Review by Booklist Review
Jecks continues his new The Art of Murder series, set in contemporary England and featuring professional artist Nick Morris, following Portrait of a Murder (2023). Here Nick is commissioned by a wealthy businessman, Derek Swann, who is selling his Georgian home on the outskirts of historic Ashbourne, and wants a painting as a remembrance. But, of course, nothing is as it seems. Staying in a nearby chalet, Nick soon becomes intrigued with his fellow guests, including a flamboyant author, a Harley motorcycle rider dressed in fatigues, and a young man who seems desolate. The story is told from Nick's viewpoint, and he makes the ideal amateur sleuth. As an artist, he is uniquely skilled at noticing details, particularly of faces and body language, and he's driven by curiosity. He begins to invent stories about the guests as well as about his employer and Derek's beautiful and enigmatic housekeeper. When a series of robberies and a murder occur, Nick is there to sort through the clues and identify the culprits. Readers who enjoy a step-by-step crime solution will relish this.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An English artist's discerning eye puts him in danger. Nick Morris is a talented artist who scratches out a living painting portraits of cats. Then his banker friend Geoff Hatch invites him to lunch and offers him a chance to paint a house portrait for Derek Swann, a wealthy entrepreneur who's selling up and moving overseas. A few weeks later, Nick nurses his beloved Morgan along to the Peak district, where he's rented a chalet in a holiday park for the duration, and is immediately hailed by his flamboyant neighbor, writer Megan Lamplighter. After noticing a nervous teenager hanging around and a series of off-putting bikers, Nick leaves to meet Swann at the picturesque village of Tissington. Oddly, Swann takes off at the appearance of a Harley rider who seems to be following that nervous boy. Biker Jez Cooper tells Nick a tale of how Swann cheated him out of his software company. As he makes the preliminary sketches for his portrait, Nick can't help but notice some odd goings-on that he attributes to drug dealing. Someone takes Nick's observant ways for snooping. The results are a break-in at the chalet, enough physical threats to make him nervous, and a stolen car part that forces him to bike to his destinations. Then, while they're on a walk, he and Megan find the body of the young man, who turns out to have been Cooper's son. Megan makes up a number of fanciful stories to account for all the strange happenings, but Nick looks for more rational explanations, especially after he learns that the young man was stabbed. A delightfully realistic protagonist and plenty of madcap scenarios add up to a fun read. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
