan Santlofer weaves in this un-put-downable book! THE LAST MONA LISA brings together past and present, seasons it with intriguing characters, and brushes it with plot twists that you don't see coming to create an unstoppable what-happens-next momentum. Santlofer has outdone himself this time.
— Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller seriesA deliciously tense read that mixes a present day hunt for the truth with a real-life historical heist to page-turning effect!
— Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One By OneIt's hard to imagine another writer who could pull off a feat like The Last Mona Lisa, with its combination of thrills, history, and insider knowledge of the art world. A singular achievement by a terrific writer. Really stunning.
— Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling authorAstonishingly, Jonathan Santlofer is a brilliant writer of fiction and nonfiction—and a superb visual artist as well. All his skills come together in The Last Mona Lisa, and the result is wholly satisfying.
— Lawrence Block, bestselling author of more than 50 novels, including Eight Million Ways to Die and A Walk Among the TombstonesFrom its seductive first pages, The Last Mona Lisa carries us along on an utterly irresistible time-jumping, continent-leaping tale of intrigue and family secrets, obsession and the ineffable power of art itself. I could not put it down.
— Megan Abbott, bestselling and award-winning author of Give Me Your Hand and The TurnoutThis is a terrific read - compelling, intelligent, fascinating and deeply satisfying. It was a book I did not want to end.
— Peter James, #1 bestselling crime thriller authorFabulous—instantly immersive, intriguing and suspenseful, and expert and authentic too ... only a writer who is also an artist—or an artist who is also a writer—could have pulled it off. This feels like the thriller Santlofer was born to write.
— Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher seriesA riveting novel, weaving the real-life 1911 theft of Leonardo's masterpiece into a nail-biting contemporary drama where billionaire collectors, art historians, book collectors and Interpol engage in so many double and triple crosses you're left wondering until the last page whom to trust and whom to fear. The Last Mona Lisa is like a master class in how to create a deep understanding of art history while making a seamless thriller.
— Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of the V.I, Warshawski seriesTHE LAST MONA LISA is a pacy, seductive international thriller of the first order. With its seamless blend of action, intriguing maze of family secrets, and the gripping, emotional journal entries of a long-dead art thief, this is a transporting novel, made all the more captivating because of the true story at its heart. Don't miss it!
— Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45A sleek and cunning book.
— The Brooklyn RailSuspenseful, lush with Florence's glorious art and architecture, sexy, and emotionally complex, Santlofer's multifaceted tale of how a passion for art can turn criminal contrasts the genuine with the fake and asks if beauty and love can truly be transcendent.
— Booklist, STARRED ReviewDetails of Florence, Paris, and New York City enhance the twisty plot, as does the insider view of the underground world of art collectors driven by deception, ego, and greed.
— Publishers Weekly, STARRED ReviewSantlofer crafts a layered and absorbing art mystery, complete with exciting action scenes and beautiful descriptions of the city of Florence and its art as well as Paris and Nice....a must for fans of Dan Brown.
— Kirkus ReviewsBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Jonathan Santlofer is a writer and artist. His debut novel, The Death Artist, was an international bestseller. His fourth novel, Anatomy of Fear, won the Nero Award for best novel of 2009. His short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. His paintings and drawings are included in collections at Metropolitan Museum of Art, Newark Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, and more. He is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts grants, and he serves on the board of Yaddo, the oldest arts community in the United States.
Edoardo Ballerini, an American actor, director, film producer, and multiaward–winning narrator. He has won several Audie Awards for best narration, including for 2019’s Best Male Narrator of the Year. He was named by Booklist as winner of their 2023 Voice of Choice Award, and was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, from classics to modern masters, from bestsellers to the inspirational, from Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners to spine-tingling series, and much more. In television and film, he is best known for his roles in A Murder at the End of the World, The Sopranos, 24, I Shot Andy Warhol, Dinner Rush, and Romeo Must Die. He is also trained in theater and continues to do much work on stage.