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Tag: World War Two

Imogen Matthews The Hidden Village Netherlands Jennifer S Alderson blog
Spotlight On Historical Fiction Author Imogen Matthews

Spotlight On Historical Fiction Author Imogen Matthews

It is my pleasure to welcome historical fiction author Imogen Matthews to my blog today! Some of you may know her as romance author Alex Johnson. Her latest novel – The Hidden Village – continues to top Amazon’s Young Adult Historical Fiction charts. And well deserved! It a well-written, moving story of courage, hope, and survival. You can read my Goodreads review here. Today she shares with us more about her childhood in Nigeria, the power of creative writing courses, and…

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The Lover's Portrait: An Art Mystery in Amsterdam amateur sleuth art theft crime WWII
Amsterdam: the Perfect Setting for an Art Mystery

Amsterdam: the Perfect Setting for an Art Mystery

Amsterdam is the perfect setting for an art-related mystery, especially one in which the looting of artwork by the Nazis during World War Two plays a central role. My second novel, The Lover’s Portrait: An Art Mystery, is about an American art history student who finds clues to the whereabouts of a collection of masterpieces hidden somewhere in Amsterdam, secreted away in 1942 by a homosexual art dealer who’d rather die than turn his collection over to his Nazi blackmailer. I can…

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Restitution of Nazi-Looted Artwork after World War II: A Dutch Perspective

Restitution of Nazi-Looted Artwork after World War II: A Dutch Perspective

Before moving to Amsterdam, I knew very little about the restitution of artwork stolen by the Nazis during World War II, a topic that plays a central role in my novel, The Lover’s Portrait: An Art Mystery. Sure, I’d read about controversial cases in newspapers and wondered why museums didn’t hand over the artwork immediately when legitimate claimants appeared on the scene, but also why it took the relative of the legal owner so long to submit a claim. Only…

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Interesting and Obscure World War II References in Literature

Interesting and Obscure World War II References in Literature

My second novel, The Lover’s Portrait: An Art Mystery, is an amateur sleuth mystery describing the plight of homosexuals and Jewish artists in Europe during World War II, as well as the complexities inherent to the restitution of artwork stolen by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s. Before writing it, I read a number of very interesting and somewhat obscure reference books and articles to help me better understand this complex period in European history. I’ve seen several Goodreads…

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MTW: Historical Mysteries and Thrillers Theme

MTW: Historical Mysteries and Thrillers Theme

Welcome to the third of four themed posts about MysteryThrillerWeek, an annual event celebrating the Mystery and Thriller genres! Over two-hundred authors are participating in this global event. To help readers and authors better connect, a variety of themed lists – sub-categories of both genres – have been created. Today I’m thrilled to share with you eight books from the Historical Mysteries and Thrillers Theme, books which transport you back to Amsterdam during World War Two, Victorian England, the American Revolution,…

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