Portrait of Deceit: A DI Rowan Penhallow mystery

by Wendy Cartmell

A lost masterpiece. A murdered expert. A family secret hidden for eighty years.

The new Rowan Penhallow mystery. Perfect for readers who like their country houses with a body in the studio and the best detective dog in Devon, Buddy the Jack Russell, on the case.

When a priceless Gainsborough portrait vanishes from a Devon manor house gala, DI Rowan Penhallow finds herself drawn into a world of gilded frames and quiet desperation — where old money hides older secrets, and the most dangerous lies are the ones a family tells itself.

Brackwell Manor has been haemorrhaging money for years. The sudden discovery of Lady in Blue in the attic — a lost masterpiece that could save the estate — seems like providence. But when the painting disappears on the night of its unveiling, and a meticulous German art restorer is found murdered in the manor's conservation studio days later by Buddy, Rowan begins to suspect that the Brackwells' salvation was never quite what it appeared.

Portrait of Deceit is the eighth DI Rowan Penhallow mystery — a richly atmospheric tale of art, identity, and the terrible cost of a lie that has outlived everyone who first told it.

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 29, 2026

About the author

I was a Primary School Teacher before leaving England to settle in Spain nearly five years ago. I previously worked in Sales, Marketing and Public Relations for large and small companies. I now write crime novels featuring Sgt Major Crane a detective in the Special Investigations Branch of the British Army, based on Aldershot Garrison. My inspiration for Sergeant Major Crane was my love of crime writing and my husband’s 22 years service in the British Army.

I attend a lively Writing Group who unashamedly meet at beautiful beach side cafes on the Costa del Sol.