The Art Of Death – David Fennell

Picasso once said that “every act of creation is first an act of destruction”.

(I know, because David Fennell used that quote as an epigraph.)

The Art Of Death takes that idea to its logical extreme. The premise is basically this: what if Banksy was a serial killer, and his artworks were his murder victims?

This one checks all the boxes for high-energy procedural thrillers: child abduction, a missing MP, a troublesome journalist, a difficult home life for the lead detective, a ticking clock, a parable about the dangers of social media… I actually can’t think of anything Fennell left out. The opening chapters were a little chaotic actually. Fennell throws a LOT of information at the reader, very quickly.

Still, The Art Of Death was a solid, gripping read, one that steers into the skid of the gruesome and macabre. Thank you to Zaffre Books for sending through a copy to review!