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Portrait of Lies

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It was a robbery gone bad, or so they said. For Detective Trey Shotwell, the murder of his mother, a prominent artist, was the catalyst for setting aside his own artistic aspirations to pursue a career in law enforcement—despite the opposition of his father, also a famous painter. When he agrees to attend an art auction featuring his father's work, the cruise ship locale provides the relaxation that Trey needs—and when he meets stunning fellow passenger Ariah Stanton, the undeniable chemistry they share is an unexpected bonus.

But the tranquil voyage quickly turns into a nightmare at sea. The Shotwell paintings have disappeared, and amidst the chaotic hunt for the thief, a murderer is free to roam the halls of the ship. Ariah finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and miraculously escapes the murderer—for now. But another victim is not so lucky...


The crime is eerily reminiscent of the death of Trey's mother so many years before. But this time, the young detective has the resources he needs to track the killer. As the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together, they paint the chilling picture of a sinister plot years in the making. In a manhunt that takes him from the high seas of the Pacific to the wilderness of Australia, Trey will stop at nothing to solve the crime and protect the woman he loves.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2015

27 people are currently reading
205 people want to read

About the author

Clair M. Poulson

55 books298 followers
Clair M. Poulson was born and raised in Duchesne, Utah. His father was a rancher and farmer, his mother a librarian. Clair has always been an avid reader, having found his love for books as a very young boy.

He has served for forty years in the criminal justice system. Twenty years were spent in law enforcement, ending his police career with eight years as the Duchesne County Sheriff. For the past twenty years Clair has worked as a justice court judge for Duchesne County. Clair is also a veteran of the US Army where he was a military policeman. He has served on various boards and councils during his professional career, including the Justice Court Board of Judges, Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Utah Judicial Council, Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, an FBI advisory board and others.

In addition to his criminal justice work, Clair has farmed and ranched all of his life. He has raised many kinds of animals, but his greatest interest is horses.

Clair has served in many capacities in the LDS church, including fulltime missionary (California Mission) bishop, counselor to bishop, young men president, high councilor, stake mission president, scoutmaster, High Priest group leader, etc. He currently serves as a Sunday School teacher.

Clair is married to Ruth, and together, they have five children, all of whom are married: Alan (Vicena) Poulson, Kelly Ann (Wade) Hatch, Amanda (Ben) Semadeni, Wade (Brooke) Poulson, and Mary (Tyler) Hicken. Between them they have twenty-three children. Clair and Ruth met while both were students at Snow College and were married in the Manti temple.

Clair has always loved telling his children, and later his grandchildren, make-up stories. His vast experience in life and his love of literature has always contributed to both his telling stories to children and his writing of adventure and suspense novels.

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5 stars
120 (29%)
4 stars
143 (34%)
3 stars
104 (25%)
2 stars
35 (8%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
Profile Image for Tressa (Wishful Endings).
1,831 reviews195 followers
August 12, 2015
3.5 Stars

Portrait of Lies was a plot full of several suspects, murder, mayhem, friendships, art, a cruise ship, family, and some romance. It also had an unexpected inspirational aspect in regards to the main character who was Mormon and those he shares his beliefs with. It was interesting seeing everything come together in the end with several loose ends that needed to be tied up and not knowing which suspects were or were not responsible.

I found the characters somewhat intriguing. Trey was a young police officer but a very good one with some good connections. His relationship with his father was interesting as well as the relationships he builds with a few others on the cruise ship. The villains were sly and played their roles well. I would have liked the conversations to have flowed a little better and for the characters to have felt fuller, but they were all still unique and likable, well, except the villains were all definitely not likable. I especially thought Hans was a fun character and brought quite a bit to the story.

The plot was a little crazy - just in the fact that there are several different moving parts to it and figuring out who had a hand in what and why. I have a love and respect for art, so parts of the story that dealt with that and with signatures and such I found interesting. There was some violence that was fairly strong in what happened, but it wasn't detailed which kept it from being gruesome, and it fit the story and the genre. The religious aspect felt a little forced because it was brought up in parts that didn't quite feel natural and I would have liked it to be more in how Trey showed his religion instead of how he talked about it. I loved the setting of the cruise ship and then Australia. It was definitely a setting that I haven't experienced in a book before.

I'd recommend Portrait of Lies to those who enjoy cozy LDS romantic suspense that keeps you guessing and has some sweet romance that isn't the focal point of the story.

