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Paint It Red
SHE TRIES TO MOVE ON....
Jim Abbott, an up-and-coming artist, drowned himself in the raging waters of the Missouri River. His body was never recovered. Two years later, his widow, Vanessa, has arranged for one last showing of his brilliant, disturbing artwork. The event is a success: Critics are raving, pieces are selling,and Vanessa even meets an interesting man. Christian Connor is gentle, honest, and incredibly sexy. Soon their innocent flirtation heats up...
BUT SOMETHING WON'T LET GO.
The the gallery owner is found dead with a splash of red paint across his body, and his corpse is only the first to bear that mark. Vanessa recognizes the stroke: When Jim was unhappy with a painting, he'd slash it with furious crimson. And in her home, Jim's picture somehow finds its way onto the dresser, and his jacket appears on the back of the sofa. Is she going crazy? Or has her husband returned to claim her as his own?
Jim Abbott, an up-and-coming artist, drowned himself in the raging waters of the Missouri River. His body was never recovered. Two years later, his widow, Vanessa, has arranged for one last showing of his brilliant, disturbing artwork. The event is a success: Critics are raving, pieces are selling,and Vanessa even meets an interesting man. Christian Connor is gentle, honest, and incredibly sexy. Soon their innocent flirtation heats up...
BUT SOMETHING WON'T LET GO.
The the gallery owner is found dead with a splash of red paint across his body, and his corpse is only the first to bear that mark. Vanessa recognizes the stroke: When Jim was unhappy with a painting, he'd slash it with furious crimson. And in her home, Jim's picture somehow finds its way onto the dresser, and his jacket appears on the back of the sofa. Is she going crazy? Or has her husband returned to claim her as his own?
319 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 7, 2007
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248 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 3, 2014
I can't decide if this book should get 2 stars for being so stupid or 3 stars for being so stupid it made me laugh a lot.
I'm being a little unfair. It's a romance. I kind of had the idea that it was a mystery, because it was shelved in the mystery section of the library and the description on the back makes it sound like a mystery. And sure, all these people keep getting mysteriously murdered, and every few chapters a detective shows up to look at the bodies and say something generic about how frustrated he is that he has absolutely no idea who the killer is, but those scenes are only as long as absolutely necessary so the book can get back to the stupidly disgustingly ridiculously over-the-top romance of cheesy dialogue. Which apparently some people like; I hear it's a whole genre. It's just not my thing...so I can't help but both laugh and cringe when the tall, dark, handsome man with the chiseled chest and the smoky eyes says, "I've been waiting all night to hold you in my arms" in a husky voice. Yeesh. It's disgusting; can we get back to the dead bodies please?
Also, can I just take a moment to point out the bizarrely enforced moral code of this novel? Spoiler alert- she sleeps with the guy on the second date. But then later, she refuses to let him move in because she doesn't want her son to think that it's ok for unmarried couples to live together. So you can have all the sex you want, but you can't get your mail delivered to the same address?
Anyway, there's also some "mystery" involving the murders of all these people who had been close to her late husband before he committed suicide two years ago. It's not really a mystery so much as filler between scenes about being taken care of by a big strong man.
Basically, like I said, it's a romance. Read only if you like romance. Meanwhile, I will learn from my mistake and understand that any book in the mystery section whose back cover description has the sentence "Soon their innocent flirtation heats up..." has been mis-shelved, no matter how interesting the rest of the sentences sound.
I'm being a little unfair. It's a romance. I kind of had the idea that it was a mystery, because it was shelved in the mystery section of the library and the description on the back makes it sound like a mystery. And sure, all these people keep getting mysteriously murdered, and every few chapters a detective shows up to look at the bodies and say something generic about how frustrated he is that he has absolutely no idea who the killer is, but those scenes are only as long as absolutely necessary so the book can get back to the stupidly disgustingly ridiculously over-the-top romance of cheesy dialogue. Which apparently some people like; I hear it's a whole genre. It's just not my thing...so I can't help but both laugh and cringe when the tall, dark, handsome man with the chiseled chest and the smoky eyes says, "I've been waiting all night to hold you in my arms" in a husky voice. Yeesh. It's disgusting; can we get back to the dead bodies please?
Also, can I just take a moment to point out the bizarrely enforced moral code of this novel? Spoiler alert- she sleeps with the guy on the second date. But then later, she refuses to let him move in because she doesn't want her son to think that it's ok for unmarried couples to live together. So you can have all the sex you want, but you can't get your mail delivered to the same address?
Anyway, there's also some "mystery" involving the murders of all these people who had been close to her late husband before he committed suicide two years ago. It's not really a mystery so much as filler between scenes about being taken care of by a big strong man.
