Narrated by Kale Williams
Josh Lanyon’s The Art of Murder series has an overarching plotline and the central romance evolves over the course of the books, so it’s advisable to listen to them in order to so as to fully appreciate the progression of both. It also means there will be spoilers for the other titles in this review of The Monuments Men Murders, (book four), so proceed with caution if you haven’t yet read or listened to them.
In book one of the series, The Mermaid Murders, Special Agent Jason West of the FBI Art Crimes Team was temporarily partnered with Senior Special Agent Sam Kennedy – chief of the Behavioural Analysis Unit and something of a legend in the bureau – to work the case of a missing girl. The pair didn’t hit it off, Kennedy plainly unhappy at being partnered up at all, let alone with an art crimes specialist, Jason irritated and angry at Kennedy’s high-handed arrogance. Over the course of the book, the pair began to appreciate each other’s skills and to like each other – and even when they didn’t, they shared an undeniable and intense chemistry that led to a couple of passionate hook-ups. The book ended with their agreeing to get together again when they could which, given their jobs are in distant parts of the country, they knew was unlikely to be often. In the books since, they’ve fallen in love and are pursuing a long-distance relationship, which isn’t easy for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that Sam has always been something of a lone wolf; at forty-six he’s at the pinnacle of his career and is – and always has been – utterly dedicated to his job to the exclusion of pretty much all else. Falling for Jason has upset his carefully maintained balance, and he’s found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that he’s finally found something – someone – who means as much, if not more, to him as his job. Jason understands Sam’s commitment, and in fact shares it; he’s every bit as dedicated to his job as Sam is to his, and just as much in love, but he knows he’ll never really come first with Sam and seems continually waiting for him to call a halt to… whatever this thing is between them.
The Monuments Men Murders opens a few months after the previous book (The Magician Murders), in which Jason was the victim of an abduction attempt. The perpetrator hasn’t been found, but Jason and Sam’s prime suspect is Dr. Jeremy Kyser, a psychiatrist who was a witness in the case Jason and Sam worked in book one. For the past year, Kyser has been sending Jason a series of increasingly troubling messages, and has been effectively stalking him for months. Kyser’s alibi for the time of the attack on Jason was shown to have been falsified, but with no real evidence to go on, it’s impossible to prove his involvement. Jason has recovered from the injuries he sustained when he made his escape and is back at work, but isn’t doing so well. He’s begun having nightmares, is drinking too much and not eating; the stress of not knowing when, where or even whether Kyser will make another move is taking its toll on him.
By a very lucky coincidence, Jason’s current case takes him to Bozwin, Montana – which is where Sam is also headed in order to help the local FBI team finalise some details of a court case. They haven’t seen each other for several weeks and both are looking forward to spending some time together over the few days they’ll be in the same place. Jason is in town to meet with Hans de Haan, a Dutch investigator who is working to track down a number of valuable pieces of art which were stolen by the Nazis during WWII and then disappeared. As part of that investigation, Jason is to interview rancher Bert Thompson, the nephew of the man suspected of having stolen a number of priceless treasures while he was working with the MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts and Antiquities) program – otherwise known as the Monuments Men – in 1945. De Haan is particularly interested in a painting by Vermeer which he wants returned to the Dutch government, but the Thompson family is cagey and uncooperative; having had the artwork in the family for eighty-odd years, they regard it as theirs. They also steadfastly deny having received any of the other missing items, which is curious. Why admit to having the Vermeer but nothing else? When de Haan turns up dead in his hotel room, it’s clear that someone will go to any lengths to protect what’s theirs… but the murder isn’t Jason’s case, and local law enforcement makes it very clear they want him to stay away from their investigation.
Thompson’s nephew maintains that his uncle was ordered to send the painting to the US by his commanding officer in the MFAA – a man not named in his correspondence, but whom Jason knows to have been Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander Emerson Harley. Who happens to be his grandfather and boyhood idol, the man who instilled in Jason the love of art and history that eventually led to his joining the ACT. Harley died a few years earlier, but Jason knows how passionate he was about the preservation and protection of the world’s cultural heritage and that he could never, under any circumstances, have turned a blind eye to the “liberation” of priceless artefacts at the end of the war.
Jason knows investigating the matter himself is a blatant conflict of interest, but nonetheless believes he’s best placed to conduct a thorough and fair enquiry. But it’s clear that he’s not firing on all cylinders and his judgment is clouded; he’s frustrated, anxious, sleep-deprived and, yes, scared about another possible attempt on his life, so instead decides to focus on something that affords him a degree of control. And in doing so, he risks not only his career, but also his relationship with Sam.
While Jason and Sam aren’t working the same case in this story, their relationship is shaping up well. It’s frustrating at times, watching them take two steps forward and then one step back, but I like that they’re not perfect and that they’re both committed to each other and to making their relationship work. Sam, in particular, has come a long way since we first met him, when he was trying desperately to deny his feelings for Jason and to distance himself from him. Now, he’s willing to put himself out there, no matter how difficult or scary it is because he wants Jason in his life – and for a man like Sam, that’s a big step. In this book, though, Jason’s investigation puts a serious dent in their relationship; Sam’s reaction, while not unexpected or unjustified, is hurtful, leaving Jason not quite sure where they stand any longer.
I enjoy listening to Kale Williams, and he’s the main reason I’ve opted to listen to this series rather than read it (there was a couple of month’s wait between the print and audio publication of this one, and I was SO tempted to give in and read it instead… but I stayed strong!). His smooth, attractive baritone is very easy to listen to, and while he doesn’t have a huge range in terms of pitch or timbre, he nonetheless voices each character distinctly and injects the right amount of emotion and expression into their exchanges. His characterisation of the two leads works really well, the low-pitched, gruff tones he adopts for Sam accurately reflecting his imposing physicality (he’s a large man) and the slightly slower, considered delivery perfectly in tune with his personality, while Sam’s brighter tone marks him as younger and more open. His pacing is good, and the Dutch-accented-English he uses to perform de Haan’s dialogue is consistently rendered and convincing. It’s a strong performance and combines with another engaging story to make The Monuments Men Murders and audiobook I can recommend without hesitation.
Caz
Buy The Monuments Men Murders by Josh Lanyon on Amazon
