Product Description

When an old woman storms into the Rijks Museum demanding the return of her painting, archivist Ruth Braams cannot quell her curiosity. Together with Myles, her gay confidant, Ruth delves into the history of the piece of looted Nazi art and discovers an enigmatic picture with a disturbing wartime provenance. It also appears that the elderly Lydia is not the only claimant and, against strict bureau regulations, Ruth endeavours to help strengthen her case. Days later, Ruth begins to receive sinister anonymous threats, warning her to stay away from Lydia and the painting. When the door of her home, a houseboat on the Bloemgracht canal, is covered in graffiti and her gas supply tampered with, Ruth is convinced these are deterrents from the rival claimant. Our irrepressible and emotionally troubled heroine refuses to take them at face value and continues to strike up a friendship with the lonely old lady. But as the threats escalate, Ruth realises that there must be far more to the painting's popularity, and she enters into a series of increasingly lethal adventures as she investigates the painting's secret symbolism...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #559591 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 448 pages

Crimetime
'Solid, trenchant writing'

Park & Holiday Homes magazine
‘Elegant and witty novel’

About the Author
Adrian Mathews lives in Paris with his wife and daughter. The Apothecary's House is his second novel.

Customer Reviews

A House Well Worth the Visit
This is Adrian Mathews's best novel to date. His handling of plot and suspense as well as his drole and lingusitically inventive style have matured beautifully, making this a most exciting and entertaining story in an Amsterdam evoked as if by someone who lives there and knows it intimately, which, extraordinarily Mathews does not. As with Vienna Blood, it is clear that the writer has done meticulous research on a whole range of subjects. And here he uncovers not only fascinating details about the looting and accumulation of art treasures by the Nazis in World War II but also takes us into the eighteenth-century world of an artist who - I don't want to spoil the plot - is way ahead of his time. The discovery of his papers - invented, written and presented by the novelist - and the background intrigue they reveal are, for me the most remarkably gripping pages Mathews has ever written. The main plot that holds the whole edifice together is in a modern setting - for Mathews may be an accomplished historian but he also has a very fine eye for contemporary detail. Though I sometimes had trouble identifying with his female heroine, one has to admire the challenge Mathews gave himself in choosing a female protagonist for a change - and she is indeed a most original character.
I was impatient to turn the pages of this long novel and found the climax both unexpected and satisfactory. What curbed my impatience to read fast, however, was the inventiveness of Mathews's descriptions and the expressions his narrator and his characters use; the sort one wants to file and use oneself one day. It is novel too that taught me something, made me think and made me laugh. All that and a veritable Ali-Baba's cave of language treasures too. A pity the title and dust jacket are not nearly as attractive as the contents of the book.

Good but odd !!!
I very much enjoyed this book but it almost seemed as though there were two writers at work here. A contemporary author and one from a 1930's "noir" style detective novel. The main character spoke with a "tough dame" style of lingo but only at certain times. How odd indeed ??? I did feel compelled to plough on regardless of the jumbled writing styles. A very interesting premise and also very descriptive in regards to Amsterdam canal houses. Somehow I get the feeling that men will enjoy this book more then women. Prove me wrong !!!

A Good Read
The wording on the front of this book makes you think that it's going to be along the lines of the Da Vinci Code: " A looted painting, a secret code, a deadly pursuit...", but this is not another paint by numbers art thriller.
Firstly, this is a long book, at 700 pages. Don't let that put you off, the language is flowing and easy to read, so it did not take me long to get through the whole thing. The entire book is set in one city and time is taken to get to know the characters,especially Ruth Braams, who works as an art researcher. Ruth grows and changes as a character throughout the story, which gives the book a real depth.
I would have liked a little more adventure and some editing of some of the more long winded sections where nothing happens.
All in all, a good read, but beware of the misleading cover.