Synopses & Reviews
Ludwig II, the Fairy-tale King of Bavaria, is today remembered for his beautiful castlesandmdash;popular tourist destinations that inspired the Disney Castle, but whose origins were much more fantastical than anything Disney could dream up. Also known as the Mad King, Ludwig was deposed in 1886 after being declared insane by doctors who had never met him. He promptly diedandmdash;mysteriously drowned in waist-deep waterandmdash;his eccentric castles his only legacy.
Master of historical suspense Oliver Pandouml;tzsch brings the Mad King back to life in The Ludwig Conspiracy. An encoded diary by one of Ludwigandrsquo;s confidants falls into the hands of modern-day rare book dealer Steven Lukas, who soon realizes that the diary may bring him more misery than money. Others want the diary as wellandmdash;and they will kill to get it. Lukas teams up with a beautiful art detective, Sara Lengfeld, to investigate each of Ludwigandrsquo;s three famous castles for clues to crack the diaryandrsquo;s code as mysterious thugs and Ludwigandrsquo;s fanatical followers chase them at every step. Just what in the diary could be so explosive?
Combining contemporary mystery and a gripping historical saga and centered on an ingenious code that can be cracked only with a combination of modern computers and nineteenth-century texts, The Ludwig Conspiracy is a bold new thriller from the best-selling author of The Hangmanandrsquo;s Daughter series.
Review
"The luxurious artistic detail and richly drawn characters will pull in readers, who will be hard-pressed to stop turning pages....[A] strong sophomore effort, which is sure to be a best seller and a suitable choice for book clubs. Highly recommended." Library Journal (starred review)
Review
"This novel is not as fast-paced as her best-selling Historian (2005), nor does it contain the chills and thrills that gave that one such wide appeal. Yet fans of other novels about painters, such as Girl in Hyacinth Blue (1999) and Girl with a Pearl Earring (2000), are sure to love this one." Booklist
Review
"Neither Robert's decisions nor Marlow's make a lot of sense, but lush prose and abundant drama will render logic beside the point for most readers." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Kostova takes big risks in her leisurely narrative, which interweaves multiple time frames to unfold revelations that many readers will have anticipated. Those revelations are not the primary purpose of a text that explores, but does not presume to resolve, the enigmas of artistic and personal commitment." Wendy Smith, Chicago Tribune (read the entire )
Synopsis
Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe, devoted to his profession and the painting hobby he loves, has a solitary but ordered life. When renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient, Marlow finds that order destroyed. Desperate to understand the secret that torments the genius, he embarks on a journey that leads him into the lives of the women closest to Oliver and a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.
From the bestselling author of The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova's masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late 20th, from young love to last love. The Swan Thieves is a story of obsession, history's losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope.
Synopsis
Kostova's masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late 20th, from young love to last love to create a story of obsession, history's losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope.
Synopsis
Andrew Marlow, a psychiatrist, has a perfectly ordered life--solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when the renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes Marlow's patient.
When Oliver refuses to talk or cooperate, Marlow finds himself going beyond his own legal and ethical boundaries to understand the secret that torments this silent genius, a journey that will lead him into the lives of the women closest to Robert Oliver and toward a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.
Moving from American museums to the coast of Normandy, from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love, THE SWAN THIEVES is a story of obsession, the losses of history, and the power of art to preserve human hope.
Synopsis
From the best-selling author of The Hangman's Daughter, a historical thriller set in contemporary Bavaria, about Ludwig II's mysterious death and the long-lost diary that could unlock its secrets.
Video
About the Author
Elizabeth Kostova is the author of the international bestseller The Historian. She graduated from Yale and holds an MFA from the University of Michigan, where she won the Hopwood Award for the Novel-in-Progress.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Elizabeth Kostova