The Madrid Connection

Connections, #2

by

Tim Parfitt

Compelling why-done-it featuring a stolen Caravaggio and corruption in European football set in atmospheric Madrid, Spain.

The Madrid Connection is the second book in author Tim Parfitt's intriguing art mysteries Connections series, featuring British art detective Benjamin Blake, but it can easily be read as a standalone novel. With a bevy of well-developed characters, a vibrant setting, and a robust, complex plot, Parfitt's tale had me glued to my seat, wondering how all its intriguing elements would come together. 

Benjamin Blake is in Madrid to assist a client with an art restitution case when the renowned Prado Museum is broken into, a famous Caravaggio is stolen, and a beloved, elderly security guard is brutally murdered. When the government's Culture Ministry approaches him to help recover the missing masterpiece, he agrees, not realizing the theft was only the tip of a much more dangerous criminal plan. 

Although Benjamin Blake is the engaging main character of the book and series, he is surrounded by several other well-developed characters, each with a strong presence in the complex storyline. Elena Carmona, Kai Leroux, Mie Zhang, Inspector Barroso, Borja Falco, and Lorenzo Martelli all tell critical parts of the story that Blake is attempting to piece together, even as he's warned off the case. I enjoyed these strong perspectives as the story unfolded. 

An important aspect of the story is its vivid setting in Madrid, Spain. The city comes alive under Parfitt's touch, and readers get a definite feeling of place. The setting is almost a character in and of itself, with vibrant descriptions of sights, sounds, smells, everyday scenes, and the actions and attitudes of its people. 

While the plot is complicated, each separate storyline is developed through the perspective of a specific set of characters, making it easy to keep things straight. Not all is tense and focused on the terrible murders, though, as some of the situations depicted have humorous results for Blake, such as his Airbnb fiasco and his experiences with the BiciMad city bike. However, there are some graphic depictions of violence, but they are appropriate to the scene and story. The author keeps building the suspense with some surprising twists as those investigating the murder and the theft follow the few clues they have, and the seemingly unconnected storylines eventually converge. There are some clever surprises on the way to the final resolution, and the story ends with an intriguing teaser for the next book in the series. 

I recommend THE MADRID CONNECTION to readers of mysteries and thrillers, especially those with an interest in art, European football and betting, and Madrid.

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