This second novel by American writer Elizabeth Kostova moves from the vampires of her first novel (The Historian, which searches across centuries to solve the mystery of Vlad the Impaler) to the visual arts, both past and present. Like her debut novel, The Swan Thieves crisscrosses centuries in an effort to solve a mystery -- well, in fact, several mysteries. Why did Robert Oliver, a talented contemporary artist on the cusp of greatness, attempt to deface a famous Impressionist painting hanging in the National Gallery? Why did he refuse to speak to his psychiatrist month after month? What are the letters that he carries, reading and re-reading them? And who is the dark-haired beauty with whom he is clearly obsessed? The answers to these questions are gradually revealed in this finely written and hard-to-put down book. A terrific read! (EEW)