Esther Brookstone live!
[Sometimes my characters seem all too real. After I finished the book, I had a discussion with Scotland Yard’s Arts and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone, the protagonist of my new book Rembrandt’s Angel (Penmore Press). We’d just sat down in the living room of her flat near the grand piano with her 3D-printer copy of a Bernini bust to enjoy cheese, crackers, and a glass of shiraz.]
Steve: I’m so pleased you let me visit with you here at your flat in London. It has a simple elegance that makes one feel right at home.
Esther: I find it comfortable too. I suppose you want to discuss my last case?
Steve: No, I want to discuss you. How is your relationship with the Interpol agent going?
Esther: Swimmingly. I still don’t know if I’ll make him husband number four, but we enjoy each other’s company.
Steve: I understand it’s a bit more than that. Did your adventures together trying to recover the painting “An Angel with Titus’ Features” bring you closer?
Esther: Of course. Why wouldn’t they? I became obsessed with that masterpiece and put us in all kinds of danger. People often draw closer in such circumstances, and I’d known Bastriann van Coevorden for a while.
Steve: Tell me about those adventures.
Esther: It all started simply. I noticed my old school chum received an invitation to an auction of the painting.
Steve: I heard it differently. Didn’t you find out that it was an auction farther into the case?
Esther: Yes. Details.
Steve: What was the worst aspect of your psychological and physical battles with the neo-Nazis?
Esther: Do you mean beyond thinking we were going to die?
Steve: That too.
Esther: The worst physical ordeal was being locked up in that basement at the Norwegian chalet and thinking we were going to be killed. That was after I disrupted the bidding process.
Steve: And the worst mental anguish?
Esther: The rage and frustration I felt that those blokes had that painting and were about to sell it to someone who would enjoy possessing a masterpiece that no one else could see.
Steve: Is stopping the latter your primary motivation for your work?
Esther: Usually for the big cases. If I were a rich old lady, I’d buy stolen paintings and put them in museums so everyone could admire them. After arresting the art thieves, of course. Or I’d return them to their rightful owners if I could determine who they were.
Steve: That’s noble of you. It’s hard for me to imagine that to be enough motivation to bring your last case to a somewhat satisfying end, though.
Esther: There’s a quote from that great Irish writer George Bernard Shaw that explains my attitude: “You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.”
Steve: I’ll drink to that.
Esther: Maybe we should change to Irish whiskey then.
***
To see more about saucy Esther Brookstone, see Rembrandt’s Angel (Penmore Press), which is now available as an ebook on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple and as a print book on Amazon or at your local bookstore through Ingram (ask for it if they don’t have it). Don’t miss it. It’s great summer reading.
In libris libertas!
