O Sacred Head: A Fred Taylor Art Mystery

by Nicholas Kilmer

Book Overview

Art expert Fred Taylor is the agent for paranoid Beacon Hill collector Clayton Reed, a civilized man yet utterly ruthless collector. Fred supplies not only the brainwork, but the muscle, in their association. And from time to time, Fred either runs with, or outfoxes, the police.

It is the cops, in fact, who plunge him into his latest detection (after Harmony in Flesh and Black and Man with a Squirrel) by inviting him into a grisly murder...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1890208485
• ISBN13: 9781890208486
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

And you though Art Was Boring

Death, dismemberment, violence, outwitting the police, where to start with this thrilling mystery? And it also involves art! Fred Taylor, accomplished Viet Nam veteran has his own demons (PTSD), to contend with as he works through the dark side of the art business.

Waiting for Kilmer's next book!

I logged on to see if anything is listed as forthcoming from this tremendous writer. I first picked up one of his books at my library, noticing the word "squirrel" on the cover - and I was hooked. While I immediately learned he offered nothing on squirrels, his human characters are portrayed with warmth, humor and intelligence. Searching for more by Kilmer after going through his mysteries, I read A Place in Normandy. Now I want he and his family to continue on with their personal lives so warmly and humorously shared, but I do hope he leaves some time for writing! Carol Frost Vercollone, author of Helping the Stork

A terrific mystery by an author on his way to the top

The Boston police ask noted art expert Fred Taylor to identify and authenticate a painting found at a gruesome murder scene. The headless victim was crucified with the painting of Christ replacing the corpse's missing head. Fred determines that the painting that allegedly cries in blood, is a fake. At about the same time, Fred's employer Clayton Reed has the opportunity to purchase a collection consisting of the Old Masters from two different dealers. However, neither dealer will allow Clayton or Fred to see the paintings. However, one of the dealers is soon murdered. Fred manages to obtain photocopies of the set and quickly confirms that they are all forgeries. The similarities between the Christ "miracle" painting and the Old Masters's set lead Fred to conclude that they all come from the same collection and that the two killings are connected. However, as Fred gets closer to identifying the headless corpse and the killer, he better watch his step or he will become the next death statistic. O SACRED HEAD is an excellent contemporary who-done-it due to the fabulous characters. Fred is a genuine connoisseur who stays planted on the ground due to his charming girl friend and her precocious children. The mystery is complex and is brilliantly intertwined with an art world that showcases beauty while concealing its ugly and seedy side. With this masterpiece and its predecessors, Nicholas Kilmer has successfully opened up a unique sub-genre that will thrill more than just art fans. Harriet Klausner