Die in Plain Sight

Rarities Unlimited #3

by Elizabeth Lowell

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell creates another masterpiece of excitement and chills, passion and surpriseDie in Plain SightWhen Lacey Quinn inherits the striking landscapes done by her late, much-loved grandfather, she believes they are as good as anything hanging in museums. But the paintings now in her possession are more than the works of a talented master. They are anguished voices from the grave . . . crying murder!Lacey begins researching her grandfather's past -- and is rocked almost immediately by a strange series of violent events. Someone wants to steal her inheritance, to reduce the paintings to unrecognizable ashes in a suspicious blaze. Someone wants to prevent Lacey from examining her grandfather's work too closely . . . by any means necessary.Ian Lapstrake, a security specialist, has taken an interest in Lacey's inheritance . . . and in her. Troubled by what he sees, he becomes Lacey's shadow, as her search for answers leads them both down an ever-darkening road paved with lies, blood, and devastating secrets.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Suspense, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

544 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Individually and with co-author/husband Evan, Ann Maxwell has written over 60 novels and one work of non-fiction. There are 30 million copies of these books in print, as well as reprints in 30 foreign languages. Her novels range from science fiction to historical fiction, from romance to mystery. After working in contemporary and historical romance, she became an innovator in the genre of romantic suspense.

In 1982, Ann began publishing as Elizabeth Lowell. Under that name she has received numerous professional awards in the romance field, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the Romance Writers of America (1994).

Since July of 1992, she has had over 30 novels on the New York Times bestseller list. In 1998 she began writing suspense with a passionate twist, capturing a new audience and generation of readers. Her new romance novel Perfect Touch will be available in July of 2015.

To get a full list of titles as well as read excerpts from her novels, visit www.elizabethlowell.com.

Reviews

[jenjn79 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first hundred or so pages of this book nearly put me into a coma from boredom. I was so tempted to give up on the book completely and find something more interesting to read. Thankfully, it gets better...but not a whole lot. And like a lot of others have said, the ending left a lot to be desired.

For a lot of the book, it reads like a bunch of random scenes slapped together with no flow or cohesiveness. The early chapters are rather short and every single one jumps to a different focus character - of which there are many. Your reading about the hero, then the heroine, then a famous artist lady, then an old rich dude, then the old dude's son, then the old dude's daughter, and then the old dude's ex-son-in-law/right-hand-man/crooked-sheriff. Every time my interest would start to pick up, the chapter would end and the next one would jump to something completely different. Usually something about the rich guy and his family, who I really couldn't have cared less about. All the jumping around left me feeling like I hardly knew anybody until halfway through the book. Plus it was just way too many focus characters. And add to that all the dead characters that played a role, and I couldn't keep them straight. You needed a family tree to remember who all the members of the rich guy's family were.

The romance and the characters were okay. I did like Lacey and Ian, and their romance was okay, but the development was superficial. I never felt like I really knew the characters all that well. Lowell didn't give them much depth, only gave small tid bits of their histories without ever really giving them a full background. I just wanted to know more about these characters who were the focus of the book.

The suspense was so-so. The book really wasn't all that suspenseful. I knew who the bad guy was going to be from very early on and I knew what the story was going to be on the mystery artist fairly early too. I thought all the characters were rather dumb for not figuring it out until the very end.

And the end of the book? Ugh. It was like the author was tired of the story and just slapped the ending together with as little explanation as possible. I finished the book and wasn't quite sure what exactly had gone on and not everything felt resolved. It left me unsatisfied.

My favorite part of the book was the dialogue. Not in the sense that it was very eloquent or anything like that. It was just very real and down-to-earth. The characters said things that you could honestly expect them to say. Nothing was prettied up to be P.C. I really enjoyed that. And even though I'm not an art fan, Lowell did a pretty good job presenting the art side of the book.

Overall, the book wasn't as bad as I thought it would be in the beginning, but it was too scattered and superficial. And about 100 pages or so too long (it was 518 pages). I never particularly felt like I had a vested interest in the characters or the plot. I kinda just kept reading because I'd started the book and I hate not finishing something.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just skipped to the end and read the last 20 pages/3 or so chapters. Meh.

