Search This Blog

Monday, December 18, 2017

The Black Painting by Neil Olson

The Black Painting  

Goya's Black Paintings are mysterious enough in appearance and in creation, but Neil Olson's novel gives an even more sinister legacy to the black painting owned by the patriarch of the Morse family.  

Fifteen years earlier, Alfred Arthur Morse's black painting was stolen, causing accusations, suspicion, and the estrangement of family members.  Now, the four cousins have been summoned to their grandfather's estate. Teresa and Audrey arrive together, but it is Teresa who discovers their grandfather's body in his study--in front of the space where the black painting had hung before its disappearance.

Teresa is intent on finding out more about the original theft and about her grandfather's death.  Family secrets emerge.

Whether or not the painting was haunted, there is plenty of suspense and mystery surrounding the Morse family's association with the painting.  A clever use of Goya's dark and nightmarish paintings to inspire a curse and a mystery. 

(The book never mentions which black painting Morse owned; perhaps a totally fictitious one, but the cover partially reveals one painting from the series.)

read in April; blog post scheduled for Dec. 18.

NetGalley/Hanover Square Press

Mystery/Suspense.  Jan. 9, 2018.  Print length:  320 pages.  

6 comments:

  1. I love mysteries involving art! Cross your fingers that my library has this one. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your library probably won't have it yet. This is one of those NetGalley books that I had to hold the review on until shortly before publication. I read it in April, but it won't be released until Jan. 9!

      Delete
  2. Sounds very intriguing. Will add this to my wishlist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely held my interest. :) The info on Goya's Black Paintings was new for me. I'd seen some of them, but didn't know the story behind them.

      Delete
  3. Art & mystery = great combo! Will have to look for this one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :) Yep, Art & Mystery and Old Manuscripts and Mystery are favorite topics!

      Delete