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The Fine Art of Lying
From the critically acclaimed author of Who is Maud Dixon? comes a riveting new novel about a young wife and mother in a world of wealth and privilege, whose rash mistake sets off a domino effect of murder and betrayal.
In the beginning, there was art.
It was Clare Bast’s love of art that saved her from a bleak, predictable life in upstate New York, and drew her to the cultured world of Manhattan’s Upper East Side where she met Jed, her doting, affluent husband.
Despite her best efforts—including a half-finished PhD, abandoned when her daughter Sadie was born—Clare secretly can’t help but feel like an imposter in Jed’s one-percent, Park-Avenue life.
When the well-connected wife of Jed’s new boss introduces her to influential friends, a curator here, a gallerist there, an aficionado abroad, Clare feels an essential part of herself coming alive again. And when she discovers that an important work painted by the subject of her unfinished dissertation is hanging in the brownstone of a seductively attractive dealer, she believes fate is leading her where she belongs . . . until she finds herself at the scene of a gruesome murder and a stolen masterpiece. Caught in the perfectly wrong place at the perfectly wrong time, every clue the investigation uncovers points back to her.
Suddenly, Clare is trapped inside a dark and treacherous art world filled with unscrupulous dealers and international criminals. What exactly, has she gotten herself into . . . and how is she going to get herself, and her family, out?
In the beginning, there was art.
It was Clare Bast’s love of art that saved her from a bleak, predictable life in upstate New York, and drew her to the cultured world of Manhattan’s Upper East Side where she met Jed, her doting, affluent husband.
Despite her best efforts—including a half-finished PhD, abandoned when her daughter Sadie was born—Clare secretly can’t help but feel like an imposter in Jed’s one-percent, Park-Avenue life.
When the well-connected wife of Jed’s new boss introduces her to influential friends, a curator here, a gallerist there, an aficionado abroad, Clare feels an essential part of herself coming alive again. And when she discovers that an important work painted by the subject of her unfinished dissertation is hanging in the brownstone of a seductively attractive dealer, she believes fate is leading her where she belongs . . . until she finds herself at the scene of a gruesome murder and a stolen masterpiece. Caught in the perfectly wrong place at the perfectly wrong time, every clue the investigation uncovers points back to her.
Suddenly, Clare is trapped inside a dark and treacherous art world filled with unscrupulous dealers and international criminals. What exactly, has she gotten herself into . . . and how is she going to get herself, and her family, out?
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 9, 2026
514 people are currently reading
14285 people want to read
About the author
Alexandra Andrews
2 books814 followersI'm a journalist-turned-copywriter-turned-novelist, with a brief stint as a graphic designer somewhere in there. I've lived in New York City for my entire life, except for the year and a half I spent in Paris writing Who Is Maud Dixon? I now live in Brooklyn with my husband and two children and am (theoretically) working on my second novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 6, 2026
4 stars. Reese Book Club - May ‘26 pick. Set inside the NYC art scene, this follows Clare, from her predictable life in upstate NY, to her marriage into Jed’s one-percent Park Avenue life that includes motherhood, betrayal, money and murder. If you enjoy reading about messy rich people drama you’ll want to read this. It’s a good one. A great thriller, very twisty. This book pushed me to add “Who is Maud Dixon” to my ‘26 must-read backlist (I heard it’s just as twisty!) 🎧 Pub. 5/5/26
May 7, 2026
Slow-burning, sinister, and sophisticated!
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 is a thought-provoking, character-driven thriller set in Manhattan that immerses readers into the life of Clare Bast, a mother and former art PhD student whose world is turned upside down when her lover, an affluent art dealer, is murdered in his home, leaving her as the primary suspect.
The writing is taut and intense. The characters are layered, guarded, and secretive. And the plot, including all the subplots, unfurls into a suspenseful tale about life, loss, family, drama, deception, mayhem, infidelity, disillusionment, corruption, power, money, art, murder, and the lingering weight of guilt.
Overall, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 is a tight, intricate, cunning novel by Andrews that offers a sharp reminder that secrets have a way of corroding the soul and nothing is ever quite as it seems.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 is a thought-provoking, character-driven thriller set in Manhattan that immerses readers into the life of Clare Bast, a mother and former art PhD student whose world is turned upside down when her lover, an affluent art dealer, is murdered in his home, leaving her as the primary suspect.
