A Trace of Deceit by Karen Odden

From the publisher: A daring female painter and a Scotland Yard detective investigate her brother Edwin’s suspicious death. As a painter at the prestigious Slade School of Art and as Edwin’s closest relative, Annabel makes the case that she is crucial to Inspector Matthew Hallam’s investigation. But in their search for a missing painting, Matthew and Annabel trace a path of deceit and viciousness that reaches far beyond the elegant rooms of the auction house, into an underworld of politics and secrets someone will kill to keep.  

I loved Karen Odden’s debut novel, Lady in the Smoke, and was eager to read A Trace of Deceit. Although I have not read the first book in the series, I don’t feel this affected my enjoyment.

A Trace of Deceit for me was the perfect blend of history and mystery with a touch of romance. The historical details rang true, and the behavior of the two main characters was not outrageously modern. Their relationship built slowly as painter Annabel learned secrets about her troubled brother Edwin and detective Matthew allowed Annabel to help him with the case.

There was a scene near the end of the kind that so often turns into a moment from a superhero or Hollywood action movie, and I was so pleased that in this case it did not. It played out the way it probably would in real life. There were no “too stupid to live” moments from Annabel, and she is refreshingly ignorant of some historical details that come into play.

There’s quite a bit about art here, so I especially recommend this book to lovers of art and historical mysteries. Odden’s books remind me of the early books by Anne Perry.

I was given a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review. The Galesburg Public Library owns A Trace of Deceit and the first book, A Dangerous Duet, as ebooks, and print copies are on the way.