The Pot Thief Who Studied Georgia O’Keeffe: A Pot Thief Mystery

In Orenduff’s enjoyable seventh Pot Thief mystery (after 2013’s The Pot Thief Who Studied Billy the Kid), Hubert Schuze, the Albuquerque, N.Mex., pot thief, learns of a buyer looking for a pot made by the Tompiro people. Schuze thinks he can find one on the prohibited, heavily guarded White Sands Missile Range. With the aid of friend and accomplice Susannah Inchaustigui, he manages to get into the target area and find a valuable pot, but he’s forced to bury it and leave the area without it. Schuze concocts an elaborate plan to retrieve the pot, only to find it gone. The real pot and at least one fake tantalize a bewildering number of collectors, one of whom becomes a murder victim. Schuze and Susannah’s clever word play, a torn canvas that may be an unknown O’Keeffe, and nods to several classic mysteries add to the fun. [em]Agent: Philip Turner Book Productions. (Jan.) [/em]