The Black Madonna (Storm Syrrell Adventure Series, Book 2)
The Black Madonna of Czestochowa, the priceless object sought by Storm Syrrell and Harry Bennett, the art historian and treasure hunter from Gold of Kings (2009), is Poland’s holiest relic. The painting, a representation of Mary Magdalene cradling the baby Jesus in her arms, was supposedly painted by Saint Luke. Somehow, the Black Madonna has been stolen (and replaced by an exquisite forgery), and now Harry and Storm are racing around the world to get it back. The story takes a while to get going—there’s a lot of prefatory running-about before the Black Madonna is introduced—but once the premise takes hold, Bunn’s mixture of adventure and historical mystery should keep readers engaged. Further details about the murder of Storm’s grandfather, a mystery introduced in the previous book, are also revealed. Perhaps not quite as good as Gold of Kings, this one is still recommendable to fans of adventure novels with a historical element. --David Pitt