Jeff Lanier
Auteur van For the Minds and Wills of Men
Werken van Jeff Lanier
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My Review: WWII vet Will Oxley works as an art insurance agent. A stolen Jackson Pollock painting sends him on a wild hunt for the missing painting, diving into the New York art scene, seedy bars, and hobnobbing with elite society all while dealing with a bad case of PTSD. He has no idea what he’s getting into.
For the Minds and Wills of Men is a fast-paced densely plotted thriller; I found it hard to put down. Author Jeff Lanier wields his palette of words to layer his story with art history, McCarthyism and the communist hysteria that swept the nation in the 1940s and 50s, the creation of the C.I.A. and tops it off with a romance! Woven into the story are the leading artists of the day from Pollock to Willem de Kooning, including descriptions of their thought processes and how they executed their art. There’s a deep dive into the anticommunist movement and the lengths groups went to spy on artists and others suspected of communist ties. Lanier does an amazing job of flavoring his story with 1950s culture, the rich, the poor, race relations, and he touches on the effects of war on the men returning from WWII.
It’s an ambitious narrative but it’s clear that the author has done his research and knows his stuff. Well written, entertaining without reading like a dry history lesson, it feels authentic and reads like a trip back in time. I think this would make a fantastic movie. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to readers who enjoy a meaty story they can savor.… (meer)