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.

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

From the publisher: On a foggy summer night, eleven people - ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter - depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs - the painter - and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family. With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew members, the mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens. As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. And while Scott struggles to cope with fame that borders on notoriety, the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage.

I really enjoyed reading Before the Fall, not in a "I'll keep this on my shelf forever" kind of way but in a "what's going to happen next?" kind of way. The weaving of the narrative from multiple viewpoints was well done. The descriptions of the media circus surrounding the event is very believable. Every now and then a chapter is devoted to one of the disaster paintings Scott specializes in, and they really contribute to the sinister mood. Scott's portrayal as an average guy who has survived a disastrous plane crash as both a hero and a person under suspicion is very nicely done.

The author is not a subtle writer - "Bill dropped onto the sofa. He had the wingspan of a pterodactyl. He sat, as he always did, with his knees spread wide so you could see how big his balls were." (p. 65 of the advance reader copy) But he did a great job of keeping my interest, playing out details and hints that made me want to keep reading. Overall I like his way with words (“It turns out his shoulder is dislocated, not broken. The procedure to pop it back into place is an epic lightning strike of violence followed immediately by a cessation of pain so intense it’s as if the damage has been erased from his body retroactively.” (p. 41 of the advance reader copy )

In the end, my enjoyment of the book lay not so much with the mystery of why the plane crashed but in the backgrounds of the passengers and crew and in the accurate depiction of the insensitive ways the press these days treat both victim and hero in their search for sex and scandal, rather than just reporting the news. I highly recommend this as a vacation read, on a beach or on a plane (really), or to anyone who likes suspenseful, smart fiction. Also I love the cover.

I read an advance reader copy of Before the Fall. It is scheduled to be published on May 31. It will be available at the Galesburg Public Library in adult fiction and as an ebook.