Thursday, March 8, 2012

Death of an Artist Kate Wilhelm-

Death of an Artist


Kate Wilhelm

Minotaur, Mar 27 2012, $24.99

ISBN 9780312658618



Former NYPD homicide detective Tony Mauricio switched coasts after a disability retirement due to a shattered hip during a shootout that left a teen dead. Tony wants to become a craftsman in Silver Bay, Oregon. Gift shop owner Widow Marnie Markov and her granddaughter medical student Van befriend the ex-cop while the sandwiched generation Stefany is a troubled brilliant artist who will not sell her work.



Stef becomes angry when she learns her latest lover Dale Oliver is selling her work without her permission. Soon after she confronts him, the painter is found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her studio. Dale does not wait for the body to be cold as he shows up with a signed contract granting him exclusive rights to sell Stef’s work. Grieving Marnie and Van believe their loved one was murdered, but the local cops have no evidence that anything but an accident occurred. Tony investigates.



With Barbara Holloway taking a respite, Kate Wilhelm introduces a wonderful disturbed hero, a strong support cast, and a delightful coastal town inside a fabulous whodunit. The complicated storyline focuses on the world of art including the downside of fraud and theft inside of a murder investigation. Hopefully Ms. Wilhelm will return readers to Silver bay.



Harriet Klausner

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