Synopsis

It was supposed to be a simple heist. But running with art thieves could get them killed.

San Francisco. Disgraced investigative journalist Camden Swanson spends his nights guzzling beer and penning nonsensical poetry. Forced into working as a museum guard after writing a drug-addled story that lost him his job, his life takes a wild twist when he’s offered a huge sum to help steal his employer’s prized Matisse statues. But when someone else mysteriously snatches the sculptures first, Camden’s beautiful benefactor accuses him of the crime and demands he return them … or die.

Unable to persuade the vengeful femme fatale that he didn’t double-cross her, Camden engages the help of Veronica Zarcarsky, a recent journalism school grad. When they discover a shocking secret and everything they’ve learned turns out to be a lie, Swanson suffers a brutal attack and his partner is nearly murdered. Can the ragtag duo crack the case before they end up in the obituaries?

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Review

I was quite surprised by the depth of this book, the characters, the plot, and the outcome. I don’t think I knew what I was getting into when I started this book, but once the suspense of the art heist and what was really going on came to light, it intrigued me even more than I would have expected.

Camden is a character that you will love and hate all at the same time. He threw away a promising career as a journalist and now works as a security guard in an art gallery. You can see his faults, and while you might commiserate with him, he put himself into his current position. But throughout the story, you can see him grow and change for the better. Perhaps the situation he finds himself in lends itself to that growth.

This situation also is a boon for Veronica. Veronica wanted to be Nellie Bly but hasn’t found the right way into this field. That is until the art heist and the drama surrounding the situation. But can she write a story that is worthy of the situation and potential readers?

This is thriller-esque, at least compared to the normal thrillers I read. But don’t let that fool you! There is danger, chases, deceit, and so much more.

Definitely worth the read, and we give it 5 paws up.

About the Author

Michael Ostrowski is the author of the critically acclaimed mystery-thriller Lost in the Fog, as well as the humorous yet gritty Hollywood novel A Model Community. Born and raised just outside of Boston, he is a New Englander at heart and an alum of both Boston University and Emerson College. Since graduating he has wandered far from home, residing at different times in Key West, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, and now Miami Beach.

Travel is a passion, and in 2019 Michael walked 550 miles across France and Spain on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, and then journeyed throughout Portugal before sailing across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. He chronicled those adventures and more in his blog, Get Lost in the Fog.

Michael was inspired to write Lost in the Fog from his days working as a guard at an art museum, where he combated boredom by scribbling nonsensical poems and ideas for a heist in a tiny notebook, to the dismay of his supervisors. Book number two in the series moves from foggy San Francisco to sunny Hawaii, and the third will take place on the trails of the Camino de Santiago.

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