[Winona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always nice to bump in to characters from a series. Lowell creates strong male heroes, but even stronger females to work together to solve crimes. In this age of increasingly ridiculous news headlines, it is nice to escape into the world of fiction. Now I need to find the other Donovan books to reacquaint myself with these characters.

[Ренета Кирова · Rating 2 out of 5]

Скучновата криминална история. В книгата се разказваше за картини, които изобразяват моменти на смърт и убийства. Някой иска да ги купи, да ги унищожи и да убие собственичката им. Всичко обаче се въртеше около богатото семейство Савой - какви сделки направили, какво искали да купят, кой за кого се оженил, за проклятието на Савой и много такива излишни описания. Любовната нишка и криминалното разследване се загубиха сред цялото това многословие.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Famed west coast artist Suza Donovan is supporting the Moreno County art community by evaluating art and donating an artwork for a major fundraising auction. This is the opportunity for Lacey Quinn to finally get a professional opinion of her Grandfather Rainbow’s artwork. She’s limited to three works and finally selects two landscapes and one of the Death Suite, a series of paintings illustrating a death by drowning, one by fire, and one by auto.

On the upside, Grandpa Rainbow is acknowledged by Suza as an outstanding painter. Lacey also begins to fall in love with Suza’s smart, hunky bodyguard. On the downside, from the moment her grandfather’s work is made public, threats, thefts and arson endanger Lacey’s life.

There are likeable and unlikeable characters, a complex plot of murders to unravel, and bits and pieces of the story hidden in several different places. We meet or reference other characters in the Rarieties Unlimited series. We get suspense, banter, humor, and enough mystery to keep you reading into the night. Recommended as a very satisfying romantic thriller.

Readalikes/Similar Authors:
Julie Garwood’s Buchanan novels; Catherine Coulter FBI suspense thrillers; Linda Lael Miller’s Look Book trilogy; J.D. Robb - Secrets in Death; Nora Roberts - Come Sundown; Julie Garwood - Wired; Jayne Ann Krentz - Promise Not to Tell; Sandra Brown - Sting; Danielle Steele - Undercover.

Pace: Fast
Characters: Complex, large cast, detailed backstories
Story: Intricately plotted
Language: Engaging; descriptive
Tone: Suspenseful; steamy
Frame: Southern California; contemporary

Red flags: F-word

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die in Plain Sight is the story of landscape artist Lacey Quinn who decides to show famous artist, Susa Donovan three of her dead grandfather's paintings in hopes that she will confirm Lacey's opinion that her grandfather had impressive talent. Not only does Susa agree with Lacey, but she also thinks they were painted by a famous artist named Lewis Marten. One of the paintings depicts a murder, and Lacey begins to suspect that her grandfather might not have just been a forger but also a murderer. When someone sets fire to Lacey's studio/store and the paintings are stolen, she finds herself in the middle of a mystery. In steps Ian Lapstrake, who has been assigned the job of protecting Susa Donovan. Ian finds himself attracted to Lacey, and helps her investigate the history of not only her grandfather, but also the mysterious paintings.
Die in Plain Sight is an extremely good suspense story with an interesting mystery. The beginning of the book is a little hard to follow because there are so many characters, but after it becomes clear how each one fits into the story, it is much easier to track them as they become suspects or participants in this mystery. Intertwined clues and action scenes make it easy to remain interested in the book from beginning to end. A very enjoyable read.

[Heike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing was good, however, it is irritating when the reader knows the plot while the protagonists are running around brainless. There were no surprises whatsoever at the revealings at the end, except wondering "why???".

[Cruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author: Elizabeth Lowell
First published: 2003
Length: 6104 kindle locations, 549 pages
Setting: Contemporary, Mostly around Pasadena, California.
Sex: Reasonably frequent and explicit.
Hero: Bodyguard / Guards art.
Heroine: Shop owner / painter.
Links: to Lowell’s Donovan series (Susa Donovan plays a major role).
Includes: Excerpt from When the Storm Breaks by Heather Lowell (Elizabeth’s daughter).

