Title:	The Collector
	Author:	Anne-Laure Thiéblemont; (Sophie Weiner Translator)
	Published:	2015, Le French Book
	No. of Pages:	211
	Cover Price:	$34.95 Hardcover $16.95 Paperback, $9.95 Kindle

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The Collector is the first book in the Marion Spicer Art Thriller series by French author, Anne-Laure Thiéblemont. Marion Spicer, who works as an investigator searching for stolen 18th century art, suddenly finds herself the heir of a vast art fortune from a father whom she never knew. There are some conditions to her inheritance, and she must obtain three sculptures before the collection can be turned over to her. As Marion works to obtain the sculptures, she meets some of the primary players in the art world: appraisers, buyers, auctioneers, as well as her father’s assistant who feels that the collection should belong to him. Someone tries to murder Marion, and during the course of the novel, some of the key players are murdered.

This novel was originally written in French, and has been translated. There are most likely scenes that have lost some of the French charm in translation. The French culture is very apparent in this novel, and the values and mores, which are decidedly different than those in mainstream America, are emphasized in the novel, but, whether because of translation issues, or poor writing, they don’t seem to play an important part in the plot, and the quality of the novel would be much better had they been left out. Some of the scenarios are very foreign, and there are a few parts with blatant scenes involving strange sexual perversions as well as graphic sex, which would most likely not be found in a conventional American thriller. Thiéblemont has a good grasp on the French art world, and the facts she lays out add to the novel and make it interesting to both art lovers and others who know nothing about art.

For those Francophiles who love anything about France, this book is one that could be a great read. There are a few places that are difficult to understand, and that is most likely a translation issue, but the plot, scenarios, and characters are interesting, and this novel is one that is both different and suspenseful.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this novel.

The Collector is available at Amazon:
The Collector, Paperback
The Collector (Marion Spicer Art Mysteries Book 1), Kindle