The Last Mona Lisa
- Downloads：1043
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-02 02:21:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jonathan Santlofer
- ISBN：172824076X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Sima
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I loved learning about the story of Vincent and the historical events around the stealing of the Mona Lisa。 I did not get drawn into any of the characters， and I didn't find the romantic relationship between Luke and Alex believable （felt forced）。 As other reviewers have said， the characters seemed two dimensional。 I loved learning about the story of Vincent and the historical events around the stealing of the Mona Lisa。 I did not get drawn into any of the characters， and I didn't find the romantic relationship between Luke and Alex believable （felt forced）。 As other reviewers have said， the characters seemed two dimensional。 。。。more
Nick Sanders
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I'm a bit doubtful about this one。 It's not bad。 Or badly written。 The plot is not necessarily a bad plot。 Perhaps a bit convoluted。 I'm still not convinced about the role of the Interpol agent， it seems an awkward way to draw in a bit of police threat。 I didn't enjoy it。Too bad to be really good， too good to be really bad。 I will check his next book， but if that is suffering from the same problems than this author is out of my bookcase。 I'm a bit doubtful about this one。 It's not bad。 Or badly written。 The plot is not necessarily a bad plot。 Perhaps a bit convoluted。 I'm still not convinced about the role of the Interpol agent， it seems an awkward way to draw in a bit of police threat。 I didn't enjoy it。Too bad to be really good， too good to be really bad。 I will check his next book， but if that is suffering from the same problems than this author is out of my bookcase。 。。。more
Chevy
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I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。I am a huge fan of historical fiction for the sheer fact that they lead me to true events that I haven’t heard of before which peaks my curiosity to read a fiction about it but also to research and discover the facts。 I also， enjoy these books when I do know the true back story because it makes the novel more relatable for me。In the case of the Last Mona Lisa I might be embarrassed to say I had no idea that the I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。I am a huge fan of historical fiction for the sheer fact that they lead me to true events that I haven’t heard of before which peaks my curiosity to read a fiction about it but also to research and discover the facts。 I also， enjoy these books when I do know the true back story because it makes the novel more relatable for me。In the case of the Last Mona Lisa I might be embarrassed to say I had no idea that the Mona Lisa had ever been stolen！ It was so fun to get some real facts on the background of the theft while also joining along in the mystery behind the man who stole it。 I was lucky enough to be reading this during the week the History channel ran their podcast on this very event！ It was super fun to cross reference the historical facts from the podcast and the books。This may sound sexist but this was pretty high emotion and drama which I’m not sure I’m used to from a male author。 Jonathan Santlofer really did an excellent job painting the character of Luke Perrone。 His bad boy background， his draw to his great grandfather’s criminal activity leading to a light art interest， his alcoholic past， and his macho man struggles。 This book makes you want to go to Italy and Paris to see all the pieces of art mentioned and not mentioned。 I know I had to stop reading to google artwork multiple times。As I write this review I’m tempted to give it 4 stars because there wasn’t much I didn’t like about the book but I have a set way of ranking books and this falls in the category of good， would recommend to a friend， but will never reread and probably just forget about。 。。。more
Margaret Sharis
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This is most definitely the best book I have read this year。
Tina Klemenz
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Wonderful writing and in depth story using facts about how the real Mona Lisa was stolen。 Brilliant merge of fact and fiction。 A surprise twist at the end。 Loved it！
John Richards
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Couldn’t finish it
Kim
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The premise was good， the delivery， not as much。 This is the story of an alcoholic professor in danger of losing his job， a less than competent Interpol agent， in danger of losing his job and the events surrounding the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911。 The story is told from many points of view， which can get confusing at times。 I also didn’t think the characters had much depth or were that likeable。 I also found it a bit of a slow burn。 Sadly， I didn’t like this one as much as I thought I would。
Ann
