A bitter journalist and troubled art expert risk their lives to find
the connection between a legendary painting and a series of rash murders
in this "riveting, brutal journey into the high-stakes world of legacy
art and inherited wealth" (Denise Mina, author of Conviction).
Thomas Tallis, inspector of provenance, has just arrived in Edinburgh,
Scotland, to authenticate The Goldenacre, a masterpiece by iconic
Scottish architect and painter Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Still dealing
with a miserable divorce and the fallout from a disastrous job in
London, Tallis is eager to sign off on the painting and leave. It should
be simple, as the painting has been owned by one noble family since the
'20s. But then a horrifying parcel arrives on Tallis's desk, and the
threatening message is clear: someone doesn't want him inspecting the
painting. Now that Tallis sees lives are in danger, he has no choice but
to stay until the investigation is complete.
Meanwhile, gruesome murders are plaguing Edinburgh. First, a Scottish
painter of great renown. Next, an Edinburgh City Counsellor.
Battle-hardened newspaper reporter Shona Sandison is on the case, even
as her beloved industry shrinks around her. Shona doesn't care who she
steps on to get the best story, and she soon uncovers a link between
The Goldenacre and the murders. As Tallis's personal crises reach a
fever pitch, Shona struggles to enlist his help in understanding how the
painting is mixed up in all this violence before either one of them
becomes the next victim.
Pensive, lush, and tragic, The Goldenacre is a heartbroken love letter
to Edinburgh, and an unpredictable, gorgeously plotted mystery to savor.