Lessons on California Plein Air (Impressionism) painting and artists.

I liked this one more than the last two.

Thankfully, Lowell dumps the paranormal for a far more straightforward romantic suspense. The Rarities Unlimited characters (Dana, Niall) are given only cameos (thankfully) and we do focus mostly on the two MCs. Sadly, the “romance” is of the InstaLove variety and the mystery somewhat predictable. For apparently intelligent people some obvious investigative moves were ignored (a picture of Lewis Marten would be nice) and the rapid conclusion was very unsatisfactory. I wanted a clean summary of motivations and events but it was lacking.

Overall, it was a good holiday read - easy, interesting, not too intense and lengthy. Not a book you want to think too hard about.

3.5 stars, rounded down. The more I think about it, the more problems I have.

Rarities Unlimited:
Book 1 Moving Target - Serena Charters and Erik North
Book 2 Running Scared - Risa Sheridan and Shane Tannahill
Book 3 Die in Plain Sight - Lacey Quinn and Ian Lapstrake
Book 4 The Color of Death - Kate Chandler and Sam Groves

References:
Author’s website: http://www.elizabethlowell.com/die-in...

(ISBN 9780061743276)

-CR-

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacey Quinn is a struggling artist with an antique shop who inherited a bunch of her grandfather's paintings. Determined to bring his paintings to light, she takes them to a charity where a popular California artist, Susa Donovan identifies them as being painted by a long-dead artist - so how did her grandfather get them? Lacey is very hesitant to bring the possibility of her grandfather's forging paintings to light. In the meantime, she's forging a relationship with Susa and her bodyguard, Ian Lapstrake (and this is a sexual relationship obviously). But someone else is after Lacey's paintings, and willing to kill for them.

This is a pretty decent story - I actually liked it and found it pretty suspenseful. I really liked Ian and Lacey - great banter, great relationship (wish there'd been even more romance between them) - I even really liked Susa. The scenes with them were fantastic. I got a little confused when it came to Rory Turner and the Forrest family and what not. Honestly, couldn't care less about Bliss and Rory and I wasn't a fan of the scene switching. I wanted to skip chapters that took us into their world. Just not interesting. As for the mystery, I'd pretty much already figured out that Lacey's grandfather was Lewis Marten and I was quite pleased with myself for figuring out that Gem was Lewis's daughter long before it was revealed. The villain in this case was for the most part a mystery, but only because of my natural tendency to second guess. So it was a bit disappointing to find out the villain was so obvious. What I didn't think was all that obvious though were the motivations - I figured it had something to do with Lewis, but I didn't realize why the villain was doing all the killing and what not. And I'm not sure I like how quickly Lacey was willing to forgive her grandfather . It also would have been nice to have finished up with Susa some information about Lacey's own art or something.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took this one because I felt like doing a little escape reading. That's exactly what it is. Unfortunately, in my eyes, it is also "romantic suspense". I could do with more sleuthing and less lusting. Fortunately, it's long so it gave me a few days of escape from reality.

Lacey Quinn is our heroine. She's in her thirties, an artist who co-owns a second-hand store and teaches art in an elementary school. She thinks fondly of her "Grandfather Rainbow", who left his many paintings to her, the only member of the family he seemed to love.

Lacey's calm existence is shaken up when she learns that a famous artist, "La Susa" is coming to town to view and evaluate old works of art. People are encouraged to bring in the paintings from their attics, but no more than three each. The works judged best will be placed on display as a benefit to a charity.

Lacey wants to bring in three of her grandfather's paintings. She knows they are good but also knows that her parents do not want them displayed. For reasons that are vague to Lacey, her father is adamant that his father's paintings must not be displayed, that others should not see them. So Lacey decides on a little subterfuge: she invents a name for herself and submits a form identifying three paintings as some she found at a garage sale. She finds it difficult to choose just three but finally selects two landscapes and one from a group of darker paintings, a painting of a woman drowning, which clearly appears to be a murder.

