“The Flanders Panel” by Arturo Perez-Reverte

“The Flanders Panel” is a great thriller based on a painting by Pieter Van Huys. This painting which is called The Game of Chess which was painted by him in 1471. It shows two chess players battling it out on a chessboard.

Underlying the simplistic fairly routine game of chess depicted in the painting holds the key to solving an age old mystery or to be precise a murder case committed five centuries ago. Julia an art expert tasked with the restoration of the game of chess stumbles upon a secret imbedded in the painting. It seems that the unfinished chess game is still being played by a master chess player or players murdering people based on the chess moves.

The novel is deep, philosophical, educative, entertaining and thrilling. Arturo Perez -Reverte masterfully weaves the plot around a game of chess depicted in an old painting. It is only a great writer who can write a thrilling story around a chess game.

The Flanders Panel makes one remember another great writer Saramago whose extraordinary writing ability make it possible for him to write a master piece around the theme of blindness. “The Flanders Panel” shows an indebt knowledge of chess and extraordinary imagination. It is worth reading.

“Beach Road” by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge

“Beach Road” is a thriller by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge.  It tells the story of Dante Halleyville, a promising basketball player who has been implicatedin a triple murder case.  Tom Dunleavy believes in his innocence. He solicits the services of her former lover Kate Costello, an astute lawyer to help him prevent Dante from going to jail.

Most people believe that Dante is guilty. Acorrupt policeman is also bent on implicating Dante at all cost. He is bent on planting evidence in order to implicate him. The case against Dante is very strong and it will be a herculean task for Dunleavy and Costello to get him off the hook. The prosecutorial team is also determined to nail Dante Halleyville. They will leave no stone unturned. 

However, there is someone high at the top manipulating all others. The denouement will leave the reader shocked. The reader would not have expected such a climax.

The plot is thrilling in simple prose. Every character is made to tell his or her side of the story which is beautifully put together to develop the plot. This is certainly an uncommon form of plot development and storytelling style.

Patterson writes in an uncomplicated style and language. The movement from the perspective of one character to the other stalls the thrill a bit. There are parts of the novel that massacre reality for plot development expediency. To give concrete examples will be giving the story away.

In spite of my mild criticisms “Beach Road” is certainly a great novel worth reading. It is entertaining, thrilling. Thumbs up to  Pattterson and de jonge for a such great novel.