THE MENDELSSOHN CONNECTION BY JAMES W. MACNUTT. REVIEW BY PAM BORDEN.

The Mendelssohn Connection by James W. Macnutt published by Austin Macauley is a fun mystery thriller set in Central Europe and New York ca 2006. The novel begins with a short-scheduled trip to Europe taken by Canadian lawyer from Prince Edward Island, Will MacIntosh and his college friend, a Jewish surgeon to recharge their midlife professional and personal batteries. The unannounced true purpose of the visit is for Dr. Isaac Menshive to visit the locales of various assets hidden in plain sight by an ancient trust of which he has become the beneficiary to evaluate the holdings. The novel includes surprise attacks by Russian oligarchs, several high speed car chases, a rollicking vodka-soaked evening in a rustic Ukrainian hunting lodge complete with mounted wild boar heads and the story culminates with. Fast-paced art sale at Christie’s New York auction house.

A strong feature of this novel is the unique sense of place that Macnutt weaves with his detailed descriptions of art, architecture and local landmarks described as scenes of action with story, he has gathered through a total of over fifty trips to European taken annually since his first visit which formed the basis of his travel memoir On Five Dollars a Day: An Innocent Abroad in Europe Summer 1965.

The intricate plot has been carefully devised and the chemistry and banter between Will and Isaac is enjoyable to follow with its realistic dialogue. Add one or two sexual encounters and some attempts by our protagonists to conceal their identities in unique, sometimes unlikely disguises which succeed in ramping up the action and the reader will have a lot of fun reaching the conclusion of the story.

Did I say that the plot lines all become resolved by the end of the novel? Far from it. Stay tuned to the follow-up titles The Odessa Connection and The 9/11 Connection also to be released in late 2021 by Austin Macauley.

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