Content: Clean
Source: I would like to thank Covenant for my complimentary copy, which did not affect my review in any way.
Profile Image for Lisa  (Bookworm Lisa).
2,240 reviews207 followers
August 11, 2015
As a teen Trey Shotwell vowed that he would find his mother's murderer. Ten years have passed and while on a cruise with his father, a break in the case has finally been found. Murder and mayhem abound on the ship leaving a huge pool of suspects.

I really liked Trey's character. He is an honest and genuine man who makes a living as a police officer. His parents were/are famous painters and he chose his own path instead of the family legacy. He is smart and observant. He has good instincts when it comes to people and he does well when he follows them.

I liked the romance in the book. It is sweet and cute. There are actually two romances occurring at the same time and I liked both of them. There are murders that happen in the course of the book, but they were not graphic, and just described the basics.

The plot was well thought out and presented in a believable manner. The writing style was more of a narrative, it's not my favorite style. I felt as if I was being told the events rather than having them described to me. This didn't distract me too much from the plot and characters. I just didn't get to know them as well as I would have liked.

Overall, this was a good book to read. It is clean with a little bit of violence. It does contain religious elements. Trey's religion (LDS) is referred to frequently as a fundamental part of his character. The book was not preachy and can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys a good suspense/mystery book.
Profile Image for Katie (hiding in the pages).
3,523 reviews332 followers
August 14, 2015
(3.5 Stars) I've read a fair amount of this author's works and I love that he continues to branch out with his plots. This story mostly takes place on a cruise ship and the main character, Trey, is a British guy who lives in Australia. His parents are both famous artists, although his mother was murdered in a robbery when he was young. He vows to find the killer and is fortunate enough to find some clues in the stagnant mystery aboard this art cruise.

Trey is very resourceful and is able to piece things together in a realistic timeline. He's a nice guy and is very protective of those whom he cares for. I liked his perseverance--he's definitely not a quitter. I love how his edges soften when he meets Ariah. Ariah is such a sweet and caring girl and when she gets spooked by the men in the cabin next door, Trey steps in as a protector and comfort. I enjoyed the easy relationship the two of them form, although I would have liked to see it unfold with a little more dialogue between the them, instead of being told that it did. It was still very comfortable.

There are many twists and turns, including murder, and things get a little crazy at times, with so many suspicious characters. I love the way it was all tied up together in the end. This is a good read for those who enjoy a murder mystery without all of the gore.

Content: squeaky clean romance; no language; murder and mild violence--not graphic; mild religious elements--not preachy. Clean!

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*
Profile Image for Aimee .
3,072 reviews298 followers
August 22, 2015
Portrait of Lies is suspense just like I like it- just enough to keep you interested and on the edge of your seat but not too scary. Clair Poulsen is one of my favorite authors in the LDS suspense genre. His books are clean and have a great flow to them. I really enjoyed this one!

This book is primary set on a cruise ship and revolves around some paintings. There is a whole cast of characters and I suspected them all. Even though there were so many characters in this book I never felt as though I didn't know who was who. I had a clear picture of each character in my head and they all came into the story in a way that was easy to remember. That is always a huge thing in a book like this.

Trey is a character that is easy to root for. He is strong yet kind. He knows what he wants and works hard to get it. Ariah is less of a standout in this book, more needy than anything but a good contrast to Trey.

This book is an LDS suspense. The characters mention their religion and the book will say they talked about religious things but nothing is detailed or specific. There are some violent things, murders and such things that are usually found in suspense novels. Other than that, this book is squeaky clean- no swearing or sexual content.
Profile Image for Patricia.
2,958 reviews17 followers
September 20, 2015
This was a nice story with lots of potential perps. However, what I like best in Poulson's books was missing and that is the small town law enforcement procedural. Plus there were so many potential bad guys that the story kind of got away from the writer as evidenced by the last chapter. I feel that if the story had been properly wrapped up, a last minute explanation would not have been necessary. That said, I like these Poulson books and there was ebough to like that It was okay.
984 reviews9 followers
August 24, 2018
Clair Paulson has long been an author I enjoy. I was thrilled when my parents brought this audio book on a cross country drive making me aware he has books I have not yet read!

High on my wish list of places to visit sits both Australia and New Zealand. So it was fun to listen to this book that takes place on a cruise between the two countries. It definitely increased my desire to visit both countries (but perhaps decreased my desire to do so by cruise!)
144 reviews
April 14, 2025
Plucked this off the library shelf. Knowing as I did so that it would be a clean read that would be crafted pretty decently. Perfectly met those expectations. Finished this one in an afternoon, just the right book for staying at home on a Sunday afternoon, trying to keep the Sabbath holy by not shopping, etc.
Profile Image for Erin.
331 reviews4 followers
October 7, 2017
It's pretty bad. The writing is trite and cliched. I would also think someone who's been in criminal justice for over 40 years could write a better police procedural. The dialogue is also pretty awful.

