If I’m looking to read something with a paranormal twist infused with mystery, intrigue, and romance, Sheri Lewis Wohl is one of my go to authors. Her newest novel, The Artist, has all of the things I look for in this type of story.
The main character, Tula Crane is in hiding, and has been for twenty years. She was a child prodigy, but ran from that life when she was in her teens. She used to be a famous painter, but now that talent has taken a horrifying turn. She is painting the faces of women who are being murdered. This brings her into the sights of Detective Casey Wilson who is tasked with her partner in solving the murders. Casey doesn’t believe in Tula’s talent, but ends up working with Tula as the killings continue.
There is quite a lot of hidden angst from Tula’s past as well as from some of the secondary figures. The mystery in the tale is not so much a “whodunit”. I figured out who the killer was almost as soon as they were introduced. It was more of a if, when, and how they would be caught, and how many would die before that happened. There is a secondary couple in the book that I became really interested in, as well as Tula and Casey. Angel and her companion Blue keep popping up in the story, and we only get glimpses of who they are and why they are in the tale. Those peeks really intrigued me, and they do add up so that we eventually know their story as well. The killer is well described…so well, in fact, that I truly hope I never meet someone like that. Just the thought sends shivers down my spine.
The author almost always uses the Pacific Northwest as the settings of her novels, and this book is no different. The descriptions of Moses Lake are well done and create a beautiful background to a rather dark but thrilling novel.
I enjoyed reading this book. It is a good story to escape with when you want a few shivers and paranormal action mixed with your murder mystery and romance.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 