Artscape (Ike Schwartz Mysteries)

By Frederick Ramsay

Book Overview

Ike Schwartz thought he could return to his hometown and ditch the demons that pursue him. More than anything, he wanted to blot out the pain and anger that came when his wife of less than a month was gunned down in a CIA foul-up. So he buried himself as sheriff in rural Picketsville, Virginia, a community indistinguishable from any of the hundreds of small towns that hang like beads on Interstate 81 running from Pennsylvania down to Georgia. Aside from its Civil War history, Picketsville's only real claim to fame is Callend College, a private women's school located just within its corporate limits. The college is notable, in turn, for housing one half of the billion dollar Dillon art collection, carefully secured in an underground bunker originally built in the late 1950s as a super bomb shelter. It's bad news for both Dr. Ruth Harris, the newly hired president of the college, and for a shadowy group whose services have been contracted by Middle Eastern fanatics--The New Jihad--when the collection is scheduled to be removed to New York. The plan is to steal the half billion dollars worth of fine art and statuary, and ransom it back for millions. With the closure of the facility imminent, the operation must be moved forward, which, in turn, creates unanticipated risks and problems. And everyone dismisses Ike Schwartz as a stereotypical rural sheriff. He is, however, a man with uncommon skills, a tough hide, and a notable past--all of which make an arresting first novel.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590581229
• ISBN13: 9781590581223
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

almost as good as his "Secrets"

This was the second of Ramsay's mysteries I read, and it was almost as enjoyable as "Secrets". The plot was a little less appealing, and some of the characters and dynamics were just a little less enjoyable. On to #3.

strong crime thriller

While CIA operative Ike Schwartz was vacationing with his wife in Europe, he was asked to pick up a package, a simple assignment that ended with the death of Ike's wife, his expulsion from Switzerland and his leaving the CIA. He returns to his hometown Picketsville, Virginia where he is elected the county's sheriff. It is an easy job and for three years, he does little more than answer domestic disturbances and gives out traffic tickets. One day he is called out to Callend College, a private woman's school, because a $50 million dollar art collection was stolen from an underground vault protected by one of the most sophisticated security systems in the world. The terrorist group the New Jihad has contracted out to the Mafia the job of exchanging the art for diamonds. One of the thieves is an ex-FBI agent, who wants out of the operation when a security guard is killed and two college students are taken hostage. Though Harry works from the inside and Ike uses all his skills and resources, there is little chance that both men will achieve their goals. Frederick Ramsay's debut novel is well worth reading because he has a fresh voice that will resonate with readers who like crime thrillers with lots of action and interesting characters. The theft of the artwork brings Ike out of his three-year limbo and he starts a relationship with the college president. The ex-FBI agent is as much a hero as Ike even though he gets no credit for helping the authorities. Let us hope that there will be more novels starring Ike, an intelligent tactician who endears himself to the reader. Harriet Klausner

An Exciting Debut

It?s not often that you find a novel that manages to incorporate an academic mystery, a romance, art theft, and even international espionage all in one thriller. Discovering one that done well and flows seamlessly together is even rarer, but that?s what you?ll find in Frederick Ramsay?s first mystery featuring Picketsville, Virginia Sheriff Ike Schwarz. A former CIA agent, Ike retreated to his small hometown following the tragic assassination of his wife in a botched agency mission. Content with the petty crimes, drunken brawls, and domestic squabbles he encounters it?s a whole different story when the local women?s college?s entire valuable art collection is stolen in an elaborate and complex burglary that leaves behind bodies but few clues. The college president, thirty-something Ruth Harris, was raised by activists and immediately pegs Ike as a bigoted, simple-minded, incompetent rural sheriff and demands that he call in high authorities. Ike agrees, but his experience and skills as a former agent leave him more than prepared to dual with the thieves who have a secret agenda and are more involved with the college than it first appeared. Ike Schwartz emerges as an extremely complex and likeable character whose subtle wit and intelligence see him through the tragedy that disrupted his life. Although Ruth?s knee-jerk liberalism makes her an irritating character at first, her relationship with Ike provides entertainment as the two spar and gradually realize their attraction for one another. Ramsay?s other characters are similarly engaging, especially a former federal agent whose late wife?s medical bills forced him to help plan the theft and who later develops a bond with one of the hostages. The plot moves along swiftly and concludes with a twist that is both surprising and tragic. This looks to be the beginning of a promising series and the reappearance of Ike Schwartz can?t happen soon enough.

A standout first novel in a crowded field

Ike Schwartz is the Sheriff in the sleepy town of Picketsville, Virginia, home to Callend College and a 500 million dollar art collection stored in a former super-bomb shelter with its state of the art alarm system.Ike's days are fairly routine, until the day the unthinkable happens: the art collection is stolen. The ransom: 50 million dollars in untraceable diamonds, or the collection will be burned. The thieves have already burned one painting to prove they aren't kidding.Can Ike get the collection back before any more paintings are destroyed? There are twists and turns along the way, things hiding just beneath the surface, and much is not what it seems.Artscape is a taut, fast-moving crime story. The characters are well developed, the plot moves along without dragging, and there are a number of delightful twists that I never saw coming.One thing I especially liked is that this is a book for an adult audience that uses believable, everyday language without resorting to the 4 letter profanities so common in film & cable TV.If you like any of the crime fiction authors such as Patricia Cornwell or John Sanford, you will love Artscape. Highly recommended.