I feel kind of guilty to give such a bad review, but it had to be done.
Profile Image for Teresa.
596 reviews
December 29, 2017
It was interesting story with a lot of twists. I agree with several reviews discussing the slew of characters and how it could be difficult to keep them straight. I was also bugged with editing on a certain plot point.
687 reviews
February 20, 2020
The mystery was sufficiently interesting to finish but....I keep trying to like this author but his books are all just eye rollers. Just too many silly, gushy things. Things that seem so very contrived.
Profile Image for Sally.
105 reviews1 follower
May 4, 2020
No one can twist a plot like Clair M Poulson. I didn’t read the book but listened to it. The reader did the accents amazingly. He switched from Aussie to Cockney to Swed to America to French without difficulty. The animal interaction was good as well. Loved the book.
1,328 reviews59 followers
January 20, 2025
I really liked the setting of this novel and the way the story's plot was effected by the locations the book unfolds in. It was cool to see how the dynamics worked with the theft on the ship and then going into Australia. It was an entertaining read and had some unexpected twists.
Profile Image for Lynette.
1,428 reviews5 followers
August 13, 2017
This wasn't my favorite Poulson book. Maybe it was the way it was read on the CDs.
Profile Image for Lori Kaye Coerber.
29 reviews2 followers
March 25, 2019
Wow! I thought I knew who did turns out I was completely wrong. It kept me on edge through most the book. Loved it
Profile Image for Daryl.
326 reviews
October 3, 2019
A bit too confusing to me; too many characters to keep track of. It reminded me of Agatha Christie, and not in a good way.
484 reviews1 follower
October 18, 2019
I listened through Deseret Bookshelf.

Interesting book and about a family mystery, and this answer is discovered on a cruise with an art auction. I enjoy Clair Poulson's clean books.
31 reviews
May 26, 2020
Exciting!

I loved the book at page one and it was a page turner. I hated to have to put the book down for things like sleep.
Profile Image for Julie.
344 reviews24 followers
October 2, 2016
This was my first book by Clair M. Poulson, and I was disappointed. I listened to the audiobook, and I can't help but think it would have been better to just read the book. The dialogue seemed ridiculously simplistic, there were so many characters, and I kept thinking there was more to the story. I wanted something that wasn't there. I'll give this author another chance, though.
Profile Image for Melanie.
752 reviews23 followers
August 25, 2015
I loved the setting for this novel--a cruise ship!! Just looking at the cover relaxes me. However, this is not a relaxing read.

Trey Shotwell was 15 when his mother was murdered and two of her paintings were stolen, along with three of his father's. They lived in London and two years later, he and his father moved to Australia. Both of his parents were famous painters and it was expected that Trey would be, too, but he wanted to go into law enforcement.

The story starts ten years later. Trey is now a detective who paints as a hobby. He's on a cruise with his father and some of their work is going to be sold. He meets Aariah early on and they are attracted to each other right away. He's looking forward to relaxing but there is soon a mystery to solve and it might help him solve his mother's murder case as well.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. There were a couple of things that I didn't, though. Trey has joined the LDS church and some of his conversations about it seemed forced rather than natural, as well as other times when the dialog was a bit stilted. I also started to lose interest a few times but kept reading and it picked back up.

What I did enjoy was the fact that there were plenty of suspects and others who appeared to be okay but still acted a little shady. Trey met Hans, a Swedish wrestler, his first day on the ship who was helpful throughout the book and was fun to get to know. Trey had good connections, both on and off the ship, which helped him find answers to his questions. The answers came at a good pace rather than all at once so there wasn't an overload of information. I also enjoyed his relationship with Aariah. There wasn't a focus on their romance but they hit it off right away and were well suited. There were lots of characters and moving parts which all came together in the end.

Clair Poulson is one of those authors that I have loved for many years which is probably why I expect a lot out of his books. This isn't one of my favorites of his but is still a great read if you enjoy clean suspense with a touch of romance and religion. I'm looking forward to his next book!!

I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.

