The Last Mona Lisa is an alluring, fascinating tale predominantly set in Paris during 1911, as well as present-day Florence, that takes us into the lives of Vincent Peruggia, a young man who, after losing his wife suddenly to illness, will do whatever it takes to earn enough money to be reunited with his son, as well as his great-grandson Luke Perrone, an art historian who is consumed with all things Mona Lisa who heads to Italy to find his great grandfather’s long-lost journal to discover once and for all why he stole the painting, where it was kept for the two years before it was returned, and ultimately, before everyone who knows about the journal, including himself, ends up dead, finally discover whether the original or merely a fake is now actually hanging in the infamous museum.
Jonathan Santlofer is the author of six bestselling novels, among them The Death Artist, and Nero award-winning Anatomy of Fear. His memoir, The Widower’s Notebook, received national acclaim and was featured on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. He is the editor/creator of seven anthologies, the recipient of two NEA grants, Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome, and serves on the board of Yaddo. He is a noted speaker.