The Triumph of Bacchus

The third art theft caper from Skeggs ( The Estuary Pilgrim ; The Talinin Madonna ) features a roller-coaster plot, a wealth of painting lore and an especially lovable rogue. A Titian masterpiece loaned to London's Royal Academy is stolen and a ransom of 5 million demanded of its insurers. The theft draws together two strangers: Tom Shaugnessy, a master forger, is offered 1 million to duplicate the painting; TV journalist Patricia Drew hopes to build a career-saving program from it. Tom's preparation work brings him into contact with Patricia as she researches the painting's history and the two develop a wary relationship, in which each remains uncertain of the other's intentions and morality. Readers likewise are kept guessing about the forgery's purpose. Patricia is beautiful and plucky, while rough-hewn Tom is a charmer with the wiles of a fox, a gentle heart and a hidden agenda motivating nearly every action. A rapidly unfolding plot twists through exotic locales and ends with guns blazing. (Sept.)