Book Log 2012 #5: The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte

An art restorer, working on a 15th century painting of a chess match, discovers a question painted under the surface of the work - the Latin equivalent of Who killed the knight? - and in doing so decides to solve the mystery posed by the question, with the help of her long-time mentor and father-figure, a former boyfriend and art historian, the agent selling the painting, and a reserved chess master. This quickly spreads into a modern day murder mystery, as members of the group begin to drop. Muddying things is the potential transfer of the painting to another firm, as the value of the painting becomes greater in the face of all the killings.

It's a pretty good mystery, but I was disappointed in the ending. Suffice it to say I didn't quite buy into why the guilty party's motivation. But I did enjoy it overall, just a little less than some of his other books.