I came across Neil Griffith’s novel Saving Caravaggio in a second hand bookstore in Tasmania. It took my attention as I read anything about this extraordinary artist – such a fascinating man and a talent which many have tried to emulate but without success.
Neil pens a story about a flawed art cop, Daniel Wright, who, whilst in Southern Italy looking for a missing painting, goes on a mission, albeit unofficially, to find the stolen masterpiece of Caravaggio Nativity with St Francis and St Lawrence. (The Nativity was stolen from Palermo Cathedral in 1969, and has never been seen since.) Daniel’s life and marriage are in disarray and his obsession with this stolen masterpiece seem to be the key to him getting his life back on track.
This is a story of a flawed man, seeking redemption through a flawed mission to recover a missing painting, once seen and never forgotten, which turns into an obsession which threatens not only his career and his marriage, but also his life. His venture into the underworld of the mafia, accompanied by a beautiful art curator will leave him questioning his life, his past and his future.
A read you will not forget, especially if Caravaggio’s life and his powerful works captivates and intrigues you. Perhaps a little of the violence and drama of his extraordinary artist’s life did embue itself into the character of Daniel…. you will have to make up your own mind!!