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An entertaining mash-up of art history and a thriller。 Based loosely on the fact that in 1911 the Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre Museum for 2 years， the author imagines the circumstances of the disappearance and the repercussions today with his main character， Luke Perrone - great grandson of the original thief。 Short chapters with a direct writing style propels the plot and reader forward。 My disappointment was the last chapter which is a quick summary of events which happened in the int An entertaining mash-up of art history and a thriller。 Based loosely on the fact that in 1911 the Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre Museum for 2 years， the author imagines the circumstances of the disappearance and the repercussions today with his main character， Luke Perrone - great grandson of the original thief。 Short chapters with a direct writing style propels the plot and reader forward。 My disappointment was the last chapter which is a quick summary of events which happened in the intervening months after the conclusion -felt rushed and and an easy wrap up。 。。。more
Anna
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A little bit like The DaVinci Code without Tom Hanks。 Based on the true 1911 Mona Lisa theft and known forgeries。 The fictional Luke great grandson of the known Mona Lisa thief， goes to Paris to hunt down the true story and maybe even find the real Mona Lisa。
Christine
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Luke Perrone， great-grandson of convicted art thief Vincent Peruggia， sets out to learn more about his ancestor and his theft of the "Mona Lisa" from the Louvre museum。 This takes him to Florence， Paris， the south of France and back home to Manhattan。 Along the way， he falls in love， forms a bond with an INTERPOL agent， gets into fights。 His search also results in the deaths of innocent， and not-so-innocent， men and women。 Jonathan Santlofer does a great job of reeling the reader in right away a Luke Perrone， great-grandson of convicted art thief Vincent Peruggia， sets out to learn more about his ancestor and his theft of the "Mona Lisa" from the Louvre museum。 This takes him to Florence， Paris， the south of France and back home to Manhattan。 Along the way， he falls in love， forms a bond with an INTERPOL agent， gets into fights。 His search also results in the deaths of innocent， and not-so-innocent， men and women。 Jonathan Santlofer does a great job of reeling the reader in right away and keeping the reader hooked。 There are lots of characters， changing locations， a love story and some art history。 Luke is a likeable character， although he doesn't catch on too quickly all the time。 He's just a regular guy in over his head。 Vincent Peruggia is also given a voice。 I would recommend this to readers who enjoy Dan Brown and William Martin， and to those who like a sympathetic main character and action that is not too graphic。 。。。more
Alana
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If you’re in a Dan Brown mood， this historical thriller will satisfy。 It’s based on the true story of Peruggia’s 1911 theft of the famous painting。 Santofler’s story is action-packed with a side of romance and intrigue。 Luke is a sympathetic protagonist， but the side characters were a bit wooden。 The amount of information in Peruggia’s journal was quite convenient。 But it didn’t stop me from enjoying it。 I have a minor in art history and have a particular love for both Florence and Paris so it c If you’re in a Dan Brown mood， this historical thriller will satisfy。 It’s based on the true story of Peruggia’s 1911 theft of the famous painting。 Santofler’s story is action-packed with a side of romance and intrigue。 Luke is a sympathetic protagonist， but the side characters were a bit wooden。 The amount of information in Peruggia’s journal was quite convenient。 But it didn’t stop me from enjoying it。 I have a minor in art history and have a particular love for both Florence and Paris so it checked a lot of sentimental boxes for me。 It was fun and would be an entertaining movie！This ARC was provided by @netgalley and @sourcebooks。 The opinions are my own。 。。。more
Mary
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Luke Perrone's grandfather went to jail for stealing the Mona Lisa in 1911。 He knows there is much more to the story that involves forgery and he is determined to get to the bottom of it。 Unfortunately， Luke isn't the only one searching for clues and anyone who gets in the way winds up murdered。 Based on real events， this is a fast paced twisty turny art history mystery that will appeal to readers who appreciate heist stories and historical fiction inspired by true crimes of the past。 Luke Perrone's grandfather went to jail for stealing the Mona Lisa in 1911。 He knows there is much more to the story that involves forgery and he is determined to get to the bottom of it。 Unfortunately， Luke isn't the only one searching for clues and anyone who gets in the way winds up murdered。 Based on real events， this is a fast paced twisty turny art history mystery that will appeal to readers who appreciate heist stories and historical fiction inspired by true crimes of the past。 。。。more
Scott Wilson
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3。5 The Last Mona Lisa feels like a Davinci Code for art history。 A professor trying to find out once and for all if the Mona Lisa was stolen and replaced by a forgery as some believe travels to Europe to find his great grandfathers journal which he believes will prove that his relative was behind the theft and forgery。 The story has all the expected pieces with good guys， bad guys， romance and action but it just didn't really work for me。 The relationship felt forced。 I enjoyed some of the art 3。5 The Last Mona Lisa feels like a Davinci Code for art history。 A professor trying to find out once and for all if the Mona Lisa was stolen and replaced by a forgery as some believe travels to Europe to find his great grandfathers journal which he believes will prove that his relative was behind the theft and forgery。 The story has all the expected pieces with good guys， bad guys， romance and action but it just didn't really work for me。 The relationship felt forced。 I enjoyed some of the art history woven into the story but I never cared that much for the protagonist so it was hard to care much for the story。 。。。more
