The Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa

Based on an actual 1911 attempt to steal the world's most famous work of art, this intricate, fable-like yarn concerns the Marquis de Valfierno, an urbane Buenos Aires swindler, and his partner in crime, a master painter who can only copy other people's work. After the duplicitous duo successfully steal and forge several prominent masterpieces in Mexico City, Valfierno sets his sights on the Mona Lisa. The plot acquires a romantic angle when the marquis marries a much younger Brazilian and finds himself providing for a family. Noah's (All the Right Answers) descriptions of the cat-and-mouse games of an art thief are consistently entertaining, but it's the elaborate fantasy atmosphere that makes the machinations work. The intriguing cast of secondary characters includes the young cripple who performs the actual thefts, the barber who organizes the marquis's affairs and the blackmailer who tries to capitalize on the loss of the Louvre's showcase piece. The decision to present the climactic theft before the final resolution robs the book of some momentum, but this charming tale should delight art lovers as well as readers who love a creative caper. (Feb.)