THE TRIUMPH OF BACCHUS

N.Y.: St Martins Press, 1993. 1st edition, September 1993, so stated with complete number line beginning with 1. Fine in fine dust jacket, not price clipped, in protective mylar cover. The author's third mystery set in the world of art. "The third art theft caper from Skeggs ( The Estuary Pilgrim ; The Talinin Madonna ) features a roller-coaster plot, a wealth of painting lore and an especially lovable rogue. A Titian masterpiece loaned to London's Royal Academy is stolen and a ransom of 5 million demanded of its insurers. The theft draws together two strangers: Tom Shaugnessy, a master forger, is offered 1 million to duplicate the painting; TV journalist Patricia Drew hopes to build a career-saving program from it. Tom's preparation work brings him into contact with Patricia as she researches the painting's history and the two develop a wary relationship, in which each remains uncertain of the other's intentions and morality. Readers likewise are kept guessing about the forgery's purpose. Patricia is beautiful and plucky, while rough-hewn Tom is a charmer with the wiles of a fox, a gentle heart and a hidden agenda motivating nearly every action. A rapidly unfolding plot twists through exotic locales and ends with guns blazing." -- Publishers Weekly. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. Book.