The Flanders Panel

I happened across this book by Arturo Perez-Reverte in B&N one day, and was drawn to the image of the chessboard on the cover. The book was originally written in Spanish and has been translated to English.

The story revolves around a couple of things that I like – classical art and chess. When Julia uncovers a hidden message in The Game of Chess, a classic Flemish painting she’s restoring, her entire world changes. Her ex-lover is murdered, and the killer seems to want to play out a real-life game of chess based on the game depicted in the painting. Julia must solve the chess puzzle in order to figure out who is after her and why.

I enjoyed this one. The author skillfully weaves the chess game into the story without overdoing it. There isn’t a lot of action – instead there’s a lot of discussion and contemplation, so I was surprised to find out that a movie had been made that is based on the book. The movie’s called Uncovered, and it’s a British film starring Kate Beckinsale. It’s an interesting movie if you’ve read the book, because they’ve changed a few things, and completely overhauled one of the main characters. Both versions of the character are very interesting. So after you’ve read the book, you can check out the movie.

If you are a fan of chess or art history, you should give this book a read.