The Man from Greek and Roman: A novel

I first read this book 30 years ago and, though it has no pretensions to literary greatness, it has a certain old fashioned charm with likeable characters, a feel good, if predictable, ending and a rollicking swift moving tale. sometimes things don't have to be imposing to be endearing and I rediscovered this book as a fondly remembered old friend.

This is a delightful romantic thriller, part archaeological mystery, part art fraud, with loads of memorable dialogue. It's practically a screenplay in novel form -- which isn't surprising since the author (who was the brother of novelist William Goldman) wrote both the stage plays and the film scripts for The Lion in Winter and They Might Be Giants, as well as Nicholas and Alexandra. Dr. Melvil West (his father was a librarian) is curator of the classical wing of the Metropolitan Museum, a job he loves. If only he could get his "big book" written. But the museum's director makes a deal for a chalice created by the greatest Greek goldsmith who every lived, a deal in which the seller and the vessel's provenance both have to be kept secret (not uncommon in the rarefied levels of the art world), and West is on Cloud Nine. Then questions begin to be asked in the press about the chalice's true origins, a British archaeologist on the trail of Camelot claims it was stolen from his dig at Cadbury Castle, and West doesn't know what to do. Unfortunately, his wife, a not very talented artist, has had enough of marriage, which is the shock that sends him over the edge. He grabs the treasure and heads for the airport in search of The Truth. Fortunately for him, he hooks up with Carrie Gardener, a young woman with nerves of steel who's done everything twice, and she'll get him through the sticky parts until he can find himself -- which he will do, of course. Parts of the plot seem almost quaint now (like the ease with which the couple evade airport security), but none of it is really meant to be taken seriously. Moreover, there's a nice twist ending and you can almost see Cary Grant in the title role.

This book captured my imagination from the first page.A confused, self depreciating curator from the greek and roman department of a major museum, cannot accept the skimpy provenance provided for a very valuable gold antiquity by a prominent roman craftsman. In his bumbling crusade to find the truth, he is first rescued, then guided, by a delightfully worldly-wise young lady.A truly enjoyable book that flows easily from beginning to end.