Unfinished Portrait

April 12, 2010
British veteran Fraser’s artfully plotted seventh Rona Parish mystery (after 2008’s Next Door to Murder
) focuses on the hunt for brilliant artist Elspeth Wilding, biographer Rona’s latest subject, who’s been missing for 18 months. A child prodigy, Elspeth first exhibited her pictures at age 13, but years later she became depressed after her best friend and fellow artist, Chloë Pyne, apparently threw herself under a train. Elspeth’s sister, Naomi Harris, hopes Rona’s research on Elspeth’s biography will somehow bring Elspeth back home. When Rona interviews artist Nathan Tait, a colleague of Rona’s artist husband, Max Allerdyce, Nathan blames Elspeth for Chloë’s death. After someone bashes in the head of Elspeth’s housekeeper at the artist’s house in Buckford, Rona realizes she’s on to something dangerous. The abrupt, far-fetched ending may disappoint some cozy fans, but most will be satisfied and surprised by the identity of Chloë’s killer.

April 15, 2010
Is it coincidence or worse that after one artist dies another disappears?

Rona Parish's career is in the doldrums. A biographer at a loss for a subject, she's making do writing minor magazine articles, taking her dog Gus out for walks and admiring the canvases of her artist husband, Max, when a call from the sister of artist Elspeth Wilding rouses her to take on a new project: the life of the acclaimed painter, who disappeared 18 months ago. As she begins to interview the people who were close to Elspeth, Rona finds much to dislike about her subject. Elspeth was demanding and controlling. She always usurped center stage. And she gave her best friend Chlo", another artist, so much grief that she not only dismissed her fianc Nathan but threw herself under a train afterward. Surprisingly, not all of Elspeth's relatives think that she's missing. Her brother and sister-in-law have heard from her, and her assistant has an inkling where she might be. A chance meeting with a billionaire playboy sends Rona searching for Elspeth in Scotland, but not before there's a murder in Elspeth's studio and grave suspicions arise about Chlo"'s demise. There'll be a major art scandal before yet another death brings matters to an unhappy conclusion.

Likeable, forgettable Rona (Next Door to Murder, 2008, etc.) is ill-served here by an imploding plotline.

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May 1, 2010
When the sister of British artist Elspeth Wilding asks biographer Rona Parish to chronicle her sisters life, she really hopes Rona will solve the mystery of Wildings disappearance months earlier. Reluctant to accept another assignment due to events that occurred while she was writing her previous biography (Next Door to Murder, 2008), Rona decides she is ready to take the plunge. As she gathers details about Wildings life and work from family, teachers, and employees, she finds herself investigating her subjects disappearance, especially after a murder occurs, and Rona learns of the suicide of Wildings friend Chloe Pyne after a disagreement with Wilding. Told from multiple points of view and rich with the details of Ronas family and their lives, the story is framed with details of the art world and the fascinating process of creating a biography, which proves quite similar to that of investigating a crime: perusing written materials, including scrapbooks; interviewing family, friends, and colleagues; and drawing conclusions based on the evidence. Another solid entry in an entertaining series from a genre veteran.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)