Roth Series

Set in Paris, London and on the banks of the River Cher in the royal heart of France, Roth is a contemporary thriller based on real events that took place in 19th century Paris when the obsessive need that still drives rich philatelic collectors to acquire the specimens they want at any cost, led one French collector to murder another for an 1851 two cent Hawaiian Missionary stamp. Victor Roth, a criminal intelligence officer at Interpol, knows that when you chase a successful forger you're chasing a ghost. Roth is an analyst and leaves the legwork to the real police, not only because he hates working in the field, but the chances of finding a successful forger are just about nil. When Roth is brought in to advise on an English counterfeiting case, he has no illusions that this time the outcome will be any different. The case spreads its tendrils to Paris where Roth works and enjoys a life of privilege among the powerful and influential in the French government, diplomatic circles and rich collectors of the things that make Roth's world go round: very rare stamps, the kind that can sell for millions of dollars. Roth is well aware that although philately is known as the hobby of kings, it's not considered a sexy look to be a philatelist. But Victor, a man of culture, wealth and rock and roll good looks, had defied the odds. No-one he met would dare to lump him in with philately's less than sexy image. Philately is not only Roth's specialty, it's his passion and when a specimen of the rare two cent Hawaiian Missionary goes up for auction he suspects the anonymous seller's motives. It all comes very close to home, and Victor is drawn out of the office and into the real world of high level organised crime, where not only the police are hunting the forger, but the bodies begin to accumulate and Roth himself becomes a target.

As the West appears to be on the verge of a new Cold War with Russia, Victor Roth, Interpol's expert on forgery and counterfeiting, is suffering with an outbreak of peace and quiet. Aching for action, he's given an assignment by his Director that only exacerbates his state - he's sent to deliver an address at a ceremony held in a packed Paris theatre. Without warning people begin to drop in their seats and die but it's only the beginning. As Paris is rocked by more terror Russia invades Ukraine and suspicions grow that Moscow is to blame for the attacks. The discovery of a load of forged artworks and illicit drugs takes Roth into the seedy world of the French secret service, Russian gangs and the daily terror of Russian émigrés attempting to remain free in the West. He has to unravel a plot that will affect the future of not only Europe, but the former Soviet states.

Fine art is a high maintenance mistress who demands constant care and total commitment. Being the Curator of the most famous painting in the world would be enough to test the skills and commitment of anyone. As the Head Curator of the Louvre, Jean Vernay uses all of his talent and knowledge to keep the museum's treasures safe. His most valuable charge is the Mona Lisa, which challenges modern curatorship not only because of its age, but the fame that has made it a must see for visitors to Paris. The six million visitors who crowd into its gallery at the Louvre every year threaten the painting's fragile surface. Vernay has sealed the painting in a glass tomb to protect it and instituted a questionable summer display policy that forges an opening for a cunning thief. Vernay's home life is a daily horror he is desperate to escape. The mysterious thief, Koenig, exploits Vernay's fear of exposure and makes him the offer of a lifetime. Vernay takes it and sets off a chain of events that can only end in death and destruction of the things he treasures most. As Victor Roth, Interpol's resident genius, tries to unravel the mystery of not only how the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, and whether its missing Curator was involved, he enters a murky world of blackmail, art forgery and ruthless revenge where his past mingles with the present to drive a vicious game Victor realises he's also had a part in setting in motion.