Laney Salisbury is the co-author of Provenance, the true story of a struggling artist and flamboyant con man who pull off one of the most elaborate scams in the history of art forgery. Not only is the art fake, but the impeccable documentation supporting it is a bold string of lies. (Available July 9, 2009, The Penguin Press) Her previous book, The Cruelest Miles, also co-author, recounts the daring rescue attempt by dog teams in the winter of 1925 to save the icebound town of Nome, Alaska, from a deadly diphtheria epidemic. (Published June 2003, W.W. Norton) The Cruelest Miles is being made into a major motion picture. 

 

 

 

 

 

Praise for Provenance

 

“This irresistible book recounts its preposterous yet authentic tale with meticulous detail and bemused detachment. Warning: Don’t read too close to bedtime. “Provenance” is impossible to put down...”  Picked for Best Books of 2009 by the Christian Science Monitor

    —The Christian Science Monitor

 

"elegantly recounted ... Salisbury and Sujo evoke with flair the plush art world and its penetration by the seductive Drewe as well as the other players in this fascinating art drama." 

            —Publishers Weekly, starred review

 

"gripping narrative ... the enthralling tale forces readers to rethink the question of what makes art valuable." 

             —Kirkus Reviews

 

Chosen as one of Oprah’s Top 4 Summer Reading Picks, 2009.

 

 

There’s something delicious about stories of duping the elite and

reducing the passion for beauty to a sleazy con game. Salisbury and Sujo couldn’t have chosen a more thrilling example... A colorful cast and nimble detection make for a thoroughly engrossing tale of warped creativity and monstrous hubris.

    — Booklist

    

“...a Faustian tale,”

    —San Francisco Chronicle

 

“It is nonfiction, but its hair-raising investigative reporting reads like a thriller that just might knock you right out of your beach chair.”

    —Bookpage.com

 

“The authors portray the deceptive glamour and romance of art forgery with the detailed wit and well-paced narrative of a suspense thriller.”

    —Daily Dose Pick, Flavorwire.com

 

“Provenance would make a great film, but even a great film would have a hard time equaling the layers of depth and tone provided by Salisbury and Sujo’s book. Read it for the art history, read it for the psychology, but do read it.”

    —Chronogram

 

“...well-crafted tale... [British conman] Drewe, for all his odious ambitions, is ingenious, persuasive, even brilliant. As I was pulled deeper into his deceptions, I couldn't help admiring this creep.”

    —Washington Post