Reeca Elliott
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Is the Mona Lisa a fake？ Vincent Peruggia stole the painting in 1911。 Was it ever properly replaced？ Luke Perrone is determined to find out exactly what has happened。 His research has triggered a warning at Interpol。 Luke has managed to integrate himself into the world of art forgery and theft。The history that runs throughout this novel is superb！ It is very well researched and put together。 The only reason for the 4 stars…and this is only my opinion…I did not feel as connected to the characters Is the Mona Lisa a fake？ Vincent Peruggia stole the painting in 1911。 Was it ever properly replaced？ Luke Perrone is determined to find out exactly what has happened。 His research has triggered a warning at Interpol。 Luke has managed to integrate himself into the world of art forgery and theft。The history that runs throughout this novel is superb！ It is very well researched and put together。 The only reason for the 4 stars…and this is only my opinion…I did not feel as connected to the characters as I wanted to be。 But， the art history and the way the author portrayed Florence and Paris， just took my breath away！Need a good historical mystery…THIS IS IT！ Grab your copy today。I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review。 。。。more
Andrew Kosztyo
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If you LOVED The Da Vinci Code， you’ll LIKE The Last Mona Lisa。Dan Brown’s engaging formula is back: page upon page of history， histrionics， atmospherics — and an abundance of obvious factual errors。 But just ignore them and enjoy a perfectly pleasant end-of-summer diversion。
Joyce Schiff
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Based on the stolen Mona Lisa from the lourve。 Fascinating And good mystery。。。。。。。a
Joseph Dubey
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I really liked this one。 It is based on the true event of the Mona Lisa being stolen with a diary penned by the one that stole it。 The Great Grandson is an art instructor and is enthralled with his Great Grandfather and what he did。 The diary finally gives the reason why the Mona Lisa was stolen and how to detect the forgeries that are out there。 A little bit of murder thrown in always helps。 Thoroughly enjoyed it。
Debbie
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This book was a thoroughly entertaining fictional story based on the true facts surrounding the theft of the Mona Lisa from The Louvre in Paris， France in 1911， It is about art forgery and art theft， but you don't have to be an art aficionado or art lover to enjoy it。 The author， Jonathan Santlofer， takes the reader on a fast paced journey of mystery and intrigue throughout Italy， France and New York; much like a Dan Brown novel， The descriptions and settings were very well done and made me feel This book was a thoroughly entertaining fictional story based on the true facts surrounding the theft of the Mona Lisa from The Louvre in Paris， France in 1911， It is about art forgery and art theft， but you don't have to be an art aficionado or art lover to enjoy it。 The author， Jonathan Santlofer， takes the reader on a fast paced journey of mystery and intrigue throughout Italy， France and New York; much like a Dan Brown novel， The descriptions and settings were very well done and made me feel like I was there in Florence or Paris and experiencing the sites and sounds and the smells and tastes of the cities， with a Fodor's or Rick Steves' travel guide in my hand。 I also found myself immersed in the story by searching the internet for every painting and sculpture that was mentioned， even though they were all well described。 The characters and the storyline kept me engaged and guessing the outcome。This is the first book that I have read by this author， but I will definitely be looking forward to reading some of his other titles。 I really liked The Last Mona Lisa and rate it four stars。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher， Sourcebooks Landmark for sending me this ebook。 。。。more
tpixie
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A mystery with the flavor of The Da Vinci Code。 Loved learning about Italian art， artists， & architecture
Alanna
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Won this in a giveaway and absolutely love it。
Becky Motew
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3。5 starsA decent read， though the main plot line about Luke Perrone seeking information about a 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa is by far more interesting than the other threads。 In fact， I wasn't sure what was going on during some of the ancillary scenes。 Wait， is this the Interpol guy？ Is he the killer？ The fictionalized story of Vincent Perrugia， the actual thief， is poignant and suspenseful。 And Luke's tracking Perrugia's long lost journal all the way from New York to Florence is exciting and a 3。5 starsA decent read， though the main plot line about Luke Perrone seeking information about a 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa is by far more interesting than the other threads。 In fact， I wasn't sure what was going on during some of the ancillary scenes。 Wait， is this the Interpol guy？ Is he the killer？ The fictionalized story of Vincent Perrugia， the actual thief， is poignant and suspenseful。 And Luke's tracking Perrugia's long lost journal all the way from New York to Florence is exciting and atmospheric with all the wonderful architecture and museums in that beautiful city。The romance with Alexis is okay but again does not compete with the main plot。I do love a good art book， though， and I enjoyed this one。 。。。more
