This is a fictional murder mystery. A woman who is restores paintings is commissioned to work on a masterpiece by a Flemish master. She finds a hidden mystery in the painting that sends her on a journey to solve a murder committed 500 years ago. I thought it was great. A couple of the characters I thought were stereotypes, but overall a great read.

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A 500 year old mystery about chess, life and art

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I learned alot about chess reading this book, I also learned a lot about the art world. A masterful story!

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Pictures within pictures, life imitates art. Mystery based on chess set in Madrid's art world.

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A charming mystery albeit a little heavy on the chess theme; I don't play the game and it was a little much, but still intriguing, with an ending I didn't forsee. I took it on a trip and it was a good way to occupy the time.

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Amazingly I found the depiction of the chess problems (I'm nothing more than a novice player who hardly ever beats the game in the Windows version on my PC) more interesting than the plot. I thought the heroine was not that interesting (although her occupation is.) Unlike The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon which brought Barcelona to life, Madrid was just a vague background to the story here. I also thought a representation of the painting would have been a nice touch (the copy I had showed chess pieces on the cover.) Never did manage to finish it, either, so maybe it got better after the first half?

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I had not read this author's work before, but I'm very impressed with his writing. Even though chess played a major role in the plot he made it understandable for someone with only a rudimentary understanding of the game. I thoroughly enjoyed this read!

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Astonishingly intricate, a cerebral mystery that will satisfy any intellectual, even if not a chess aficionado. A small cast of characters, lots of interesting detail about 16th century Flemish art. A very satisfying read.

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