Review: "Chasing Mona Lisa" by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey

Reviewed by *Katie McCurdy for Legacy of a Writer

3/5 Stars

THE BOOK:

One enigmatic smile. Two passionate protectors. And a relentlessly ticking clock.

August 1944. Paris is on the cusp of liberation. As the soldiers of the Third Reich flee the Allied advance, they ravage the country and steal countless pieces of irreplaceable art. In fact, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring will stop at nothing to claim the most valuable one of all--the Mona Lisa--as a postwar bargaining chip.

But the woman with the mysterious smile has some very determined protectors. Can Swiss OSS agents Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler rescue Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece before it falls into German hands?

With nonstop action and intrigue, Chasing Mona Lisa is sure to get your adrenaline pumping as you join the chase to save the most famous painting in the world. From war-ravaged Paris to a posh Swiss chateau, the race is on--and the runners are playing for keeps.

MY REVIEW:

Political intrigues and personal motives run high in a plot that surrounds the priceless painting, the Mona Lisa. The different Resistance groups in France has finally driven out the Germans from their beloved city. But the danger and adventure is far from over for four certain people. When Swiss spies, Eric and Gabi, learn that the Mona Lisa is in danger, they join up with Resistance member Bernard and art curator Colette and head off to get to the painting before the thief’s do!

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t warm to this book. Especially when it came to the characters—I just couldn’t really connect with them. They didn’t seem real to me. And the writing style turned me off a bit—there was too much telling and not enough showing.

The ending confused me a bit. Not with Eric and Gabi’s story, but with Bernard and Colette. Maybe I missed something, but when the end came…I was left wondering what, exactly, happened to those two.

While I wasn’t as enthralled with Chasing Mona Lisa as I’d like to with a book that says it’s an action/adventure, I did enjoy the read. Lots of history packed within these pages, to be sure! Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey weave really rich facts and dive deep into French art and how France was liberated from German control.

*I reviewed this book for Revell via Litfuse. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.