Reviews: Artistic License
Leave your review on Amazon for Wayne Clark’s latest novel, Artistic License.
Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite
Immerse yourself in a captivating crime thriller with Wayne Clark’s Artistic License. Humph Barstal is a former NYPD cop-turned-private investigator. When a wealthy client dies by being bludgeoned to death with a seventeenth-century axe, Humph immediately suspects her husband, Mr. Jones, who had been scheming to get his hands on her valuable paintings for quite some time. With the help of his best friend, Duffy, his fiancee Rebecca, and the NYPD, Humph delves into the investigation and soon finds himself embroiled in a grander conspiracy involving art fraud. Meanwhile, Mr. Jones’ partner, Mr. Barrington, and England’s notorious art forger, Benji Borasco, have been hatching schemes of their own. Humph follows the trail of clues to Cuba, where he gets married to Rebecca. But can he blow the lid off the entire art fraud operation?
Artistic License is a crime caper laced with mystery, romance, and intrigue. One of the most impressive aspects of Wayne Clark’s writing is that his stories always feel realistic, no matter how audacious the premise is. And this one is no different. The story opens with a seemingly simple murder case that slowly turns into a full-blown international art fraud conspiracy, taking the reader by surprise with each turn of the page along the way. Clark’s character work is simply phenomenal. The relationship dynamics in Humph’s life, be it with his fiancée Rebecca, his stepdaughter Eve, his friend Duffy, or his pals at the NYPD, seem so natural and organic. It makes the reader become invested in Humph’s role as the protagonist. All in all, this book is tailor-made for readers of crime thrillers.
PI Humph on the prowl
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2024
In this book, PI Humph is called in to help in an art robbery. While he is hiding the clues for that, his personal life gets infinitely now complicated when the women in his life demand more from him. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading another. I really like mysteries and the author did a great job of keeping me guessing how it was all connected.