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Title: The Last Mona Lisa

Author: Jonathan Santlofer

Publication: 8/17/2021

Genre: Mystery 

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


In Short: The Mona Lisa is stolen in 1911 and not recovered for 2 years. Flash forward to current day and Luke Perrone, the thief’s great-grandson is following clues to discover what actually happened. 


From the publisher: August, 1911: The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincent Peruggia. Many replicas of the Mona Lisa exist, and more than one historian has wondered if the painting now in the Louvre is a fake, switched in 1911. 


Present day: art professor Luke Perrone digs for the truth behind his most famous ancestor: Peruggia. His search attracts an Interpol detective with something to prove and an unfamiliar but curiously helpful woman. Soon, Luke tumbles deep into the world of art and forgery, a land of obsession and danger.


My thoughts: I was so fascinated with this book. It was a page turner for sure that I thoroughly enjoyed. From the opening chapters detailing the theft of the Mona Lisa, to the present day mystery of Luke reading the journal detailing the theft to the danger that ensues and the world of art theft and forgery this book kept you captivated and  guessing at everything going on. 


Did you know that the Mona Lisa really was stolen in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia? Prior to that the painting was not widely known outside art circles and it was over 24 hrs before someone even noticed it was missing. Overnight the painting, and it’s heist, become a worldwide sensation. It was 1913 before Peruggia was found and the painting returned to the Louvre. 



 

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