Death of a Young Lieutenant

Meet Jake Reynolds. Art thief extraordinarie. His specialty is Renaissance masterpieces, with a few 'modern' selections thrown in. His modus operendi is to create an exact replica of the original and switch them with the original going to his client. His 'technique' in aging a masterpiece he developed himself. A secret he will carry to his grave. His clients are fanatical art connoisseurs who are very powerful and very rich. He worked his trade from 1903 through 1950 and retired. Never arrested---rarely suspected of his true occupation.

And unlucky. Unlucky in that, while trying to complete one of his many capers, he somehow is dragged into a murder investigation. Unfortunately he is a thief with a conscience. As the series evolves we see he develops a reputation of being a 'crackerjack detective.' All sorts of people and police departments come to him to ask for his help. But how can you solve a murder (a crime, which for him, is a crime which cannot go unpunished) and complete your own felonious endeavor without being caught?

The first book in the series is entitled, The Death of a Young Lieutenant. In the opening weeks of World War One, and as a member of a newly formed British Royal Flying Corps squadron shipped off to Belgium, he is asked by his squadron commander to prove the innocence of a young lieutenant accused of murdering an NCO. At the same time Jake wants to steal a 14th Century Jan van Eck painting. The problem is both the evidence to prove or disprove the lieutenant's guilt AND the painting reside behind enemy lines. How do you prove a man's innocence and steal a masterpiece while an entire German army is breathing down your neck?