Basically, like I said, it's a romance. Read only if you like romance. Meanwhile, I will learn from my mistake and understand that any book in the mystery section whose back cover description has the sentence "Soon their innocent flirtation heats up..." has been mis-shelved, no matter how interesting the rest of the sentences sound.
September 15, 2025
I found this book somewhere in a library and didn’t think too highly of it but this was one of the best reads I’ve had in a while. The whole character building was amazing, the tension was palpable and the plot was good. I could empathise with the main character easily and the relationship between her & the mmc made me feel butterflies again 🥹
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May 21, 2019I decided not to finish this book, i read about halfway and then gave up. Life is too short to read mediocre books.
Registered on Bookcrossing - http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6...
Registered on Bookcrossing - http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6...
January 4, 2017
Vanessa Abbott is ready to move on with her life two years after the suicide of her husband Jim, a painter. She starts a romance with Christian Connor, which could be complicated by the fact she is a single mother with a ten-year-old son, and he is convinced he wants no children in his life.
Meanwhile, people associated with Jim are showing up murdered, heads smashed in with a bat. A slash of red paint has been left on the bodies, similar to what was done on Jim's unwanted paintings when he was alive! Jim's body was never found - has he suddenly decided to start tormenting Vanessa in some sort of twisted revenge plan?
If you've read more than a couple of thrillers in your lifetime, you'll probably know that's not the case! Paint It Red is a fairly standard romantic suspense tale, though with more emphasis on the romance. I think I would have liked a bit more of the suspense and thriller to go along with it! The scenes with the police feel pretty perfunctory, and could probably be removed altogether without affecting the story much! It reminded me a bit of comfort food. You pretty much know everything that's going to happen, it's not particularly good (or good for you), but you enjoy it while it lasts. At least guilty pleasure stuff like this isn't bad for my waistline!
Meanwhile, people associated with Jim are showing up murdered, heads smashed in with a bat. A slash of red paint has been left on the bodies, similar to what was done on Jim's unwanted paintings when he was alive! Jim's body was never found - has he suddenly decided to start tormenting Vanessa in some sort of twisted revenge plan?
If you've read more than a couple of thrillers in your lifetime, you'll probably know that's not the case! Paint It Red is a fairly standard romantic suspense tale, though with more emphasis on the romance. I think I would have liked a bit more of the suspense and thriller to go along with it! The scenes with the police feel pretty perfunctory, and could probably be removed altogether without affecting the story much! It reminded me a bit of comfort food. You pretty much know everything that's going to happen, it's not particularly good (or good for you), but you enjoy it while it lasts. At least guilty pleasure stuff like this isn't bad for my waistline!
February 4, 2025
This book pissed me off. The writing style is so banal and clunky. There is just so much unnecessary crap in almost every sentence that simply does not need to be there!! So much overuse of “minutes later” “5 minutes later” “half an hour later” I don’t fucking care how much later it was!! Get to the point!
I also found myself wondering has Cassidy ever heard of thesaurus.com??? One thing this author needs to add to their writing is some bloody SYNONYMS!!! I think she used the word talent 4 times in about 3 sentences.
There are also these weird conservative views that leak through the writing. A gay man “jokingly” refers to his sexuality as a disorder, women cook and clean while the men watch tv, and apparently a man and woman should never live together if they aren’t married.
Why did I finish the book? Because the plot is cool. The narrative idea is interesting and I did want to know what happened. About 200 pages in (it’s a 320 page book lol) the plot thickened enough I was finally able to forgive the horrendously simple language… somewhat. There was even the occasional unexpected surprise that did leave me genuinely with my jaw dropped. The first sex scene was pretty hot and Cassidy managed to throw in the use of contraception which is fun.
All in all, I wish a different author had written this story. It’s such a brilliant concept, but executed in such a disappointing way. I couldn’t immerse myself in the story because I was too busy being pissed off at how terribly everything read. Maybe she needs a new editor, I have no idea. I will be avoiding her other work at all costs.
I also found myself wondering has Cassidy ever heard of thesaurus.com??? One thing this author needs to add to their writing is some bloody SYNONYMS!!! I think she used the word talent 4 times in about 3 sentences.
There are also these weird conservative views that leak through the writing. A gay man “jokingly” refers to his sexuality as a disorder, women cook and clean while the men watch tv, and apparently a man and woman should never live together if they aren’t married.
Why did I finish the book? Because the plot is cool. The narrative idea is interesting and I did want to know what happened. About 200 pages in (it’s a 320 page book lol) the plot thickened enough I was finally able to forgive the horrendously simple language… somewhat. There was even the occasional unexpected surprise that did leave me genuinely with my jaw dropped. The first sex scene was pretty hot and Cassidy managed to throw in the use of contraception which is fun.
