Rating: 
Summary: THRILLER - I hope this is only the beginning!
Review: From the beginning of this page turner, you will be hypnotically transported into Santlofer's New York, inside the city's facinating art world and the dark corners of a killer's mind. I am halfway through this incredible book and need to share my enthusiasm about this new voice in fiction. Mr. Santlofer crafts his words and constructs each scene with such clarity that I literally felt scared sitting in my chair. This artist has sculpted a literary work of fine art. I feel like I have already seen the movie, with scenes so haunting, the images will not soon be forgotten.The characters are all so real, not cliche or predictable. I can't wait to finish this book so I can to read it all over again. I hope that this is only the beginning of a series with Kate McKinnon - a cop with good taste!
Rating:
Summary: A Classy Heroine in a Classy Book!
Review: From the Prologue to the last chapter The Death Artist leads the reader through many twists and turns with a classy backdrop of Art and the New York scene. The action comes as fast as the surprises. Kate McKinnon is a perfect heroine and I hope we see her again. Santlofer's apparent knowledge of art and the art world adds something to this suspense story that creates a new experience for the reader. One gets to know each of the characters well, although its not always clear who the good guys are! Santlofer has created a unique variation in the tradition of the great mystery thriller writers.
Rating: 
Summary: Murder as Art
Review: Jonathan Santlofer, a painter and artist, decided to take his knowledge of the art world and transfer it to the page in this nifty little thriller that is filled with twists and surprises. Not that the book is highly original. It's a very basic cop-after-killer story. What makes it stand out so much is the world Santlofer brings us into, and his heroine, who you will both love and hate. Kate is an ex-cop turned art critic who is suddenly thrown in the middle of a murder case when her protege is savagely murdered. And the killer is far from done; he will kill many more victims, all of them members of the art world, all of them murdered in a way depicting a classical painting.Kate is quickly given a temporary PD license so that she can assist the police force in the investigation. The book is filled with dozens of characters, all of them eccentric and original. You'll never have any problem differentiating them. Each and everyone becomes a suspect, even Kate's big-shot attorney husband. There are many characters you'll just love to hate. Even Kate, with her strong head but penchant for fashion and looks, isn't all that likeable at times. It's evident that Santlofer knows the world he is writing about. The locations, the dialogue and the situations are all very vivid. And what the plot lacks in originality, it regains in characterization and pacing. The novel moves along at the speed of a bullet; there is never a dull moment in The Death Artist. The Death Artist also gives us a very original killer. Short scenes from his point of view are scattered across the book, turning the narrative into a very chilling and engaging piece of suspense. The Death Artist is a great debut by a talented painter and writer. I can't wait to read Santlofer's next book!
Rating: 
Summary: Keep Shopping
Review: Kate McKinnon is an ex-cop socialite/art scholar/philanthopist lured back to her cop's lifestyle by a string of grisley murder's in New York's art scene. The plot sound a little trite? It could, but the author's superb skills as a novelist prevent this thriller from becoming trite. The main character of Kate is a very likable heroine, surrounded by a colourful cast of supporting character's with their own shadow's and demons making them feel very real at least to this reader. About two thirds of the way through I pondered if maybe Kate wasn't a little too perfect to maintain the gritty tone of the tale, yet Santofeler countered this potential pitfall nicely by upping Kate's paranoia to match the reader's reminding us that she could be a live person. This book does have some graphic description, yet it all is tied in with the plot as opposed to gratiutous voilence to sell copies. I was very much drawn into the art world, and explored the shadows and darkness along with Kate.
This thriller isn't perfekt but I challenge fellow reviewers to show me a perfekt thiller and I'll ask yes but can you show me a perfect one? It is close enough for me especially considering what a strong first effort it is by the author and I eagerly await some mover and shaker in Hollywood to buy the movie rights to this book as it seems almost too adaptable to the big screen, so I recommend you read this book, but careful to massage your knuckles once in a while to prevent whiteness as you peruse this page turner.
Rating: 
Summary: This less than spectacular effort lacks originality
Review: Serial killer novels are always in danger of becoming quite redundant. If they are read one after the other, they might appear to be difficult to distinguish. For example, cute and clever killings has been done again and again. Immediately coming to mind are the fine novels of John Connelly. Of course, Thomas Harris must always be conjured up with his Lechter novels. Jonathan Santlofer throws his debut novel into the mix and it is the very lack of originality that that I find most irritating.
Kate McKinnon is an ex-cop who has become a famous art historian by hosting her own PBS series. People close to her begin to die. They are murdered and their bodies are arranged similar to famous paintings. Kate, a friend of the NYPD chief of police, is allowed to participate with the police in helping them crack this tough case. As she investigates, it soon becomes apparent that the killer is targeting her.
Kate is an interesting protagonist and one the reader would like to meet. However, she appears a bit too tailor made for the role she plays. How many leave the police force to become famous art historians? I had a lot of trouble buying into this concept. However, once the reader accepts this, it is noted that she is very well created. The other characters are a mixed bunch-- some are sketchily developed and others are quite stereotypic. As noted previously, the killings lack originality in their very nature of trying to be unique. The plot races along quite nicely to the less than satisfactory conclusion. The killer is a character I did not remember meeting previously. In a sense, this is cheating. The bottom line, a less than spectacular effort in a book lacking originality and a bit too long.
Rating:
Summary: This riveting thriller is a whodunit of the highest caliber!
