Indelible

by Stuart Connelly

A Thriller That Will Leave an INDELIBLE Mark on Your PsycheBen Ballantine, an artist who scrapes together a living selling scenic paintings to Fisherman’s Wharf tourists and sketching criminal composites for the SFPD, is approached by a mysterious man who knows his secret. Six years earlier, he was one of four volunteers who took part in an art school project. Acting as human canvas, they let classmate Ronnie Church tattoo a living mural right across their backs.It was called Original Sin, and it was revolutionary. Now, Church has become the Rembrandt of our times, the college friends have gone their separate ways, and though the mural may be out of sight, it’s anything but out of mind. In fact, it’s the most talked-about, least-seen artwork in history. An almost mythical Mona Lisa. And this stranger wants to put together an art gallery show featuring the mural.Ballantine tells him the critical flaw in his Rachel, one of the art experiment's participants (and Ballantine's former girlfriend), is dead. The chances of anyone ever seeing the whole of "Original Sin" was buried with her. Within days, Ballantine learns the details of a bizarre New York City grave robbery. The empty coffin belonged to Rachel, and her body is missing. Ballantine wonders if this is more of Ronnie Church's edgy and endless publicity machinery, or is someone—maybe that mysterious gallery owner—out to collect the one work of art in the world that can't be bought or sold?It's only a theory until the Harlem River washes Rachel's skinned body ashore. Now Ballantine comes to believe that the terrible crime is only beginning. One quarter of the mural has already been taken, tanned, hung on a wall. But what good is twenty-five percent of an artwork?Like the mark of Cain, the tattoos on the survivors' backs are inescapable signals to the world as well as targets for a serial killer who will stop at nothing for the ultimate collectible.And so Ben Ballantine, quite literally trying to save his own skin, begins his relentless descent into the underground to uncover who's behind the monstrous art thefts...

244 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Author and screenwriter Stuart Connelly learned to write before he could crawl but to this day vacillates over which is the more impressive skill.

His book with Clarence B. Jones about Mr. Jones' intimate role in the 1963 March On Washington, Behind The Dream, was published in January 2011 by Palgrave Macmillan, and his digital short story collection, Confessions of a Velour-Shirted Man, is currently available.

A native of Syracuse, New York, Stuart currently divides his time between Manhattan and rural Pennsylvania. He is a recent National Education Press Award winner and a featured writer for The Huffington Post.

Reviews

[Haight Ashbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indelible is the perfect title for this story. The tattoos are indelible, the actions of the characters are indelible and as the product description shows, "it will leave an indelible mark on your psyche". With every turn of a page there was a twist of the plot.
The characterization was phenomenal in this book. I loved that I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to like or dislike each of the characters that were introduced. Under my own assumptions about who they were I was very wrong about 3 of them which added a lot of suspense to the story.
The main idea of the story is about the theft, of what many would consider, priceless art. The author approaches the subject of art in a very philosophical manner. It really makes you think about why people value the things they do and makes you question whether or not your own idea of what is valuable coincides with mainstream society.
Everytime I tried to put the book down, something intriguing would happen that would keep me reading. The story wasn't incredibly long but every page held something new; A new character, new idea, new plot twist. This book will keep you guessing from beginning to end.

[George]

WOW! Just won this on GOODREADS GIVEAWAY! Thank you Stuart Connelly and Goodreads for having this book available. WILL LEAVE LEAVE A REVIEW UPON COMPLETION OF READING BOOK.

[Pegysue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It grabbed me right from the start and shocked me in the end. I really love a book that does that. I'll look forward to reading more of this author's books!

[Christine Mahnken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This premiss is not original. Have read a novel very similar a few years ago. Can't remember the author or title but it was almost identical.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, entertaining read. The characters were interesting and just complicated enough to make you scratch your head and wonder if you hate them or like them.

[Dracula Raupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got the book arrived because I won! Not yet I read but I will do read. Thanks you!