World War II Drama and Romance -- Chasing Mona Lisa

UPDATE (January 24, 2012): 

The authors of Chasing Mona Lisa are sponsoring a spy-themed prize package giveaway, and a Facebook party with a live author chat.

The Prize package includes an iTouch, a Starbucks gift card, a moleskin notebook and more! Value is over $275. Contest ends January 31 .

Here is a link to the Facebook / Live Author Chat Party: http://www.facebook.com/events/217278548356161/

And links to enter the giveaway:

Microsite: http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/186404

Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/sweepstakeshq/contests/186404

Twitter: https://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/twitter/233/contests/186404/entries/new

Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey is a dramatic story set in France and Switzerland near the end of World War II.  Swiss OSS agents Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler are caught up in an adventure to protect one of France's national treasures -- Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.  Bernard Rousseau and Collette Perriard each have their own personal reasons for being involved in the chase as well.

During Nazi rule of France, many art treasures were purchased or stolen and placed in the private collections of those with money and power.  Other pieces were protected and hidden by loyal French citizens, with plans to return them to their rightful "homes" when it was safe to do so.  As the liberation of France approaches, clashes between nations and between competing factions within the home country put the future of da Vinci's masterpience in danger.  The story is filled with danger, intrigue, and romance as the race is on to see who will finally get their hands on La Joconde, as she is known in French.

Chasing Mona Lisa is apparently a sequel to The Swiss Courier.  There are a few references in the story that might have been more meaningful if I had read the previous book, but I found no problem in reading it as a stand alone.  The story is full of fascinating historical facts and names, interwoven with the fictitious events.  At times, I had a little trouble keeping up with "who's who" in the various groups.  That confusion and the large amount of historical information sometimes got in the way of the story; but mostly it fit in with the suspense of finding out who were the "good guys" and the "bad guys" in the story.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an intriguing mystery and has any interest in the time period of World War II.  If it is a good example of the writing of these authors, I would certainly enjoy reading more of their work.

Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

This book was provided free for my honest review from Revell.