All in all, I wish a different author had written this story. It’s such a brilliant concept, but executed in such a disappointing way. I couldn’t immerse myself in the story because I was too busy being pissed off at how terribly everything read. Maybe she needs a new editor, I have no idea. I will be avoiding her other work at all costs.
September 24, 2017
This was my first Carla Cassidy book but it definitely won't be my last. It was a great read......the kind you don't want to finish because you've become good "friends" with the main characters. Thoroughly enjoyed the book.
November 8, 2022
My second book by Carla Cassidy. She is such a great author, and I love reading her books. This one was just as good as the first one I read of hers. If you love a good mystery, Carla Cassidy is your author!
November 21, 2019
a quick read and easy to follow . a new author for me and more to come
January 7, 2023
Good app
July 2, 2016
Vanessa is a real estate agent and single mom. Her artist husband committed suicide 2 years ago. She is finally ready to display and sell his left behind art. At the showing she meets Christian Connor and feels sparks. Later that night, the murders begin. Vanessa begins to have creepy things happen & the people connected to Jim (her husband) in the art world are being murdered. Throw in her in-laws and all their drama and pressure on her 10-year-old son to be the next "Abbott hope" (he is an artist as well), the be-atch/bipolar receptionist at her office and an awesome detective working the case. Is Jim really alive & after revenge or is someone else doing the dirty deeds on his behalf?
I enjoyed the romance. Christian has issues to work through and Vanessa realizes how alone she has been since dealing with a mentally ill husband. The story seemed to drag a bit and then have a rapid conclusion but was overall a nice read for fans of Carla's work like myself.
Borrowed from Amazon Prime
I enjoyed the romance. Christian has issues to work through and Vanessa realizes how alone she has been since dealing with a mentally ill husband. The story seemed to drag a bit and then have a rapid conclusion but was overall a nice read for fans of Carla's work like myself.
Borrowed from Amazon Prime
April 10, 2011
There is a shrewdly woven romance but there is also the trite psycho villain out for revenge.
Carla Cassidy has a unique writing style. It is her inimitable voice that sets her apart from all the other wanna~be romantic suspense scribes when she drips morsels of suspense throughout the book.
What I really loved & appreciated about Paint It Red was the fact that you don't know who did what or why. Love that!!!
This is a crucial element in any suspense novel I read.
I love trying to guess whodunit, but I love not knowing even more!!!
This skillful thriller has a number of believable suspects & a hero that refreshingly is not one of them. *Sigh*
The police detective, Tyler King, was extremely well written.
I hope Carla Cassidy realizes the gem she created in Tyler King & pens a gripping suspense with him front & center.
Tyler was one of the best characters in the book. A stellar standout.
Carla Cassidy has a unique writing style. It is her inimitable voice that sets her apart from all the other wanna~be romantic suspense scribes when she drips morsels of suspense throughout the book.
What I really loved & appreciated about Paint It Red was the fact that you don't know who did what or why. Love that!!!
This is a crucial element in any suspense novel I read.
I love trying to guess whodunit, but I love not knowing even more!!!
This skillful thriller has a number of believable suspects & a hero that refreshingly is not one of them. *Sigh*
The police detective, Tyler King, was extremely well written.
I hope Carla Cassidy realizes the gem she created in Tyler King & pens a gripping suspense with him front & center.
Tyler was one of the best characters in the book. A stellar standout.
January 22, 2008
I think I would have liked this book better if they'd have left out the mystery/thriller part and stuck with the romance part alone. I liked the relationship between the main character and her new love interest and the fact that she was a widow with a child gave it a different twist. But to me the thriller part wasn't very thrilling and unfortunately the ending kind of left me going "huh?". I think this book would be ok for filling time, but I wouldn't say it's a must read.
September 24, 2007
Didn't see the ending coming! It was a nice surprise.
March 5, 2008
This book was pretty good from the start. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot was intense.
April 12, 2009
took a little while to get into this one. not sure why but it was a good story..
June 29, 2009
Style is much like Olga Bicos. But I liked the story. Not as action-packed or a thriller at that, but good nonetheless. Recommended. 1.5/5 stars.
July 7, 2010
Good mystery novel. Has a twist at the end that you would never expect!
June 20, 2011
Really good although the ending was too quickly executed. Killer caught - everyones lives rearranged and the end - all in a couple of
pages. Still a good book and I will read more by this author.
pages. Still a good book and I will read more by this author.
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July 28, 2011it was ok. not as good as carla cassidy's other books though
January 21, 2014
Was interesting guessing who the killer was. Not who I thought.
March 4, 2014
Its been a long time since I have read a book in under 6 hours and enjoyed it!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews