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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Violence; a terrible act of violence at the novel's climax
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Some
Adult sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Themes of self-deception, ambition, and crossing a moral line you cannot uncross
What this book is about
Willeford's 1971 literary crime novel follows James Figueras, an art critic manipulated into stealing a painting from the legendary recluse Jacques Debierue. Elegant, dark, and deeply unsettling. For adults.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Violence
Psychological darkness
Reader Verification
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