La Susa, a petite artist who is kind and friendly, believes the works are by a famous painter whose life and home were destroyed many years ago in a fire. She is excited by the find, and wants to know more. Lacey continues her charade but others suspect that her name and story are false. Including La Susa's bodyguard, Ian.

Yeah. You guessed it. Ian becomes the love interest. Susa and Lacey become friends and go painting together, guarded by Ian. Others take an interest, too, to an unwanted degree. Lacey does not want to sell the paintings or tell anyone who really painted them, but people pursue her relentlessly, and some of those seem to have an interest in more than the works of art themselves. They seem to be threatening Lacey's life. But why? This is the big question.

The story is different in that the murder or murders aren't identified for over half of the book, and the police are not interested in pursuing the perp. It is up to the determined threesome to solve the crimes while their lives are nearly ended.

It's an interesting if bizarre plot, good for airplane reading.

[Ann C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Which is saying something since it is over 500 pages long. I usually don't even think about reading a book that long. I am glad I did. The two previous books in the series were rather boring. In fact they were awful.

I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 stars because the time frame does not add up. I hate it when authors say someone is so and so old and it has been so many years since something happened. My undergrad degree is in mathematics. Therefore I am always paying attention to numbers. Lacey's parents moved into their house 30 years ago right after she was born. Yet, her father is 48. Meaning he was 18 when she was born. Her sisters are older. So how old was he when they were born, 15, 16? I think he was either in law school or already a lawyer when he got married. The time frame just does not add up.

It seemed there was always action. Things just kept happening. I had already figured out a lot of things by the time the book ended. I would have liked it to be about 200 pages shorter.

[Nancy Andrews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me. This was one of the worst books I have ever read. I almost gave up on it several times and wish I had, as it was a waste of time. But I kept hoping the book would improve given that it had been a NY Times Bestseller. The main characters seemed very shallow, and I all the sexual innuendo/flirting was tiresome. They claimed they were “in love,” but it was clearly just lust and did nothing to improve the story - nor was there much of a story. Some the author is well-known and the quality of her writing is excellent, I had hoped for something much better. But the book was so slow, easy to put down, and a little difficult to pick back up. Not sure if I will ever pick up another one of her books.

[Laurie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was full of characters I didn't really get to know. There were SO many characters to keep track of and none of them were developed at all. Most of them didn't even contribute to moving the story along. I found this book in the hotel library and was reading it at the beach. The good news is that I didn't pay money for it and I was at the beach while I read it.

I didn't think the plot made sense at all. It wasn't really a mystery. I'd say it's more of a romance novel. It was cliched and repetitive. Seriously, if Ian had pushed a curl out of Lacey's face one more time, I was going to scream!

The author even gave up on this story by the end. It was abrupt, predictable, and awful.

[Rebecca I · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining story as are most of the NY Times Bestsellers. It has a lot of twists and turns. Also lots of characters who aren't developed enough to remember one from another. There is some good writing and some great twists of phrase. Then all of a sudden it is as if the author says : "Yep, we have the correct length, the right number of words so let's wrap it up." Then we have a breakneck speed denouement which is hard to follow and - the end. A little love story, a little suspense and mystery. Not enough of any, but good enough to entertain. Some of this type of book make good movies.

[Nickles · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an artist myself, I loved every bit of this book. Took me a while to get into it, but that's typical for me. Once I did though, I ate it up! I loved the references to the more technical side of artistry, the equally vulnerable and headstrong protagonist, and the fun supporting characters that filled out the world. It was spicy in all the right places. Could have used one (1) more love scene, but I won't be greedy. Overall, a fun thriller and sweet story, definitely going to keep on my "to read again" shelf.

[Crystal Toller · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Susa Donovan is having a charity event and accepting paintings to put on display, Lacey Quinn ends up entering her late grandfather's paintings over the objections of her father, Brady Quinn. Lacey's grandfather supposedly forged the paintings because they are the same as a famous artist, Marsten. How Lacey, Susa and Susa's bodyguard Ian solve the mystery about Lacey's grandfather and uncover the truth makes for a great read. Really enjoyed this book. My first read by this author and am sure there will be more.