Karen
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This is a decent art history mystery/thriller， based on the real-life theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre by Italian immigrant Vincenzo Peruggia in 1911。The story follows Luke Perrone， an art history professor and the great-grandson of Peruggia， on his visit to Florence to read the journal of his ancestor。 With the help of an ambitious Interpol agent and a beautiful， mysterious American woman， Luke tries to determine 1）: why Peruggia stole the painting; 2）: if the painting that was returned t This is a decent art history mystery/thriller， based on the real-life theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre by Italian immigrant Vincenzo Peruggia in 1911。The story follows Luke Perrone， an art history professor and the great-grandson of Peruggia， on his visit to Florence to read the journal of his ancestor。 With the help of an ambitious Interpol agent and a beautiful， mysterious American woman， Luke tries to determine 1）: why Peruggia stole the painting; 2）: if the painting that was returned to the Louvre in 1913 is actually a forgery; and 3）: why everyone who has dealt with the journal is dropping dead。The book takes some liberties with some of the known facts of Peruggia’s life， especially when it links him to con man Eduardo de Valfierno and art forger Yves Chaudron。 These two men supposedly masterminded the theft so they could profit from selling forgeries of the Mona Lisa as the missing original。 The only problem with this theory is that these two men may never have existed。 The only evidence for this plot was a 1932 Saturday Evening Post article written by a former Hearst journalist named Karl Decker， who was known for fabricating stories。But in the end， it doesn’t really matter after all since this is fiction， where we’re allowed to wonder “what if。”3。5 stars rounded up to 4 for good renderings of the flawed yet vulnerable characters; beautiful descriptions of the art works and scenery of Florence and Paris; and a return to one of the art world’s greatest mysteries。 。。。more
Sherry Erdly
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Rating 3。5This book doesn't really get going until the second half。 Intereseting subject。 Rating 3。5This book doesn't really get going until the second half。 Intereseting subject。 。。。more
Ricki
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As a fan of his series books， it been a while since he put out something I wanted to read。 It was a good mystery steeped in history and delved out in small portions。
Bookreporter。com Mystery & Thriller
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Living in Boston， site of the infamous Gardner Museum heist， I’ve long been fascinated by art heists， forgeries and other art-related crimes。 Lucky for me that Jonathan Santlofer’s new novel， THE LAST MONA LISA， has all of the above， not to mention an evocative European setting that has me ready to book the next flight to Florence or Paris。Luke Perrone is an artist and art history professor， but he’s a little down on his luck。 The New York City gallery where he shows most of his work is about t Living in Boston， site of the infamous Gardner Museum heist， I’ve long been fascinated by art heists， forgeries and other art-related crimes。 Lucky for me that Jonathan Santlofer’s new novel， THE LAST MONA LISA， has all of the above， not to mention an evocative European setting that has me ready to book the next flight to Florence or Paris。Luke Perrone is an artist and art history professor， but he’s a little down on his luck。 The New York City gallery where he shows most of his work is about to close， and his department chair tells him that he’s unlikely to get tenure without a major exhibition under his belt。 As the novel opens， however， Luke is ready to leave all of those troubles behind， since he has just gotten a tip about his great obsession: his great-grandfather Vincent Peruggia’s journal。Luke’s relative was infamous in early 20th-century Paris; he was an artist and craftsman who served time for stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911。 Luke has always been fascinated by his long-dead relative， speculating about his motivations and whether or not， as some experts have suggested， the painting the Louvre eventually recovered --- the one that’s still hanging there to this day --- is actually a very skillful forgery。Tipped off that Vincent’s journal was among a recently deceased professor’s papers that have been donated to a library in Florence， Italy， Luke abandons his intersession teaching plans and hops on a plane。 There he encounters his great-grandfather’s real and tragic story --- or at least most of it --- and draws the attention of Alex， a beautiful young woman with whom he feels an instant connection。