When the email inviting me to read a debut novel described as A perfect blend of the Nordic noir of The Bridge television series and the Italianate luxury of The Talented Mr Ripley dropped into my inbox of course I couldn’t say no. 

The Less Unkind introduces us to Pico, a language student studying in Copenhagen who gets a summer job working for the eccentric art dealer Antonio Bartrum. When Antonio disappears Pico gets drawn into a murky world of organised crime and art theft. She will have to use all her language and puzzle solving abilities to try and decipher the clues that her boss has left. As Pico and her friend Leo get drawn into a mystery that has her travelling across Europe from Italy, to Denmark they soon realise that this goes far beyond just a missing person!

This was an interesting read. The writing was very descriptive which gave a really evocative feel to the novel. The descriptions of place and pictures were fascinating and I liked the fact that the storyline was broken up by some lighter moments especially from Pico’s friend Leo who brought an element of fun to the novel.

The story started off quite slowly but it soon started speeding up as the mystery became more and more complex. Apparently the main character is based on the authors real life experiences of working in Europe for the man who became know as the ‘Umbrella Assasin’ and that real life experience really came through in this novel.

I did enjoy this story and it intrigued me enough that I had to do my own research into the crimes this was based on. A great debut novel that fans of art history and travel will love.

A massive thank you to Midas PR not only for the chance to read this debut novel but also for the lovely gift that was sent including some really tasty chocolate, and a box that Eric Catana soon took a shine to!