Book Debut: The Esposito Caper by Karen K. Brees
We've got two fabulous book debuts today! The first is Karen K. Brees' The Esposito Caper! So, if you're in the mood for some mystery, murder and mayhem, look no further!
Back Cover
Crime is easy. Family is what’s
tough. And for Gino Esposito, family obligations could be the end of him. His
grandfather wants to prove he’s the genius behind another artist’s works. All
he needs is for Gino to steal a diary that’s currently in the possession of the
Mafia.
Gino will do almost anything to work
an angle, but he’s thinking this task could be his last. He needs help, but all
he’s got is cousin Carla, exotic dancer with aspirations of opening a ballet
studio, and girlfriend Francesca, whose boss has got her framed for
embezzlement. It’s a recipe for family problems only faith, luck, and some
really good mojo will solve.
Excerpt
Gino took the scrapbook back to the
hard chair and began to read. The first entry told of DeMontana’s death at the
age of eighty-six in 1987. The June eleventh edition of Il Testamento
proclaimed “Art World Mourns the Passing of the Master.” It gave a brief
biography along with mentioning several of the artist’s more popular works.
Cause of death was attributed to a heart attack.
Subsequent clippings added over the
next twenty years chronicled the escalating value of DeMontana’s works which
seemed to increase with each new revelation of his sexual liaisons. Adulterous
affairs weren’t anything newsworthy in Italy where mistresses were an add-on
clause in most marriage contracts of the rich and powerful. What was
noteworthy, however, was the emergence in 1988 of one particular woman as a
potential power player in the disposition of the artist’s fortune. Donna
Napolitano claimed to have a signed and notarized copy of DeMontana’s most
recent will, bequeathing her a large share of the estate along with villas in
Tuscany and Milano. The looming litigation was heaven-sent for the press, but
before a court date could be determined, Napolitano died in a skiing accident
in Grenoble after plummeting headlong into a tree. After a few days, the story
died with her, and later that year, DeMontana’s widow, Bianca, departed
Florence to take up permanent residence in the United States.
The San Francisco Bay Reporter’s
Society page led with the story “Bianca DiCicco DeMontana Welcomed by San
Francisco Society.” It was a full page spread showing the merry widow attending
a gala celebration at the DeYoung. Gino studied the photograph of a tall,
willowy, ash blonde in a Dior gown accented with a queen’s ransom in jewels.
She held a cigarette in a jewel-encrusted holder and a wreath of smoke swirled
around her head like a dirty halo. His interest ratcheted up a notch. He
continued turning the pages.
Then six years ago, just as his
grandfather had said, the thefts had begun. To date, eight paintings by
DeMontana had been stolen from showings and private collections. The first had
been taken from a collection on loan to the Brancicci Gallery in New York City.
The gallery owner hadn’t been insured, and the insurance company of the
painting’s owner was refusing to pay. It was a legal quagmire.
In two other thefts from private
homes in Los Angeles and San Francisco, a crowbar had been found outside a
jimmied window. The art had been taken while the owners were attending a
society function. In the remaining cases, the burglars had gained entry without
setting off the alarm system. The police speculated the thieves had keys to the
homes and, once inside, were able to disarm the systems. Police were pursuing
several leads and were questioning “people of interest,” but no arrests had
been made. In one clip, a harried-looking Inspector Liz Paone of the SFPD’s Art
Theft Division was shown fielding questions in a roomful of reporters. She
didn’t have any answers to give them. “Police Come up Empty in Art Thefts” the
headline chided.
Gino flipped through the remaining
pages. A shaky hand had scribbled “Mine! Mine!” or “Dominic!” in the margins of
all the theft accounts.
“Do you understand now?” Emiliano
had awakened from his nap and was watching his grandson read through the
scrapbook. “Bianca has the diary and wants to make sure no one ever discovers
what DeMontana did. She won’t stop until she’s taken all of my work to protect
her fortune. You must stop her, Gino. You must get the diary and keep her from
completing what she has begun. If she succeeds, there will be nothing left of
my art for the future generations to appreciate. It will be as if I never was. That
my life has meant nothing. That is a pill much too bitter to swallow.”
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