The writing is taut and intense. The characters are layered, guarded, and secretive. And the plot, including all the subplots, unfurls into a suspenseful tale about life, loss, family, drama, deception, mayhem, infidelity, disillusionment, corruption, power, money, art, murder, and the lingering weight of guilt.
Overall, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 is a tight, intricate, cunning novel by Andrews that offers a sharp reminder that secrets have a way of corroding the soul and nothing is ever quite as it seems.
March 31, 2026
I had kind of a hard time with this one.
It’s interesting, on the whole, but I felt like it fell a little flat.
The whole premise of Clare, this girl who grew up as a “nobody” and then somehow found herself with this great guy Jed, who is part of NYCs elite. And her being thrusted into this world of money and power, being someone she could have never imagined becoming, and how one small encounter causes her entire life to turn upside down. And force Clare to look at everything and ask herself 2”what it is she truly wants in her life.
I thought the parts with Gabriel and Clare were great. The chemistry was there, with this underlying “danger” element. I loved their passion for art, and how that increased their attraction to each other. I don’t think I’ve ever routed for someone to cheat on their husband before hahaha.
Jed isn’t a bad guy, he actually seems nice and like someone who wouldn’t hurt a fly, but he’s been raised in a type of environment, and with a type of mother who has done everything for him, and placed certain expectations and pressure upon him.
Neither one, Jed or Clare are living the life they had originally wanted. And it’s sad that in their marriage they seem so far away from one another.
Things for me took a turn, after Gabriel. I won’t give spoilers, but I will say, that while there were some twists along the way, they didn’t really “hit” me. They didn’t pack a punch.
The entire prob last third of the book, I was like “ok. I wanna know what happens but I’m just kind of going through the motions.” I wish that there would have been more of a “wow” factor somehow, so that certain things that happened would have almost invigorated me back into the story.
This is not a bad book. I enjoyed it, but as I said, it just fell flat.
It’s interesting, on the whole, but I felt like it fell a little flat.
The whole premise of Clare, this girl who grew up as a “nobody” and then somehow found herself with this great guy Jed, who is part of NYCs elite. And her being thrusted into this world of money and power, being someone she could have never imagined becoming, and how one small encounter causes her entire life to turn upside down. And force Clare to look at everything and ask herself 2”what it is she truly wants in her life.
I thought the parts with Gabriel and Clare were great. The chemistry was there, with this underlying “danger” element. I loved their passion for art, and how that increased their attraction to each other. I don’t think I’ve ever routed for someone to cheat on their husband before hahaha.
Jed isn’t a bad guy, he actually seems nice and like someone who wouldn’t hurt a fly, but he’s been raised in a type of environment, and with a type of mother who has done everything for him, and placed certain expectations and pressure upon him.
Neither one, Jed or Clare are living the life they had originally wanted. And it’s sad that in their marriage they seem so far away from one another.
Things for me took a turn, after Gabriel. I won’t give spoilers, but I will say, that while there were some twists along the way, they didn’t really “hit” me. They didn’t pack a punch.
The entire prob last third of the book, I was like “ok. I wanna know what happens but I’m just kind of going through the motions.” I wish that there would have been more of a “wow” factor somehow, so that certain things that happened would have almost invigorated me back into the story.
This is not a bad book. I enjoyed it, but as I said, it just fell flat.
May 8, 2026
never really felt like rooting for the MC, why wasn’t she clever? I was expecting that from the marketing. It wasn’t intriguing, the thriller aspect happens 50% in and then the twist was overly involved, pretty meh
May 1, 2026
3.25⭐️ I wonder if my expectations would’ve been different if this had been presented as literary fiction with a splash of mystery. That’s really what it is…I wouldn’t call it a thriller. The writing is fantastic, but the plot and characters felt a bit lacking for me. Interestingly, I enjoyed the first half more than the second, which seems to go against a lot of other reviews. My suggestion: go in expecting lit fic, and you’ll probably enjoy it more.
May 9, 2026
This is a three star read for me, but only because the affair at the beginning was so well written.
I liked the themes that this book was touching on: how one falls into a life they didn't choose, motherhood, passion, and technically growing up.
I enjoyed Clare's arc and didn't mind the affair as a means of her gaining herself back. I loved how she developed from being guided by inertia to making her own decisions.
However, the murder plot seemed too intellectual and abstract, and if I wasn't an art lover, I would have hated reading it. Further, I was not convinced at any point that Clare had the intelligence or skill to solve the murder by herself.
