The Modigliani Scandal

The Modigliani Scandal is a high-speed, high-stakes thriller of heists and forgeries from Ken Follett, the bestselling author of The Pillars of the Earth. A Priceless Artwork When art historian Dee Sleign hears of a lost painting by Amedeo Modigliani, one of the greatest artists to have ever lived, she becomes determined to reclaim it so it can be viewed by the world. A Desperate Race However there are others who also want to claim it for their own corrupt motives; Dee’s Uncle Charles Lampeth, for whom art is a commodity to be traded; Julian Black, the penniless owner of an art gallery; and Peter Usher, a struggling artist who spies an opportunity to get revenge against those in the art world who have unfairly wronged him. A Deadly Victory So begins an epic chase around Europe, from the streets of London to the Italian countryside, in an effort to claim one of the great lost artworks of the twentieth century. A dangerous hunt that could have deadly consequences for all involved.

Ken Follett wrote his first international bestseller, Eye of the Needle, when he was 25 years old. He has since been one of the most consistent international best-selling authors, with approximately 130 million copies of his books sold worldwide. His manifold influences on the thriller genre includes the pioneering use of strong female characters in espionage stories and the development of the historical thriller as a new form of novel, exemplified by Winter of the World (2012). This book is an investigation of Follett's development as an author, and of the craft of writing and the negotiation of serious versus popular literary value, from his earliest short stories and screenplays through his mature thrillers and entertainment fiction. Unpublished materials are also considered, including his notes, business and personal correspondence, unpublished drafts, journal entries and outlines. Follett's dramatic shift to writing historical fiction may be his most enduring legacy.

"Nearly eighty years after he left his home never to return, all of Italy (and the international art world) was stunned in the early 1980s by the discovery of Amadeo Modigliani's "African" heads in a canal in Livorno. Modigliani's rejection of his early pieces (as well as his home town) is a part of the legend of this great artist. The dumping of his sculptures was seen as an act of disgust and rejection as well as a break with his Italian provincial past and the beginning of his Parisian sojourn and world fame." "Jon Kite's witty, withering dissection of the ensuing opera-bouffe and the puncturing of egos, reputations, careers and lives is the subject of this thoroughly engaging, offbeat look at the Italian psyche through the prism of dark humor. Italy was shaken by the artistic and, yes, political implications of the fraud. Modigliani, of Jewish origins and socialist leanings, was considered a "red" artist and virtually a secular saint and icon. The perpetrators were right wing students and a neo-anarchist. The political and social earthquakes of the late 80s and early 90s on the peninsula can be traced to this bizarre incident and the media frenzy and public ridicule of the establishment surrounding it."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Eye of the Needle, Ken Follett's historical thriller, is a heart-racingly exciting tale about the fate of the war resting in the hands of a master spy, his opponent and one brave woman. Victory Hangs in the Balance 1944. In the weeks leading up to D-Day the Allies are disguising their invasion plans with elaborate decoy ships and planes. If they can land a force on mainland Europe they will gain the upper hand in a war that has ravaged the world for years, and take the fight to the Nazi menace. A Cold-Blooded Killer His weapon is the stiletto, his codename: The Needle. He is Hitler’s prize undercover agent – a ruthless and professional murderer. In England he uncovers the Allies’ D-Day plans but his cover is blown in the process. A Deadly Chase Leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, The Needle ruthlessly races to a U-boat waiting to convey him and his critical message to Germany, with MI5 on his tail. But he hasn’t planned for a storm-battered island and the remarkable young woman who lives there . . .