From extortion and blackmail to burglary and murder, Jacques Figueras, a fast-talking, back-stabbing self-made art critic with more charm than scruples, will go to any lengths to further his flashy career. And he does, in this neo-noir novel, when he accepts the commission of a wealthy American art collector to interview a famous but elusive French painter in sunny Florida – and more nefariously, to thieve his latest work of art.