Review - The Forgotten Painting by Gabriel Farago

By
My Copy of the Book

Year Published: 2016
Genre: Contemporary; Mystery; Suspense with a sprinkling of historical fiction

Blurb:
When celebrated author Jack Rogan stumbles upon a hidden diary, he can’t resist investigating. Honouring the last wish of a dying friend, he is irresistibly drawn into a web of intriguing clues, hinting at a long forgotten treasure. 
Joining forces with Cecilia Crawford, a glamorous New York journalist, and Tristan, a remarkable boy with psychic powers, Jack soon finds himself on a precarious journey of discovery, exposing dark secrets from a distant, violent time, when life was cheap and cruelty ruled without mercy. 
Meanwhile, Emil Fuchs, an enigmatic Swiss banker with a murky past, has an agenda of his own. Ruthless, and determined to defend his reputation at all cost, he threatens to expose a fraud that could destroy everything. 
Will Rogan succeed? Can he find the forgotten treasure he has been searching for, or will it be lost forever, depriving the world of a masterpiece that belongs to all mankind?

About the Author:
As a lawyer with a passion for history and archaeology, Gabriel had to wait for many years before being able to pursue another passion—writing—in earnest. However, his love of books and storytelling started long before that.
‘I remember as a young boy reading biographies and history books with a torch under the bed covers,’ he recalls, ‘and then writing stories about archaeologists and explorers the next day, instead of doing homework. Whilst I regularly got into trouble for this, I believe we can only do well in our endeavours if we are passionate about the things we love; for me, writing has become a passion.’ 
Born in Budapest, Gabriel grew up in post-War Europe, and after fleeing Hungary with his parents during the Revolution in 56, he went to school in Austria before arriving in Australia as a teenager. This allowed him to become multi-lingual and feel ‘at home’ in different countries and diverse cultures. Shaped by a long legal career and experiences spanning several decades and continents, his is a mature voice that speaks in many tongues. 
Gabriel holds degrees in literature and law, speaks several languages and takes research and authenticity very seriously. Inquisitive by nature, he studied Egyptology and learned to read the hieroglyphs. He travels extensively and visits all of the locations mentioned in his books.
‘I try to weave fact and fiction into a seamless storyline,’ he explains. ‘By blurring the boundaries between the two, the reader is never quite sure where one ends, and the other begins. This is of course quite deliberate as it creates the illusion of authenticity and reality in a work that is pure fiction. A successful work of fiction is a balancing act: reality must rub shoulders with imagination in a way that is both entertaining and plausible.’
Gabriel lives in the Blue Mountains in Australia just outside Sydney, surrounded by a World Heritage National Park. 
‘The beauty and solitude of this unique environment,’ he points out, ‘gives me inspiration and the energy to weave my thoughts and ideas into stories which, I sincerely hope, will in turn entertain and inspire my readers.’

Connect with the Author:

My Take on the Book:
This was a very quick read for me; it introduces some new characters (which I only got a short glimmer of), and a lot of the old characters from Gabriel Farago's other books. Out of the two books that I read, 'The Hidden Genes of Professor K' and this one, I still prefer 'Hidden Genes'. This is a novella and I ended up giving it a 4 star rating and got a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Last Word:
Please note that this book doesn't seem to be on Amazon (though I could be mistaken on this, but I have looked); I have looked in other places, but also couldn't find it anywhere else, though it is listed on Goodreads.

Enjoy,
Carmen.

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