{"product_id":"9780595616084","title":"Shadowing Botticelli's Beauty","description":"A suspenseful tale of Borgesian circularity, \u003ci\u003eShadowing Botticelli's Beauty\u003c\/i\u003e features an unusual cast drawn from three distinct spheres: C.I.A. operatives running sensitive operations during the Cold War; players from the art world among them a painter-architect based in Buenos Aires, and from ages past, the Renaissance master, Sandro Botticelli; and colorful inhabitants of an elite, New England prep school. But throughout this sinuous tale of intrigue, there is the constancy of \"Abel Baaker Charlie:\" devoted husband; journeyman case officer; apprentice school master; autodidactic painter; and, last but not least, self-appointed art detective. While weathering the chaos of revolutions, personal tragedies, identity crises, a treacherous colleague, and radical career shifts, the novel's dauntless protagonist tenaciously stalks a lost masterpiece looted by a Nazi war criminal in the closing days of World War II. Baaker's story, which has a basis in fact, is told with the assuredness of a veteran insider privy to the clandestine realm of spies, the arcane province of art historians, and the twisted turf of private boarding schools. While making for a fine read, with its rewarding resolution, \u003ci\u003eShadowing Botticelli's Beauty\u003c\/i\u003e ponders the opposing roles of chance and grand design in the destiny of its memorable characters.","brand":"iUniverse, Incorporated","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47103864176880,"sku":"9780595616084","price":6.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780595616084_p0.jpg?v=1763723272","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780595616084","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}