The Costa Affair is a crime novel, set in New York. It is part of a series around detective Maggie Flynn, and although I haven’t read any of the other books, this book works very well as a stand-alone.

The Costa Affair sees Det. Maggie Flynn and her colleague deep into the murky world of Art. I learned a lot from this book, not just about art and artists, but also about crimes involving art. Maggie and Tommy, her colleague, are called to investigate a missing man, Costa. Costa is a big name in the art world as a collector and buyer/seller of art. His cleaning lady alerts the police that Costa has disappeared, and tells Maggie and Tommy that four paintings have gone missing.

Lisa Fantino, the author, has done a great job in drawing us into the story. The book starts with Costa hiding in his safe room, Maggie looking forward to a quiet shift at work and the cleaning lady reporting her employer missing.

The Costa Affair isn’t fast-paced but has several interesting twists and turns. The cleaning lady is a lot more than just the cleaner. Costa in his hiding place, safer than it should have been. Crooks in Italy, putting pressure on their people. And Maggie and Tommy, who make a wonderful team.

I loved the Italian background to The Costa Affair, the different foods mentioned and the Italian phrases. I expected a usual Italian Mafia story, but this was different and way more interesting. I would love to see more of Babbitt, the slippery lawyer, as he made such an interesting character!

The Costa Affair was an interesting read, as it’s not the usual detective/crime story. It has a lot of information about art and selling art, woven artfully into the story. Lisa’s background as a journalist shines through in the way she summarizes lots of factual information in a readable way, clearly explained in an interesting manner. The ending is rather abrupt, making me wonder what happened to all key players, but that might be for another book!

The Costa Affair is a rather quick read, making it perfect for a relaxing evening, filling your mind with Art as well as crime. It’s a clean read, with lovely eating places, rich clients and fun characters.

I received a review copy via Love Books Tours but was under no pressure or obligation to write a favourable review.