Stealing the Countess (McKenzie Series #13)

by David Housewright

Overview

Since becoming an unlikely millionaire and quitting the St. Paul Police Department, Rushmore McKenzie has been working as an unlicensed private investigator, basically doing favors for friends and people in need. But even for him, this latest job is unusual. He's been asked to find a stolen Stradivarius, known as the Countess Borromeo, that only the violinist seems to want him to find.

Stolen from a locked room in a B&B in the violinist's former hometown of Bayfield, Wisconsin, the violin is valued at $4 million and is virtually irreplaceable. But the foundation that owns it and their insurance company refuses to pay the thief (or thieves) for its safe return. However, Paul Duclos, the violinist who has played it for the past twelve years, is desperate to get it back and offers to pay the thief out of his own pocket.

Though it's not his usual sort of case, McKenzie is intrigued and decides to help, which means going against the local police, the insurance company, the FBI's Art Crime division, and his own lawyer's advice. And, as he quickly learns, there's a lot more going on than the mere theft of a priceless instrument.

Praise for STEALING THE COUNTESS:

"A Stradivarius goes missing and all hell breaks loose in the thirteenth entry in Edgar-winning Housewright's very strong Rushmore McKenzie series... Though the novels are loosely based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, the series makes great use of the variegated landscapes-filled with opportunities for crime and escape-of Minnesota and Wisconsin... Greatly enhancing the story are the fascinating details Housewright provides on the history and design of these priceless instruments." -Booklist, starred review

"The brazen theft of a Stradivarius violin known as the Countess Borromeo, valued at $4 million, provides Rushmore McKenzie with some ethical challenges in Housewright's entertaining 13th mystery featuring the unlicensed St. Paul, Minn., PI (after 2015's Unidentified Woman #15)... The charming lead enhances the crime puzzle, which is both complex and logical." -Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643960890
Publisher:	Down & Out Books
Publication date:	08/31/2020
Series:	Rushmore McKenzie Series , #13
Pages:	306
Sales rank:	347,814
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

DAVID HOUSEWRIGHT has won the Edgar Award and is the three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for his crime fiction. He is the current president of the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA). His books include The Devil May Care, The Last Kind Word, and Curse of the Jady Lily. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Editorial Reviews

03/28/2016
The brazen theft of a Stradivarius violin known as the Countess Borromeo, valued at $4 million, provides Rushmore McKenzie with some ethical challenges in Housewright’s entertaining 13th mystery featuring the unlicensed St. Paul, Minn., PI (after 2015’s Unidentified Woman #15). Maestro Paul Duclos, whose violin was stolen during a visit to his hometown in Wisconsin from the bed-and-breakfast where he was staying, turns to McKenzie for help. Unfortunately, the musician’s insurance company refuses to pay a reward for the violin’s return until someone has been convicted for taking it. Duclos asks McKenzie to play middleman and offer $250,000 for the safe return of the countess, no questions asked. In accepting the assignment, McKenzie knows he’s guilty of committing a felony. The charming lead enhances the crime puzzle, which is both complex and logical. Agent: Alison Pickard, Alison J. Picard Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"All hell breaks loose in the thirteenth entry in Edgar-winning Housewright’s very strong Mac McKenzie series... The series makes great use of the variegated landscapes - filled with opportunities for crime and escape - of Minnesota and Wisconsin... Greatly enhancing the story are the fascinating details Housewright provides on the history and design of these priceless instruments [Stradivarius violins]." - Booklist (starred review)

"The brazen theft of a Stradivarius violin ... provides Rushmore McKenzie with some ethical challenges in Housewright’s entertaining 13th mystery featuring the unlicensed St. Paul, Minn., PI... The charming lead enhances the crime puzzle, which is both complex and logical." - Publisher's Weekly

"Housewright has such a pleasing writing style that the who-done-it aspect of things can almost be looked upon as a literary bonus." - The Gazette

"A thoroughly satisfying jaunt with an ending that's tied up as pretty as a bow; in short, it's the perfect read for a summer weekend." - Criminal Element

From the Publisher

05/01/2016
Unlicensed PI Rushmore McKenzie is hired by Paul Duclos to recover his priceless Stradivarius violin. But when Mac gets to Bayfield, WI, where the instrument was stolen, too many things don't add up—and then the shooting starts. Following Unidentified Woman #15, Housewright's 13th series title is well plotted and engaging. [Library marketing.]

Library Journal