I also hated how Tasha is made to be this cartoon villain, and we can see that she is driving the plot from the start. Dorothy is a more nuanced villain and she is at least connected to the themes of motherhood and issues of social status. I wouldn't have minded Tasha not being involved at all if Dorothy was guilty of the crime.
All in all, it was a fun read but nowhere near as great as Who Is Maud Dixon.
I liked the themes that this book was touching on: how one falls into a life they didn't choose, motherhood, passion, and technically growing up.
I enjoyed Clare's arc and didn't mind the affair as a means of her gaining herself back. I loved how she developed from being guided by inertia to making her own decisions.
However, the murder plot seemed too intellectual and abstract, and if I wasn't an art lover, I would have hated reading it. Further, I was not convinced at any point that Clare had the intelligence or skill to solve the murder by herself.
I also hated how Tasha is made to be this cartoon villain, and we can see that she is driving the plot from the start. Dorothy is a more nuanced villain and she is at least connected to the themes of motherhood and issues of social status. I wouldn't have minded Tasha not being involved at all if Dorothy was guilty of the crime.
All in all, it was a fun read but nowhere near as great as Who Is Maud Dixon.
May 10, 2026
A bit too slow burn for my taste at first 🫣 but WOW did it pick up by the end. The second half was twisty, tense and had me stressed in the best way trying to figure out who was lying and what was really going on (and telling the truth!). 3 stars for the first half, 4 for the second ⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
For a long time it seems like The Fine Art of Lying is just a straightforward affair-plus-murder crime novel. Which isn't all that unusual, but is surprising since Andrews' first novel, Who Is Maud Dixon?, had some particularly noteworthy twists. Eventually there are twists in store. Structurally they are quite nice, though we end up in the very place you probably could have predicted 20 pages in if you decided to put a bet on it. It's enough to make you wish away the twists and turns.
That's the thing that's strangest about this book: it is at its best before it gets twisty. As soon as the mystery starts to pick up, the book itself loses all momentum and becomes characters explaining things for almost the entire last half.
There is also another major problem here: this is a book about an unhappy marriage. It is obviously unhappy to the reader, even though our protagonist insists (to the point of annoyance) that it is happy and that she loves her husband. And yet, Andrews has basically written herself into an impossible situation. If it turns out the marriage is just fine, then the reader will be frustrated because we haven't seen anything to make us believe that on the page. But if the relationship is going to fracture in a way that would feel earned, then you have to give us some runway to get there. The gap between Clare's actual life and what Clare insists she actually feels about it is irksome and it just keeps bubbling up in a way that makes things worse and worse though Clare never seems to really get that. It would be nice if Clare had some kind of epiphany, but the book is too stuck on explaining its way through its more complex plot elements than in letting any kind of character development happen. The moments when we have to wonder if we need to see Clare's husband Jed in a new light don't really land all that well, because despite Clare's insistence that he is such a nice guy, we have no real evidence of him being any kind of guy at all! He is, in the end, all plot device. Although it is nice to see the husband be the character-less plot device for a change.
Andrews brings you in very well, and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed her first novel. But ultimately I was really over this book. Feels rushed, as if it's checking boxes. Which is a shame, because once we get the full plot it is a good one. It just needs to be rolled out to the reader in a much sharper way. It feels like there is a big piece missing, some kind of b-plot or other character who could add some color or perspective. Clare is pretty one-note, it's hard to care all that much about her.
That's the thing that's strangest about this book: it is at its best before it gets twisty. As soon as the mystery starts to pick up, the book itself loses all momentum and becomes characters explaining things for almost the entire last half.
There is also another major problem here: this is a book about an unhappy marriage. It is obviously unhappy to the reader, even though our protagonist insists (to the point of annoyance) that it is happy and that she loves her husband. And yet, Andrews has basically written herself into an impossible situation. If it turns out the marriage is just fine, then the reader will be frustrated because we haven't seen anything to make us believe that on the page. But if the relationship is going to fracture in a way that would feel earned, then you have to give us some runway to get there. The gap between Clare's actual life and what Clare insists she actually feels about it is irksome and it just keeps bubbling up in a way that makes things worse and worse though Clare never seems to really get that. It would be nice if Clare had some kind of epiphany, but the book is too stuck on explaining its way through its more complex plot elements than in letting any kind of character development happen. The moments when we have to wonder if we need to see Clare's husband Jed in a new light don't really land all that well, because despite Clare's insistence that he is such a nice guy, we have no real evidence of him being any kind of guy at all! He is, in the end, all plot device. Although it is nice to see the husband be the character-less plot device for a change.
