The Portrait of Molly Dean
The Portrait of Molly Dean by Katherine Kovocic Bonnier Publishing Australia Echo General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 01 Mar 2018
Review
The story of Molly Dean captures the reader’s imagination as quickly as it does that of art dealer Alex Clayton. A lost portrait of an artist’s muse, one who died a violent death which was never solved. Molly Dean was a woman who wanted more - freedom from her mother’s tyranny, freedom from the strictures forced upon women of her time. She wanted to dream, she wanted to write. As Alex delves into the portrait’s past, she becomes more and more enthralled in Molly’s story, seeking out the truth of what happened. The Portrait of Molly Dean is a fascinating novel, alternating narratives between the past and the present. Readers feel for Molly and want her to succeed, even realizing that ultimately her tale is a tragic one.
I enjoyed The Portrait of Molly Dean a great deal, particularly its mixture of historical and modern flavor. Alex is an intelligent and pragmatic lead who is extremely believable as an art dealer. Her irish wolfhound is an added bonus.
5 / 5
I received a copy of The Portrait of Molly Dean from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
-- Crittermom
Description An unsolved murder comes to light after almost seventy years... In 1999, art dealer Alex Cayton stumbles across a lost portrait of Molly Dean, an artist's muse brutally slain in Melbourne in 1930. Alex buys the painting and sets out to uncover more details, but finds there are strange inconsistencies: Molly's mother seemed unconcerned by her daughter's violent death, the main suspect was never brought to trial despite compelling evidence, and vital records are missing. Alex enlists the help of her close friend, art conservator John Porter, and together they sift through the clues and deceptions that swirl around the last days of Molly Dean.
