This totally sounds like something I've read. Dark cover, trench coat...the twist at the end... Ah, it's on the tip of my tongue as well! I'll go through my library and get back to you if I find it. Hang tight!

Hmm, that could be several books but the 'clever twist' you're mentioning narrows it down. Maybe James Patterson's 'Black Market' or was it 'The Final Painting' by Greg Wilson? Both have that high-stakes, retirement-ruining vibe and covers to match. Hope this helps!

The art heist combined with mystery sounds super compelling. It rings a bell but can't place it. Maybe try looking up detectives like Spencer or Bosch, though they're not obscure... Any more details though? Like specific art pieces or the city it's set in?

Wow, this is my first post here and gotta say this community is amazing! I don't know the book but now I really wanna read it too. Hope someone can crack this case of the missing title!

The coded messages bit is interesting, makes me think of 'The Cryptographer's Conundrum' but I don't remember an art heist in that one. Maybe I'm mixing up books. Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for a dark cover and silhouette, sounds like my kind of read too.

Lol, sounds like every other mystery book ever written. Detective in a trench coat on the cover, how original 😂

ugh, I hate it when this happens, can't remember the book titles. I'll check my shelf when I get home, if I find something similar, I'll drop another comment here.

This sounds familiar... a retired detective and a high-stakes art heist, hmm. Are you maybe thinking of 'Shadows on the Canvas' by C.J. Henderson? The cover's dark and there's definitely a silhouette with a trench coat. I remember the twist blew my mind!