Andrews brings you in very well, and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed her first novel. But ultimately I was really over this book. Feels rushed, as if it's checking boxes. Which is a shame, because once we get the full plot it is a good one. It just needs to be rolled out to the reader in a much sharper way. It feels like there is a big piece missing, some kind of b-plot or other character who could add some color or perspective. Clare is pretty one-note, it's hard to care all that much about her.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
What if The New York City Housewives got mixed up in murder and duplicitous art dealings? Honestly, it couldn’t be better or more salaciously compelling than this book. THE FINE ART OF LYING has secrets, lies, and murder all surrounding a complex web of art and the New York elite. Andrews gifts her readers with tension and very real emotions surrounding all types of relationships.
What I love about this book is that it gets messy. Clare is a flawed woman. She gives in to her desires, and because of that, she is thrust into a situation forcing her to defend her innocence and discover the truth. As she gets further into the case, Clare realizes those around her are all hiding something, and no one is exactly as they seem. The twists. The turns. The ending. It is so good.
THE FINE ART OF LYING was not what I expected, but I am here for it all. I do not know what the author is going to give us next, but I know I will be reading it.
Highly Caffeinated Rating of… ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
Audiobook Note: I spent some time listening to this audiobook. Narrator Therese Plummer did a good job of bringing the story to life.
Pace: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
Elocution: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
Characters: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
Reviewer Disclaimer: I have been playing around with a hybrid reading method where I read and listen to the same book. The publisher gave me the physical book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
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✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
What I love about this book is that it gets messy. Clare is a flawed woman. She gives in to her desires, and because of that, she is thrust into a situation forcing her to defend her innocence and discover the truth. As she gets further into the case, Clare realizes those around her are all hiding something, and no one is exactly as they seem. The twists. The turns. The ending. It is so good.
THE FINE ART OF LYING was not what I expected, but I am here for it all. I do not know what the author is going to give us next, but I know I will be reading it.
Highly Caffeinated Rating of… ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
Audiobook Note: I spent some time listening to this audiobook. Narrator Therese Plummer did a good job of bringing the story to life.
Pace: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
Elocution: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
Characters: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
Reviewer Disclaimer: I have been playing around with a hybrid reading method where I read and listen to the same book. The publisher gave me the physical book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
Follow the Art, Books, & Coffee:
Website | Instagram | Facebook Group
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I am fortunate and was given advanced access to this book via NetGallery for my honest review. I appreciate having this access and will provide my honest opinion in exchange.
First, let me start with the fact that I did not finish this book.
I found the characters, mostly Claire the main character, to be lacking in depth and interest. Several times I sat down to start the book and found my thoughts wandering away, thinking about chores or grocery's I need to purchase. I could not relate to Claire, a former doctoral art student who has failed to complete her dissertation, married wealthy but "hates" the rich, and cheats on her husband. I found her journey, experiences, and insights throughout the part of the work I read to be boring. I stopped at about 30% through the book because I could not continue. The book has a controlling mother in-law, bumbling useless husband, and child that is somewhat a part of the story but these elements all feel unrelated and not well incorporated into the overall story. All these factors left me disinterested. Possibly the book gets much better after the 30% mark so if you are willing to get through the beginning it may pay off in the long term. However, I do not recommend this book.
First, let me start with the fact that I did not finish this book.
I found the characters, mostly Claire the main character, to be lacking in depth and interest. Several times I sat down to start the book and found my thoughts wandering away, thinking about chores or grocery's I need to purchase. I could not relate to Claire, a former doctoral art student who has failed to complete her dissertation, married wealthy but "hates" the rich, and cheats on her husband. I found her journey, experiences, and insights throughout the part of the work I read to be boring. I stopped at about 30% through the book because I could not continue. The book has a controlling mother in-law, bumbling useless husband, and child that is somewhat a part of the story but these elements all feel unrelated and not well incorporated into the overall story. All these factors left me disinterested. Possibly the book gets much better after the 30% mark so if you are willing to get through the beginning it may pay off in the long term. However, I do not recommend this book.
