PRESS RELEASE Media Contact: Robin Scullin Levick Strategic Communications 202-973-1342 rscullin@levick.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 20, 2006 “The War of Art” -- New Novel Offers a Look Behind the Curtain Mystery, art, and murder…all in a day’s work for one lawyer WASHINGTON, DC – (JANUARY 20, 2006) – Move over Dan Brown, Scott Turow and John Grisham, the book world has a new mystery maven: Philip Blackpeat, lawyer by day, author by night. Mr. Blackpeat has just released his first novel, titled The War of Art, a tantalizing mix of political conspiracy, legal thriller and art world mystery, ending with a bang.       The novel, the title of which is a play on the name of Sun Tzu’s renowned 6th century Chinese military treatise, centers on a painting by 20th century master Pablo Picasso, one that has been vandalized and that holds a mysterious and potentially deadly secret. A lawyer living and working in Washington, DC is the protagonist, one who is summoned by an enigmatic and extraordinarily wealthy art collector to decipher the puzzle of the vandalism. Readers who enjoyed unraveling The DaVinci Code will enjoy this book. The War of Art zigzags between art, politics and beautiful but dangerous women. It reads like a screenplay – both gripping and well-written. While the book’s plot twists are unexpected, the subtext delicately interweaves art history and rich details from the lives of such cultural beacons as Proust, Joyce, Nabokov, Braque, Matisse and of course, Pablo Picasso and his renowned painting Guernica. The art and legal world intrigue crescendos throughout the work, but nothing is what it seems. On the very last page, the novel concludes with a finish no reader would expect.. Kirkus Reviews recently wrote of The War of Art:   "The story is subtle and smart, and Blackpeat's command of language is strong; he effectively weaves together seminal 20th-century aesthetic pieces to create a coherent narrative." The book is now available in both hardcover and paperback editions. The hardcover lists for $21.95, and the paperback for $11.95. The War of Art is available on the publisher’s website, www.iuniverse. com, in local bookstores and through online retailers such as www.amazon.com, www. barnesandnoble.com and www.booksamillion.com. About the Book The War of Art (www.thewarofartthebook.com) was a finalist for the 2005 Norumbega Fiction Award and was named an Editor’s Choice by the iUniverse editorial board. About the Author Philip Blackpeat is the pseudonym of a lawyer whose practice has nothing whatsoever to do with the exploits of Philip Melanchthon. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his beloved wife. About iUniverse iUniverse offers a variety of publishing services for fiction, poetry, and nonfiction books. The company is one of the largest publishers in the United States, with more than 5,000 new titles each year. iUniverse partners with leading author organizations such as the Authors Guild, the Harlem Writers Guild, and the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) to bring innovative programs to their members. #  #  #