Allmen and the Dragonflies
Description
A thrilling art heist escapade infused with European high culture and luxury that doesn't shy away from the darker side of human nature.
Johann Friedrich von Allmen, a bon vivant of dandified refinement, has exhausted his family fortune by living in Old World grandeur despite present-day financial constraints. Forced to downscale, Allmen inhabits the garden house of his former Zurich estate, attended by his Guatemalan butler, Carlos. When not reading novels by Balzac and Somerset Maugham, he plays jazz on a Bechstein baby grand. Allmen's fortunes take a sharp turn when he meets a stunning blonde whose lakeside villa contains five Art Nouveau bowls created by renowned French artist Émile Gallé and decorated with a dragonfly motif. Allmen, pressured to pay off mounting debts, absconds with the priceless bowls and embarks on a high-risk, potentially violent bid to cash them in. This is the first of a series of humorous, fast-paced detective novels devoted to a memorable gentleman thief who, with his trusted sidekick Carlos, creates an investigative firm to recover missing precious objects.
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About the Author
Steph Morris studied fine art at Goldsmiths' College, London, and history of art at Chelsea College of Art. He has translated the diaries of East German writer Brigitte Reimann as well as nonfiction books about Joseph Beuys and Pina Bausch, and has been a translator in residence at the Europäische Übersetzer-Kollegium, in Straelen, Germany.
Reviews
A rollicking good time ... Bestselling Swiss author Martin Suter may have a classic on his hands in this contemporary crime novel, the first of a series featuring the memorable character of Johann Friedrich von Allmen, gentleman thief.
--The Winnipeg Free Press
Suter combines sleight-of-hand suspense with stunning art and slightly worn Old World elegance to create a smartly entertaining read ... A classy puzzler.
--Library Journal
"In the honorable vein of elegant, gentleman thieves, comes Allmen, the colorful protagonist of Suter's beautifully observed, deliciously fun novel, which draws the reader along through a brightly glazed world, disguising a loving character study in the packaging of an art heist."
--Noah Charney, author of The Art Thief and The Art of Forgery
"Martin Suter is a darkly comic writer of exceptionally stylish and entertaining thrillers ... Suter has created an intimate story with a fully realised setting that aches with sophistication and humour. Allmen and the Dragonflies is a lot of fun but also a totally engrossing mystery."
--Nudge-Book
Allmen is a protagonist of impeccable taste and dubious morality--a thief with a refined eye who steals accordingly. He is also excellent company, and the dark charms of Suter's novel are irresistible from the first pages.
--Joshua Max Feldman, author of The Book of Jonah and Start Without Me
This is a crisp, wonderfully atmospheric novel. Even better is the creation of Fritz von Allmen, an unapologetically profligate bon vivant and petty thief, who steers us through the underbelly of Swiss dining and French glassware, all with the aplomb of a slightly more self-aware Bertie Wooster. Martin Suter is a terrific writer and deserves far greater recognition in America. With this superb translation, he should soon have it.
--Jonathan Rabb, author of Among the Living and Rosa
A fairly unique twist on the gentleman thief and gentleman detective stereotypes ... Very much worth the read.
--The Crime Review
A vivid portrait of an impoverished gentleman and the more sinister side of the art market. Art Nouveau glass maker Émile Gallé's transcendently beautiful creations have a well-deserved star turn in this delightful crime story.
--Carina Villinger, Head of Design Department, Christie's New York
Elegant and quite charming.
--The Complete Review
Quick moving ... One of the fun aspects of this book is that Allmen is a dedicated reader ... I'll definitely read the next book in the Allmen series when it comes out.
--Three Percent
Martin Suter has found a new tone in the detective novel: a blend of reserve and attention to detail with clock-work precision ... Suter is as charming as his hero when he uses the conventions of the genre.
--Le Monde
One couldn't imagine anything more diverting than a second novel with this team in the lead roles.
--Der Spiegel
Masterful.
--Westfälische Nachrichten