[Aziza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ian is sexy first off!!! But the book as a whole is amazing. Even if I enjoy a book, surprise twists and endings usually don’t sneak up on me because I’ve read so many in this genre and style. And I was completely taken off guard in this book. I expected the murderer and blackmailer to be someone completely different. Being totally shocked was wonderful, and made me want to find out more. Definitely recommend getting to know Lacy, Ian, Susa and the rest of the gang.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with the book as I thought it would have a much deeper story line than what was revealed. My first disappointment came in the relationship between Lacy and the guy charged with watching Susa. One minute they'd met and the next it was as if they had been dating for years. No build up whatsoever. And as others have mentioned, the second, and major, disappointment, came in the hurried conclusion. It was so abrupt, I thought to myself I must have accidently skipped some pages!!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It reminded me why I love Elizabeth Lowell and it was fast paced and interesting. I am not sure what happened at the end, however. It was sort of like there were 20 pages missing. No loose ends got tied up. All of a sudden the grandfather shows up (which the reader has been shouting to the characters since about the first page). Where has he been? How has he lived for two years since he supposedly died (the second time). All in all a fun book.

[Peggy Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book at a library sale. Even though this is a 2003 publication, I immediately liked this author and plan to read more of her books. Great characters that you enjoy and care about and well written. Elizabeth Lowell
depicts a young artist whose beloved grandfather painted beautifully, but
a number of his paintings clearly depict a murdered victim. She always thought they were odd flights of his imagination, but begins to suspect something far more sinister.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked the reviews prior to reading this book, which I never do, and found a lot people stating too many characters, confusing, etc. Honestly, this book was great. A compelling story, keeps you on your toes as to whodunit and definitely not too many characters. It's an oldie but a goodie. I semi-figured it out but the ending still had me surprised.

A great suspense and a definite recommend.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, but very predictable. This isn't my normal genre so I'm probably not the best person to leave a review, but I've read better romances and I knew how the mystery part was going to end within the first 150 pages. Made for a drawn-out read just waiting for the clues to get pieced together.

[Kate H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Lowell books are obviously fairly formulaic but I still find them to be an enjoyable quick read. I think her books are at their best when they are part of a series so she has a chance to develop the characters and story a bit more. I especially like her series that deal with rare artifacts. This series is one of hers that I think works the best.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian Lapstrake and Lacey Quinn are the romantic interests in this latest book in the Rarities series. Although a slow start, the story picks up with, of course, a mystery to be solved as why someone seems to have targeted Lacey to die. A good read but does not have many of the original characters from the earlier books.

[Cynthia Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a more than adequate romantic thriller. There is some interesting and clever romantic banter between the love interests. The story itself is a bit convoluted. There are alot of characters to keep track of. Most of them are superfluous to the plot. The ending is rushed and a bit predictable.

[Taulant · Rating 2 out of 5]

People seem to have covered pretty much everything about it, so there's not much to say.
There was no suspense, for a good two hundred or more pages I thought this was a romance novel.
The ending leaves much to want. Altogether I didn't quite like it.

[Laura Steinert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much heavy breathing for my taste but the story itself is intriguing. Probably should be listed as a romance book rather than mystery because it was clear early on how this would end. Good summer read of about 7 hours.

[charmaine White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow

I always enjoy reading a book by Elizabeth Lowell .Mystery,suspense,thrills,and a whole lot of action.This one will have you sitting on the edge of your seat,from the very beginning to the end.

[Judy Tarver · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites by Lowell. I love the whole Rarities series. As usual with her books, the romance is really hot and the characters are lovable and unforgettable. It is definitely hard to put one of her books down once starting it and this one is just as good as the others.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept me reading it after the first few pages. Lacey is a painter and owner of a consignment store. Ian is hired to watch after professional artist, Susu. Lacey has grandfather rainbow's paintings. He's actually a famous painter who saw murders and sells his unsigned paintings to stay quiet.