May 8, 2026
This is the May 2026 selection from Reese Witherspoon's Book Club.
Clare is from upstate NY. She comes to NYC to attend Columbia University and to get her PhD in fine art but only gets halfway through it. She meets and marries Jed; they have a baby. Jed's family is in the monied one percent, Park Avenue, which Clare never quite feels she fits into.
Her PhD had focused one one particular artist. Eventually, her new friends and acquaintances bring her back to art, which she loves. She learns that a piece by the artist from her PhD has been sold and is in the home of someone she has met and begun to know and work with. Soon, she not only sees the piece, but is there in his home when he is murdered and the piece is stolen while she has hidden under the bed and only sees the shoes of the thief/killer.
Now she is trapped in a world of art, thefts, killings, and struggles to save herself and family.
The audiobook is wonderful. 10h 4m.
Clare is from upstate NY. She comes to NYC to attend Columbia University and to get her PhD in fine art but only gets halfway through it. She meets and marries Jed; they have a baby. Jed's family is in the monied one percent, Park Avenue, which Clare never quite feels she fits into.
Her PhD had focused one one particular artist. Eventually, her new friends and acquaintances bring her back to art, which she loves. She learns that a piece by the artist from her PhD has been sold and is in the home of someone she has met and begun to know and work with. Soon, she not only sees the piece, but is there in his home when he is murdered and the piece is stolen while she has hidden under the bed and only sees the shoes of the thief/killer.
Now she is trapped in a world of art, thefts, killings, and struggles to save herself and family.
The audiobook is wonderful. 10h 4m.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I had a great time with this bingeable, propulsive thriller centering on Clare, a new mother, who feels a little aimless and like an imposter in her husband Jed’s one-percent, Park-Avenue life. While once she was an up-and-coming art scholar, she's now given up on finishing her art history PhD , when she meets (through her husband's influential friends), an attractive art dealer who tempts her lifestyle in more ways than one.
This is one of those books where everyone is behaving badly, all the characters are at least slightly unlikeable and yet you can't put it down. There was a mystery element that kept me on the edge of my seat, and just enough tawdry details to have me totally immersed.
The ending was satisfying although I wouldn't have been mad at one last big twist. Overall, super solid thriller.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Harper for access to this eARC.
This is one of those books where everyone is behaving badly, all the characters are at least slightly unlikeable and yet you can't put it down. There was a mystery element that kept me on the edge of my seat, and just enough tawdry details to have me totally immersed.
The ending was satisfying although I wouldn't have been mad at one last big twist. Overall, super solid thriller.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Harper for access to this eARC.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3.5⭐️ “Her life was hers to create. She could make any choice she wanted to, as long as she was willing to accept the consequences.”
read if you like:
+ thriller / mystery
+ the art world
+ rich people in NYC
What happens when a young mom and art lover in NYC finds her way into back into the art scene, but also to the scene of a murder and a stolen masterpiece… ?
This is one of those books that makes you ask often “wait, what? who is telling the truth??” 👀 None of the characters are particularly likable, but it keeps you on your toes as new theories get tossed around. It explores themes of actions/consequences and taking life into your own hands. The final reveal didn’t totally shock me, but this quick read was very entertaining! Definitely recommend for readers who also love art.
Content warning: cheating ⚠️
Thank you @harperbooks for the #gifted copy.
read if you like:
+ thriller / mystery
+ the art world
+ rich people in NYC
What happens when a young mom and art lover in NYC finds her way into back into the art scene, but also to the scene of a murder and a stolen masterpiece… ?
This is one of those books that makes you ask often “wait, what? who is telling the truth??” 👀 None of the characters are particularly likable, but it keeps you on your toes as new theories get tossed around. It explores themes of actions/consequences and taking life into your own hands. The final reveal didn’t totally shock me, but this quick read was very entertaining! Definitely recommend for readers who also love art.
Content warning: cheating ⚠️
Thank you @harperbooks for the #gifted copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Ok. I'm just going to say it right now. This book needs to be made into a movie, and like, right now! But, only if the movie is written to follow the book. The entire time I was reading this book, I could imagine seeing it on the big screen.
This story pulled me in from the beginning. I liked the dynamic of the average woman marrying into a wealthy family, and how the lifestyle differences were apparent. I enjoyed the art aspect of the story and the Thomas Crown Affair feel that came through from time to time. Even though I could have rushed through the book in a sitting or two, I made myself read it over several days. It was so good I didn't want it to end. I just really enjoyed the atmosphere and the twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.
