Rachel Halliburton Livres

The stunning debut novel brimming with envy, lust and corruption at the heart of Londons eighteenth century art world

It is 1797 and in Georgian London, nothing is certain anymore: the future of the monarchy is in question, the city is aflame with conspiracies, and the French could invade any day. Amidst this feverish atmosphere, the American painter Benjamin West is visited by a dubious duo comprised of a blundering father and vibrant daughter, the Provises, who claim they have a secret that has obsessed painters for centuries: the Venetian techniques of master painter Titian. West was once the most celebrated painter in London, but he hasn't produced anything of note in years, so against his better judgment he agrees to let the intriguing Ann Jemima Provis visit his studio and demonstrate the techniques from the document. What unravels reveals more than West has ever understood--about himself, the treachery of the art world, and the seductive promise of greatness

Along the border of gentrifying Los Angeles, a teenage girl is found hanged at a construction site. Homicide detective Elouise Lou Norton's partner assumes it's a suicide. Lou isn't buying the easy explanation. For one thing, the site is owned by millionaire Napoleon Crase, the man who may have murdered Lou's sister thirty years ago.

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. Delighted by a surprise invitation, Miriam Macy sails off to a luxurious private island off the coast of Mexico with six other strangers. Surrounded by miles of open water in the gloriously green Sea of Cortez, Miriam is soon shocked to discover that she and the rest of her companions have been brought to the remote island under false pretenses—and all seven strangers harbor a secret. Danger lurks in the lush forest and in the halls and bedrooms of the lonely mansion. Sporadic cell-phone coverage and miles of ocean keeps the group trapped in paradise. And strange accidents stir suspicions, as one by one . . . They all fall down For fans of thrilling contemporary suspense, Rachel Howzell Hall’s brilliant stand-alone novel brings seven sinners to a private island for a reckoning that will leave you breathless.

Lou and her partner take on the task of informing a mother that her daughter has died. The girl's death fits a pattern: dancers, artists, honors scholars, gone missing in the same district, the one Lou attended not so long ago, this case is personal, and it's only a matter of time before the killer comes after Lou herself.

Seventy-three-year-old Eugene Washington appears to have died in an unremarkable way but LAPD homicide detective Elouise Lou Norton is positive that something isn't right.