Theft of the Master

"From the first paragraph of the first chapter the reader is drawn into this fastpaced drama, “Theft of theMaster.” Edwin Alexander has created an intricate story with a complex plot.Veit Stoss, one of Europe’s greatest sculptors was commissioned by Henry Schenk to sculpt a wood carvingof Christ, seated preaching the Sermon on the Mount. The carving was completed in 1493 and presented as anational icon at Estonia’s Tallinn Church of the Holy Ghost.The story is based on historical events involving Hitler’s transporting valuable cultural artifacts to Germanyduring World War II. “Theft of the Master” is a fictional account of Estonia’s wood carving of “The Christ.”In a complex transaction involving a purchase an inventory of artifacts by the Templars, a secret society, thiswork of art was stolen and becomes the central plot of the story. The book is filled with unexpected surprisesand plot twists involving smuggling, murder, and intrigue.Private Investigator, Al Hersey, is hired by Peter Gilchrist to find the murderer of his daughter, Meg, who wasfound, drowned in the waters off Half Moon Bay, near San Francisco. The assignment takes Al on adangerous quest for answers from San Francisco, to Estonia, Paraguay, Sweden, and New York.Alexander is an incredibly gifted author. He puts into his characters, a depth of feeling, a glimpse into theirobsessions, and those identifiable physical characteristics which make them genuine and believable. Hisdetailed descriptions include, “a rumbling voice, a voice that rattled the walls,” and “Tiny’s tall, thin face wasoverdue a retread but the eyes were sharp and inquisitorial, sharpened by half a lifetime of scrutinizingdoubtful people, potentially libelous stories and overenthusiastic expense claims.”I became so intrigued by Alexander’s vivid descriptions that I found myself visiting the picturesque websitesof Half Moon Bay’s shoreline, the Holiday Inn’s lobby in San Francisco’s China town, the dinning room ofNeptune’s Palace at the Wharf, the archaic St. Olaf’s Church in Tallinn, Estonia, and the Mennonite Colonyin Chaco, Paraguay.Much of the plot is carried by the dialog making “Theft of the Master” a natural for movie and televisionadaptation. Edwin Alexander has masterfully crafted a tale of international intrigue, murder, suspense, drama,and deduction."