"A masterful exploration of moral complexity in the shadowy world of antiquities trading. Peterson weaves a gripping legal thriller that refuses easy answers." -Publishers Weekly "THE CUSTODIAN is that rare novel that makes you question everything you thought you knew about right and wrong in the world of priceless looted artifacts. Alexander Corso is neither hero nor villain, but something far more interesting-a man caught between preservation and possession, between saving history and stealing it." -Kirkus Reviews "Peterson has crafted an intellectual thriller that reads like John Grisham meets The Goldfinch. The courtroom scenes crackle with tension, but it's the moral ambiguity that will keep you thinking long after the final page." -Library Journal "A brilliant examination of cultural heritage in our fractured world. THE CUSTODIAN asks the hardest question: When governments fail and history burns, who decides what's worth saving-and at what cost?" -Booklist "Peterson's prose is as refined as the looted antiquities his protagonist collects. This is a novel of ideas wrapped in a page-turning plot, where every character-from the dogged prosecutor to the conflicted daughter-feels achingly real." -The New York Times Book Review "THE CUSTODIAN does what the best fiction should: it complicates our certainties. In Alexander Corso, Peterson has created a character who embodies our contemporary dilemmas about ownership, preservation, and the price of doing the greater good in an imperfect world." -The Washington Post