Little does Luke know that his research has also drawn the attention of others， including a frustrated Interpol detective with a chip on his shoulder， not to mention members of the underground art world who would prefer that Vincent’s secrets remain buried --- and don’t care who they have to hurt to keep them that way。 Even the smart， beautiful， compassionate Alex may be hiding something。 Why does she run away from Luke whenever the two of them start to get close？Santlofer narrates his novel utilizing short， snappy chapters and a variety of perspectives。 This includes passages from Peruggia’s journal， so that readers uncover his story at the same rate that Luke does。 An accomplished artist himself， Santlofer includes vivid and detailed descriptions of the book's European settings， as well as the artworks that Luke and Alex discover and appreciate on their travels。I had heard about the 1911 Mona Lisa theft previously， but only through a children’s book。 Here， as Santlofer acknowledges， he embellishes some of the historical record to make for a good story， but he also positions the heist in the context of a suspenseful， character-driven thriller。 Readers might look a little closer at the Mona Lisa if they find themselves in Paris any time soon --- looking， just like Luke， for clues and mysteries even more tantalizing than the famous woman’s smile。Reviewed by Norah Piehl 。。。more
Christine
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A fast paced thriller beginning with the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911 and fast forward to current day。 The great-grandson of Luigi Perrugia， Luke Perrone is searching for a diary his great grandfather allegedly kept。 Before he knows it he is embroiled in art fraud and stolen masterpieces。 Is the painting displayed in The Louvre really the original？
Critter
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This book has a great premise behind it。 It's story is drawn from the theft of the Mona Lisa。 However， the story is filled with overly detailed descriptions。 While I do enjoy descriptions， it provides too much information all at once to take in。 These descriptions also massively slow down the plot。 Characters are also a major thing for me in books。 These characters did not entice me and felt flat。 I didn't connect with any of them and their motivations didn't feel fully developed。 There was some This book has a great premise behind it。 It's story is drawn from the theft of the Mona Lisa。 However， the story is filled with overly detailed descriptions。 While I do enjoy descriptions， it provides too much information all at once to take in。 These descriptions also massively slow down the plot。 Characters are also a major thing for me in books。 These characters did not entice me and felt flat。 I didn't connect with any of them and their motivations didn't feel fully developed。 There was some insta-love involved in the book that didn't feel believable。 I also struggled with the changing of pov。 A good majority of this book is written in 3rd person， but it does switch to 1st person journal entries and a main character with 1st person pov。 The switching pov made it harder for me to get to know and enjoy the characters。I really wanted to enjoy this book。 It has a great premise， but the execution just didn't work out for me。 I really wanted a lot more from the characters。 Unfortunately， the mystery just wasn't intriguing enough for me。I received an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway。 。。。more
Christine Corrigan
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Could not put this thrilling suspense novel down！ Read it in one afternoon。 If you love art and would enjoy taking a trip through the pages to Florence， Paris， and Bayonne， NJ， this is a great end of summer read！
Sandra Porter
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Adult， mystery， 3 1/2 starsWho knew？ I am enjoying mysteries！ Have never read adult mysteries until a couple of months ago。Professor Luke Perrone， a professor of art history， has been compiling， for years， information on his grandfather。 In 1911 his grandfather stole the Mona Lisa。 Luke believes if he can just find the elusive diary that his grandfather wrote during his prison sentence， then he can prove the long theorized idea that the Mona Lisa hanging at the Louvre is a fake。 Of course， he ge Adult， mystery， 3 1/2 starsWho knew？ I am enjoying mysteries！ Have never read adult mysteries until a couple of months ago。Professor Luke Perrone， a professor of art history， has been compiling， for years， information on his grandfather。 In 1911 his grandfather stole the Mona Lisa。 Luke believes if he can just find the elusive diary that his grandfather wrote during his prison sentence， then he can prove the long theorized idea that the Mona Lisa hanging at the Louvre is a fake。 Of course， he gets more than he bargains for， as he is pulled into the seedy side of international art thief。 I liked it because of all the art references， some that I have even seen。 It wasn't terribly bloody， though， there was some of that。 Fast paced reading， keeping the action moving and you needing to know more。 Didn't seem to be a lull in the suspense。The only thing I had a hard time with， at first， was the multiple voices in the story。 At first it was hard to keep the characters straight， because of the multiple view points。"Would you say the past influences the present， or the presence influences the past？ I mean what we discover about the past， does that influence the present， who we are now， or is it the reverse？" -Alex 。。。more
Marc Saunders
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