From the front cover to the end of the story, this book was everything I could have hoped for. This is definitely a book I will recommend to others.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
This story pulled me in from the beginning. I liked the dynamic of the average woman marrying into a wealthy family, and how the lifestyle differences were apparent. I enjoyed the art aspect of the story and the Thomas Crown Affair feel that came through from time to time. Even though I could have rushed through the book in a sitting or two, I made myself read it over several days. It was so good I didn't want it to end. I just really enjoyed the atmosphere and the twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.
From the front cover to the end of the story, this book was everything I could have hoped for. This is definitely a book I will recommend to others.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved the author's debut, Who is Maude Dixon, which was set in the literary world while this sophomore thriller takes place in the NYC elite art world and has one society housewife having an affair with an art dealer only to later partially witness his murder. As she becomes the sole suspect she races to figure out who the real killer is and avoid being separated from her young daughter for life. Twisty and full of rich people behaving badly, this was good on audio and I can definitely see why it was the new Reese Book Club pick. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.
May 9, 2026
Wow. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. It took a little while to get going, but once it did… WOW. I could not put it down.
This story had everything: stolen art, sex, murder, suspense, and twists that kept me guessing until the end. The tension kept building chapter after chapter, making it impossible not to keep reading “just one more chapter.”
If you love fast-paced thrillers with mystery, deception, and plenty of drama, this one is definitely worth picking
This story had everything: stolen art, sex, murder, suspense, and twists that kept me guessing until the end. The tension kept building chapter after chapter, making it impossible not to keep reading “just one more chapter.”
If you love fast-paced thrillers with mystery, deception, and plenty of drama, this one is definitely worth picking
May 9, 2026
It's been a long time since I read a book that I just could not put down. There were so many surprises in this book. When the affair started by chapter 5, I had no idea what would fill the rest of the book. After the very sexy affair sequence, the mystery and very real feeling drama kept me turning the pages furiously. I would read this book again for sure!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
February 2, 2026Hmm. While this title was entertaining enough, it had little of complicated plot, breathless suspense and high wire twists of Andrews previous work, Who is Maude Dixon? which is one of my favorite mysteries of all time. Disappointed, but still grateful to Netgalley for the advance readers copy.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A stay at home wife with post partem depression and an unfinished arts PHD finds excitement with her rich husband’s upper class art friends, an attractive art dealer and a painting by one of her favorite artists. A fun and quick read.
May 8, 2026
Great mystery read.
Started off slow but picked up the more you read. Claire has what feels like the perfect marriage and family until she meets an art gallery owner and then begins the start of the story.
Started off slow but picked up the more you read. Claire has what feels like the perfect marriage and family until she meets an art gallery owner and then begins the start of the story.
May 8, 2026
I received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher and it perfectly fit my mood as I’ve been rewatching Sex and the City and Gossip Girl.
Rich New Yorkers behaving badly apparently is my current catnip. Added layer of art and a murder. I really enjoyed this smart, fun mystery.
Rich New Yorkers behaving badly apparently is my current catnip. Added layer of art and a murder. I really enjoyed this smart, fun mystery.
May 9, 2026
I enjoyed the dark and enigmatic atmosphere of the art world, and the unexpected twists kept me hooked. Although the pacing occasionally felt slow and I never fully connected with the characters, it was still an entertaining read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was exceptionally fun.
Review of advance copy received from Author
BANGER!!!
May 7, 2026
What a page turner…could not put this book down I feared not being able to keep up with the lies -
Did Not Finish
May 8, 2026This book started out entertaining until the protagonist decided to have an affair. Don't like that premise or the open door sex.
May 9, 2026
Page turner
Great book, well written although the ending was a little too neat. After all the plot twists, I would have appreciated a longer wrap up or one more twist.
Great book, well written although the ending was a little too neat. After all the plot twists, I would have appreciated a longer wrap up or one more twist.
May 9, 2026
My kind of book - psychological thriller with far-fetched plot twists.
May 10, 2026
I really enjoyed reading this until the last quarter of it. Would have been a 5 until then. The plot got overly complicated and I just wanted to know how it would end.
May 9, 2026
Maybe not quite as good as Maude Dixon, but a solid novel of suspense that I couldn’t put down
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