Review: THE DEATH ARTIST (aptly subtitled "A Novel of Suspense") is a taut, riveting thriller set in the New York art world. Jonathan Santlofer, the author, brings to the book a lifetime in the creative and exclusive circle of buyers, curators, experts, and artists. He is the winner of two National Endowment for the Arts painting grants, several Visiting Artist residencies at The Vermont Studio Center, and a variety of other honors. Santlofer knows art --- the classic and the contemporary --- and he puts this knowledge to good use in his first novel, at once educating and entertaining us. Like his paintings, Santlofer's DEATH ARTIST concerns itself with reality versus illusion. The reality is this: Kate McKinnon, a renowned art expert and television luminary of sorts, finds herself drawn into a series of ritualistic murders by someone who seems to have specifically targeted her, her celebrity, and her past. A former detective with the NYPD, Kate is more than familiar with the type of criminal who seems to be pursuing her and taunting her, first with the brutal murder of a young girl she had personally mentored for many years, and then with a string of murders fashioned to give the illusion of paintings by the masters, with victims connected to the city's art scene. It is Kate's job to take the clues the egotistical murderer sends her, weed through the possible suspects (curators, artists, and relations alike) and try to stop the Death Artist before he completes his next piece and, ultimately, before he shares with her his masterpiece. As if the murders themselves were not intriguing enough, Santlofer further tantalizes us with underlying stories of an amateur pornography ring, illegal art dealings, and unimaginable relationships. Remarkably, this is Santlofer's first piece of fiction. Why remarkable? Because Santlofer writes with the flair and technique of a seasoned thriller author. His plot is tight, his characters engaging and likable (or dislikable, if that's his intention), his murders and ensuing mystery unique, his diversions convincingly distracting, and his climax surprising --- and satisfying. This is a whodunit of the highest caliber. THE DEATH ARTIST has all of the elements of some of the best classic thrillers and bodes well for a long career in storytelling. Here's hoping Santlofer will give the pen and the paintbrush equal time in the future. --- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara
Rating:
Summary: deep thriller
Review: The first victim was found dead in his bathtub with an arm hanging over the side as if the individual posed for David when he painted his famous portrait Marat. The second corpse could have modeled for a Picasso masterpiece. The art world is horrified and obviously frightened while law enforcement wonders if a new serial killer, THE DEATH ARTIST, has surfaced. Kate McKinnon Rothstein feels at home with the merging of homicide and art as a former NYPD detective turned art historian though investigating a serial killer is not what she expected to do after a decade away from the force. However, the culprit seems ironically appreciative of her PBS show that leads Kate to try to stop the deranged genius from further imitating art with deadly accuracy. Just looking at the above two paragraphs, readers will think that THE DEATH ARTIST is a by the numbers serial killer, but that would be an inaccurate portrayal of the novel. Though a serial killer tale, the story line contains much deeper insight than usual especially into the mind of the murderer and into the political side of the fine arts. It is no stretch to believe that Kate can combine her two professional experiences in an attempt to track down the homicidal artist, but what turns Jonathan Santlofer's debut novel into a near masterpiece is the secondary flavoring of an insider look at the modern world of art. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Chilling autumn reading
Review: The premise is enticing: a string of murders, each meticulously staged to represent a famous work of art (such as the late-eighteenth-century painting "The Death of Marat" featured on the book's cover). Good ideas that are executed well -- particularly in first novels -- are rare, so it was with cautious optimism that I picked up The Death Artist by long-time painter and first-time author Jonathan Santlofer. Certainly, it's perfect subject matter for an artist to explore, yet I wasn't sure how gracefully the visual would translate into words. As it turns out, it's the painter's eye that gives the book its power: the attention to tiny visual details that evoke a scene; the imagination; and the way the author uses words like brushstrokes, layering them onto the page until, slowly, images take on shape and meaning. The Death Artist succeeds as a mystery, with effective plot twists and frightening psychological drama, but it's more than a novel of suspense. The subtle extras -- realistic characters, insightful glimpses into art history, caricatures of New York's art scene -- set it apart from others of that genre. With some suspense novels, it seems writers exhaust their inspiration in developing the threads of plot, only to race through the denouement, tying up loose ends in a haphazard bundle. But in The Death Artist, the resolution was as carefully crafted as the rest: compelling, terrifying and surprising. The book is edgy, darkly funny and very scary. The pacing is perfect, too: engaging from the first pages, increasingly taut as the story unfolds. I couldn't put the book down till I finished after 3:00 in the morning. I'd recommend it not only to lovers of suspense, but to anyone who enjoys intelligent, lively, insightful storytelling.
Rating:
Summary: Great plot ruined by materialistic, pretentious writing
Review: This book has the distinct privilege of being the worst novel I have ever seen through to completion. The premise of the book was so intriguing that I felt compelled to continue. With each page turned, I had the distinct feeling (or hope?) that Mr. Santlofer had reached maximum stinkiosity. I was wrong. Just because the heroine traipses through the streets of New York wearing Prada does not make this novel "smart and sophisticated". On the contrary: other than a few brief art history lessons, a heightened sense of materialism seems to be all that the author has to offer. There is no sense of character development, no tension to speak of, and a plot that seems to have been slapped together out of convenience. It is as though you are reading about some vague, indistinct cut-outs that are intended to represent the traditional elements of a psychological thriller. So what is left? A well dressed main character in an interesting environs. This is not enough to sustain any novel. The fact that this has garnered any positive feedback is bewildering to the point of being grotesque. If you insist on reading this book, do yourself a favor and pinch your nostrils shut as you read. You will thank me later.
Rating:
Summary: A fast fun read
Review: This was an extremely enjoyable book that really had me guessing until the end. I am a huge fan of the thriller genre and it takes quite a lot to actually make me cringe, but the murder scenes did just that. I can't wait to see what Mr. Santlofer's next book is going to be.
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