Thief of Light

Tension builds with the force and speed of a high-ticket auction in Ramus's gem of a first novel, as an art dealer's greed and a brutal murder spark a scavenger hunt through the back rooms of Manhattan's elite galleries in a frantic bid to evade Yakuza retribution. Narrator Adrian Sellars and his partner, Steven Ballard, are making enough to keep Adrian in heroin and Steve in the good life by selling admittedly forged Old Masters to Yakuza power thug Ryuichi Tanaka-until Adrian finds their master forger brutally murdered by thieves in his TriBeCa loft. Panicked, Adrian spills all (including a plan to return Tanaka's hefty deposit since the forger's death precludes delivery of a sham Monet) to his heroin supplier and lover, Marta Batista, which turns out to be a big, big mistake. The Yakuza, expecting fulfillment of a contract, force a meeting at which the partners present their case. But Tanaka insists on a Monet, threatens Adrian's family and kills Steven to emphasize the point. Adrian soon hits bottom and breaks down at the apartment of his assistant, Devon Berenson, who allows him to stay with her to withdraw from heroin in order to better deal with the crisis. Romance follows in short order, as do further complications and twists, until the swift action climbs to a brutal peak at an auction at Christie's and a nearby East Side townhouse. Despite a penchant for stock characters(the evil Marta, who's beautiful; the good Devon, who's not quite; the obviously villainous Yakuza) Ramus, himself a former heroin addict and art dealer, proves himself a wizard of a storyteller, presenting his action scenes with a sure hand while setting New York's glittery art scene against a realistically rendered cityscape. This is smart, savvy entertainment, a crime novel to savor. 125,000 first printing; $200,000 ad/promo; BOMC alternate selection; simultaneous audio from HarperAudio; foreign rights sold in 13 countries; author tour. (Sept.)