Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist O Magazine Best Book of the Year
"A compelling take on the eternal question of how good people morph into criminals. Terrific."--People, Book of the Week
From the author of The Destroyers comes an ""intricately plotted and elegantly structured"" (Newsday) story of intrigue and deception, set in contemporary Venice and featuring a young American couple who have set their sights on a risky con.
When Nick Brink and his boyfriend Clay Guillory meet up on the Grand Canal in Venice, they have a plan in mind--and it doesn't involve a vacation. Nick and Clay are running away from their turbulent lives in New York City, each desperate for a happier, freer future someplace else. Their method of escape? Selling a collection of counterfeit antiques to a brash, unsuspecting American living out his retirement years in a grand palazzo. With Clay's smarts and Nick's charm, their scheme is sure to succeed.
As it turns out, tricking a millionaire out of money isn't as easy as it seems, especially when Clay and Nick let greed get the best of them. As Nick falls under the spell of the city's decrepit magic, Clay comes to terms with personal loss and the price of letting go of the past. Their future awaits, but it is built on disastrous deceits, and more than one life stands in the way of their dreams.
A Beautiful Crime is a twisty grifter novel with a thriller running through its veins. But it is also a meditation on love, class, race, sexuality, and the legacy of bohemian culture. Tacking between Venice's soaring aesthetic beauty and its imminent tourist-riddled collapse, Bollen delivers a ""brilliantly conceived international crime story"" (Good Morning America).
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
About the Author :
Christopher Bollen is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The Lost Americans, A Beautiful Crime, The Destroyers, Orient, and Lightning People. He is a frequent contributor to a number of publications, including Vanity Fair, the New York Times, and Interview. He lives in New York City.
Tim Paige is an audiobook narrator and voice actor who has worked on numerous projects ranging from bestselling books to video games and documentaries. Passionate about bringing stories to life, he believes that they're an opportunity to escape from reality (or to find a new lens with which to view it). Formerly a touring musician, he has played on some of the biggest stages in the world, including MTV's TRL. A husband and father, he is a bit obsessed with all things Disney and Marvel.
Review :
"A stunning crime novel."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"A thrilling story of passion and deception."
-- "BookPage"
"Narrator Tim Paige captures the heightened emotions of two protagonists in this literary thriller set in Venice...Paige's narration carries the yearning and recklessness of two people caught up in each other and a city. His tone mellows during tender moments between them and becomes frenzied during the tense scenes...[A] fresh and surprising audiobook hard to put down."
-- "AudioFile"
"It made me want to pack a bag and flee to Venice, while looking over my shoulder the whole way."
-- "David Ebershoff, New York Times bestselling author"
