A Back Room in Somers Town

As an art dealer, Tim Simpson doesn't have the luxury of thinking only about aesthetics; he may have an artist's heart, but it had better be covered with a businessman's pinstripes if he s going to turn a profit. With that skill-set, Simpson's new job seems ideal: He's been hired by a London merchant bank to buy art -- as an investment -- for its obscenely wealthy clients. The first painting he sees, though, won't make anyone rich. It has a real appeal, but the artist -- a one-time protegee of Walter Sickert's -- has no collectible value. However, it seems somebody wanted the painting; within hours of Simpson's first viewing, the painting's been stolen and the dealer killed. Simpson pokes around to little effect -- sleuthing is not part of his skill-set -- but it isn't until the bank sends him to Brazil, on apparently unrelated business, that he solves the riddle of A Back Room in Somers Town.