Bakeur's Dozen

Description

Lord Reynolds, heir apparent to the sixteen-century Reynolds Castle in Southern England, is about to lose his fortune and status to a tax collector. "A tax collector can do more with a pen than your ancestors ever did with a sword," says Lady Margaret Reynolds. Desperate for the money to preserve his family's 500-year heritage, Reynolds opts for illegal measures as he hires petty thieves to steal a painting by the famed artist Titian. The plan itself is a work of art. Reynolds has already hired art forger, Anton Bakeur, to make twelve copies of the Titian piece, to be sold throughout the world, making back the money Reynolds needs to keep his family castle. However, things go wrong when the petty thieves steal not the Titian but a Michelangelo, recently donated to the museum by a Mafia don. Don Carlo Manicotti is in exile in Sicily and hopes his donation will sway public opinion and allow him to return to the United States. The disappearance of his donation, however, doesn't help his cause. Now, in the name of family honor--and personal pride--Lord Reynolds must outwit not only the art world but also the police and murderous mafia.