Henry Sirola, a world-renowned art and jewel thief, is given a new assignment by the Croatian mob to retrieve a priceless artifact previously lost to history. He knows it could be the biggest score of his life, but he has a secret. He’s also an FBI informant.
Henry and his associates are tasked with securing the artifact in Brazil where their mission spirals out of control, and when they return home, an assassin strikes at the heart of their team.
With his former girlfriend, Isabell, Henry now must hunt down a cold-blooded killer. A series of clues leads to a mysterious farmhouse in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and a laptop that just might hold the answers to his troubled past.
Meanwhile, an NSA agent seeks information about the man known only as The Shadowmaker. Henry fights to keep his identity hidden, but he and his team are summoned to Europe to finish the mission and find a buyer for the mob’s priceless new treasure. His battle for survival has only begun as his quest for the truth will take him from the bistros and castles of Italy to the back alleys of Zürich, and he will be forced to choose between the safety of the FBI and life of boundless wealth.
The Shadowmaker hurtles through the dark underworld of organized crime in pursuit of self-discovery as the battle between good and evil turns personal.
I received this advance reader copy from Eve at Wild Blue Press.
Review: The Shadowmaker by T.J. Champitto
This is Book 1 of the Shadowmaker series and the story opens with thirty-three-year-old Henry Sirola in the atrium of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts about to snatch a famous painting by Joachim Patinir. Immediately I am hooked because - well - I adore Flemish Renaissance landscapes and The Thomas Crown Affair (1999 version) is a movie I am rather keen on.
Once I make up my mind to read a thriller, I want it to grab my attention and this one does that. Soon, we are witnessing Henry's skillful precision and the Ružaro clan’s operations. A heist worth a quarter of a million dollars is nothing to sneeze at - but Henry has much more in store.
I love that this story alternates between the United States and Europe. Henry began this life of thievery as a child and the plot pulls in hidden routes used to avoid being seen or heard that we have grown to expect. I know some people think the secret passage is overused in detective fiction stories but I am not one of them. I say bring on the fictional routes to clever compartments, secret panels, and hidden doors.
Now, getting back to Henry. For those of you that are into character descriptions and traits, I will let you know that Henry is very good at scheming. He is well built, dresses in expensive navy-blue suits, and lives in a penthouse. Henry eats cheesesteak, drinks vodka on the rocks, and drives a vehicle that top speed is around 200 miles per hour.
Henry's x - girlfriend Isabell is brought into the mix as she speaks six languages and is an expert in Eastern European cultures. Their team assembles to meet a potential buyer of stones in Sorrento, Italy and we find Henry and Isabell still have a connection that goes well beyond that of retrieving the priceless artifact.
This cast of characters exchanges a lot of banter. You know I like to study personalities, mood changes, and reactions and I will tell you there are characters I immediately don't like. I started to type a list of who and where and decided to just delete it all and tell you that this story has nameless operatives and connections to major crime organizations. People are wanted for war crimes and they are being sought by Operation Evergreen- a multi-agency initiative that needs people who know how to obtain access.
I like that the action builds and the plot thickens throughout this read which includes potential scenarios, surveillance, death, and tactical secrecy. I would have to say that the final reveal is a reflective one in the Shadowmaker.
The Shadowmaker, is set for an October 25, 2022, global release.
About the Author
T.J. Champitto is the author of The Medina Device, which was given the 2020 PenCraft Award for literary excellence as well as the Maxy Award for Best Thriller. His debut has been published in over twenty countries around the world.
In 2020, The Medina Device became an Amazon Bestseller in the U.S. and was named one of Amazon’s Top 10 Movers & Shakers. Champitto’s latest novel, The Shadowmaker, is set for an October 25, 2022, global release and is the first in a new series that follows one of the world’s greatest thieves.
Born in Troy, New York, the author now resides in Greenville, South Carolin