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Dying For Monet
by Claudia Riess
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis
Dying for Monet, book 5 of Riess’s art history mystery series, opens on a gala evening auction at Laszlo’s, an upstart auction house in New York City. After a much sought-after Impressionist still life painting is without notice withdrawn from the auction block, its broker is found dead at the foot of an imposing statue in Laszlo’s courtyard. Amateur sleuths Erika Shawn and Harrison Wheatley are once again drawn into an investigation involving an art-related homicide, this time with one sharing an unnerving coincidence with violent crimes occurring abroad.
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Enjoy this peek inside:
For a short while they ate in a silence broken only by the soft clatter of utensils and restrained exclamations of praise, the meal more than living up to its aromatic overture. Yet, beneath the silence there was an insensate hum of anticipation, like an underlying spice that defines a dish, but can’t quite be identified.
Erika was slicing into a tender fragment of chicken; Harrison, scooping up a forkful of buttered noodles; Greg, wiping his lips with his napkin—when Robin, staring down at her plate, suddenly blurted, “Ivan and I—we were having a squabble.” She looked up. “It wasn’t much of anything at the start, but it escalated. We were having dinner. Right where we are now, at this table.” She seemed to marvel at the coincidence. “I complained, not very adamantly, that he was spending a lot of time in Manhattan—too much time. He said he was ‘learning the ropes.’ I remember thinking, how odd, I’ve never heard him use that phrase.” She studied her plate again. “I told him he didn’t share things with me. What was he doing at Laszlo’s? Who were his colleagues? I became agitated. I asked him if he was having an affair.” She sucked in her breath, as if someone other than herself had surprised her with that statement.
“He was stunned by my accusation. At a loss. For a minute he was silent, and then he said, ‘An affair? You want to know what I haven’t shared with you? Something personal? All right, I’ll let you in on my secret, my only secret, but you have to swear you’ll keep it to yourself. It concerns the contract between me and one of my clients. I’m going against my word, here, you understand. I gave Mr. Keller my word I’d keep it between us.’ It was essential, Ivan said. Essential.”
Robin picked up her fork and began pushing a morsel of chicken around on her plate, poking at it, as if to get a response out of it. “What was I thinking?” She let the fork drop onto the plate and looked up. “I can’t talk about this. I swore not to. There was a reason not to tell. A danger in telling.” She shook her head. “Greg, Greg, I was drunk with grief when I shared this with you. I know you’ll keep your word. Erika, Harrison, I’m sorry. I’ll give you anything else but this. Not this.”
Erika was sitting next to Robin. She laid her hand on hers. Robin placed her free hand on Erika’s and kept it there. Erika nodded her understanding, inwardly begging Robin to recant. The plea went unanswered.
A short time later, after acceding to Robin’s remorseful insistence they partake of her apple pie à la mode and coffee, the sated visitors were back on the road, heading toward Manhattan.
All three were seated in the back of the car, Erika between the men. Bill had taken it upon himself to shut the partition separating him and his passengers so that they could converse in private.
For a while silence ruled. Then, not quite breaking it, Erika turned to Greg, on her left, and, cocking her head ever-so-slightly, fixed him with an imploring look.
“No,” Greg said.
“Just thought I’d ask,” she answered. “I understand.” She rested her head on Harrison’s shoulder and tried to distance herself from the double-edged guilt for having pressed Greg to break his oath and disappointment for not having succeeded at it.
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About Author Claudia Riess:
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Claudia Riess has worked in the editorial departments of The New Yorker and Holt, Rinehart and Winston, and has edited several art history monographs. Stolen Light, the first book in her art history mystery series, was chosen by Vassar’s Latin American history professor for distribution to the college’s people-to-people trips to Cuba. To Kingdom Come, the fourth, will be added to the syllabus of a survey course on West and Central African Art at a prominent Midwestern university. Claudia has written a number of articles for Mystery Readers Journal, Women’s National Book Association, the Sisters in Crime Bloodletter, and Mystery Scene magazine. To read more about Claudia and her work, visit the author’s website.
Author Links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest
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