Searching for Edgar’s Five Dancers
Historical Fiction
by Efren O’Brien
It’s Santa Fe, New Mexico in the early 1940’s – full of smuggled art from Europe, USSR spies, and FBI agents.
In the midst of it all is Quinn Chase, a former police detective turned Private Investigator is trying to start a new career after being fired by the Albuquerque Police Department.
Quinn seeks one painting that has been smuggled into Santa Fe above all others……”Five Dancing Women (ballerinas)” by nineteenth-century French Artist, Edgar Degas.
At the same time, atomic secrets from Los Alamos are being smuggled by Nazi spies out of Santa Fe and back to Germany.
An American mole is being paid by the Nazis and is coordinating the smuggled art entering and leaving Santa Fe for South America.
Could Marika Kraus, a cunning and charming German woman whom Quinn met at a local club, have connections with the smuggled art ring or the mole?
Quinn has his hands full as he tries to find the sought after artwork, determine who the mole is, and solve several recent murders that have taken place.
REVIEW
4 out of 5
This was an intriguing read, and clearly well-researched. I enjoyed the story, but also learned quite a bit I didn’t know. I enjoyed the different mysteries and espionage surrounding Quinn as he tries to untangle the knot in the midst of war. There are high stakes on the line, much more than just a painting. O’Brien did a great job of bringing the 40s to life, and drawing the reader into the story. I do wish things had moved along a little more smoothly, there were some lulls in the story that I had to push through, but it was definitely worth it in the end!
LEARN MORE
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Efren O’Brien is a historical fiction writer from New Mexico. He has been interested in US history and history of the American Southwest since he was in grade school. He has had a diverse background serving in the military and as a lawyer the State of New Mexico. He likes mystery novels and complex characters, thus this novel, “Searching for Edgar’s Five Dancers” fits O’Brien’s writing personality. When he’s not writing, O’Brien can normally be found hiking or playing golf. O’Brien lives in Northern New Mexico.