(FORTUNE Magazine) – The story itself has been overshadowed by more recent scandals, but The Art of the Steal: Inside the Sotheby's--Christie's Auction House Scandal (G.P. Putnam's Sons), by art and society journalist Christopher Mason, has enough boldface names, sumptuous parties, and art world gossip to make it a tantalizing read.

Mason's acknowledgements read like the contents of the Social Register, and he clearly had plenty of access --he conducted more than 2,400 interviews and talked to all the key players.

Interestingly, the British-born Mason portrays the story of monopolistic collusion and price-fixing almost as a culture clash between old-school Britannia and nouveau riche America. He suggests that Christie's CEO Christopher Davidge and Chairman Sir Anthony Tennant, who got off scot-free, were the scheme's instigators, while the Sotheby's duo got slammed: Ex-CEO Dede Brooks is portrayed as a woman gone power-mad, and her boss, Al Taubman, served a year in prison.

Other scandals are newer, but given the juicy prose and detail, consider this one worth revisiting. --Christine Y. Chen