Editorial Reviews: 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.