Title:	An Artful Assassin in Amsterdam
	Author:	Michael Grant
	Published:	December 3, 2019, Severn House Publishers
	No. of Pages:	256
	Cover Price:	$28.99 Hardcover, $14.99 Kindle

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Touted as the third book in the David Mitre series (there is really only one previous book so far, so apparently counting isn’t the author’s strongpoint), An Artful Assassin in Amsterdam by bestselling author, Michael Grant, is a humorous thriller with a protagonist, David Mitre, who is a career criminal turned thriller writer. He has been invited to Amsterdam to sit on an author’s panel at Waterstone’s, the leading European bookstore. Arriving a few days early, Mitre, who considers himself a ladies man, is partying on a boat and finds himself attacked and almost drowned by an assassin. Of course, he has no idea why anyone would target him – he has been on the run and hiding out for years – and by the time he has survived several attempts at his life, an FBI agent, Delia Delacorte, gives him an ultimatum to help her prevent a gang of thieves from stealing a famous painting from the Rijksmuseum or be brought in for previous crimes. Mitre is smart, and after thinking and weighing his options, decides that he has to pull off the heist himself so that the gang of thieves can’t get at the painting.

Grant weaves his tale in a way that is easy-to-follow, and fun to read. It will keep everyone laughing, while at the same time, interested in the characters and the plot.

While the novel does contain some profanity, there is no graphic sex or violence. Most of the scenes are of the comic book variety, and while there is plenty of suspense, much of the book is humorous. Grant makes this novel fun, and while the scenarios aren’t really believable - this is fiction, after all - he can make readers laugh while they are on the edge of their seat. Having spent a fair amount of time in Amsterdam, it is evident that Grant has done his research, and the streets, people, and setting are true-to-life. It is easy to imagine Mitre and his escapades throughout the city. Grant has done a good job of developing his main characters – Mitre, Delia, and Chante (a sort of babysitter), and they are quite believable as real people.

For readers who enjoy humor with their suspense, Michael Grant is an author to watch; hopefully that third installment of the series is forthcoming, and while waiting, his previous book (A Sudden Death in Cyprus) will definitely be of interest.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.