by Ngaio Marsh
First published 1997
Beautiful model Sonia Gluck strikes her final pose. A dagger waits among the fabric drapes of her couch, and someone has used it to kill her. The murder happens at an artist's colony, where creative temperaments run hot and rivalries simmer beneath the surface. Scotland Yard sends Inspector Roderick Alleyn to solve the case. He must navigate the complex relationships and bitter feuds that flourish among the painters. The investigation takes an unexpected turn when Alleyn meets Agatha Troy, a talented painter who becomes his prime suspect. Troy challenges him with her fierce independence and artistic brilliance. Alleyn finds himself drawn to her even as the evidence points in her direction. He must separate his growing feelings from his professional duty. The case forces him to question whether the woman capturing his heart could be a cold-blooded killer.
Genres: art, romance, suspense, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Scotland Yard
Period: 20th-century
288 pages · Mass Market Paperback · St. Martin's Paperbacks