Mel's Shelves
Profile Image for Paul.
334 reviews
December 16, 2016
A pretty good little book about the son of a famous pair of artists on a cruise that takes place 10 years after his famous mother was murdered and two of her paintings (and three of his father’s) were stolen. While the son elects a different path, becoming a detective, he also dabbles in art as a hobby. It is on this cruise with his father that he meets a girl (who is being harassed by thugs) and a giant Scandinavian wrestler who become his friends and allies through a series of crimes and tragedies. Without giving too much away about the plot, it seems most of his luck is bad luck – but there are people who are orchestrating that. The question isn’t who has a motive, but which person with a motive is behind the crimes!

With so many suspects, the process of interrogations and learning who the true culprit is (or culprits are) got a bit tedious, but it was written well nevertheless. It’s a pretty interesting tale, and I liked it quite a bit. It’s not the best “whodunit” I’ve ever read, but it’s solid.
Profile Image for Shauna.
975 reviews23 followers
August 14, 2015
The most fun thing about this book for me is that-- I was reading about this murder mystery that takes place on a cruise while actually being on a cruise-- it really brought it to life :)

Clair M. Poulson is one of my most favorite authors and I have been reading his books for a long time--

I was intrigued with this book and how just as someone confesses to the crime a twist was thrown in and the plot thickened and the mystery continued with another issue needing to be solved.

Really keeps you reading and wondering and scrambling to see what else could possibly be thrown into the story line--absolutely loved it!

This book has it all!
Crime
Murder
Cold case tie-in
Romance
Intrigue
Suspense

Just like I like it!
Be sure to grab a copy of this one!
LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. IT!
Profile Image for Heidi.
2,894 reviews66 followers
August 13, 2015
Poulson has provided another interesting murder mystery involving cruise ships, fabulous paintings, and obsession. I confess I enjoy murder mysteries, not because of the violence, but the way the mystery is solved. In this one, Detective Inspector Trey Shotwell is ten years past the murder of his mother but he has never forgotten what happened and is still determined to find out who killed her. The sudden reappearance of an altered version of one of his mother's last paintings that was stolen during her murder changes everything. But additional violence and another theft complicate things as does the appearance of a pretty young American frightened of the men in the room next to her. Once again Poulson demonstrates his law enforcement experience as he shepherds us through the story.
Profile Image for Laura .
1,158 reviews13 followers
August 14, 2015
The premise of this book was fun. An artist turned detective is on vacation with is world famous artist dad. There is a mystery on board that ties back to his mother's murder. There is, of course, a cute young lady that the detective meets and spends a lot of time with. There was a whole slew of suspects in the case. The author went a little overboard trying to make sure it wasn't obvious who the bad guy was. There were literally 4 different couples that were part of the investigation at one point or another. The romance was ok, but it felt like it was written in as an afterthought. There wasn't a whole lot to it.
language: clean, heat level: mild
321 reviews6 followers
August 14, 2015
I've got to admit that most of this story fell pretty flat for me. The dialogue just wasn't there, and while I really enjoyed the premise of the story I felt like I was just being told a bunch of stuff. I didn't lose myself in the story. Instead, because of how many bad guys there are, I felt like I was constantly trying to figure out who was who, and not in a "who-done-it" way.

I did, however, enjoy the parts about Australia. There is a scene in the book with kangaroos and snakes, and if it was portrayed correctly the animal behavior was interesting.

*I received a copy from the publisher for an honest review.
Profile Image for Verona.
544 reviews63 followers
September 15, 2016
Clair Poulson writes good stories, and we enjoy them. This story had some interesting knowledge to pick up on in the art world, and that was something I liked. However the story line was just a bit too fantastic to be considered something that could likely occur in real life. That took away from the full enjoyment of this book. I hope there will be more stories of his to read in the future.
Profile Image for Becky Hiatt.
83 reviews
December 10, 2015
Once I find an author I like I generally keep going back for more, but Clair's last two books were not favorites. Portrait of Lies was totally drawn out, it repeated introductions and information so many times it made me frustrated. I just feel like we could cut out half the book by removing all the repetition and nonsensical tangents, this books could have done much better.
Profile Image for Kimberly Van De Graaff.
199 reviews17 followers
August 8, 2016
Clean book but a very boring beginning and end. I wanted to throw up when he meets girl, girl looks sad, girl is weak-can't take care of herself, needs him to walk her to room on ship, etc. Very corny dialogue. Nice touch with uncle and with a strange twist on murderer, but it was hard for me to keep reading. Like Sherlock Holmes states, "Elementary Watson..."
141 reviews1 follower
April 6, 2024
I read this on my kindle and it took me a while to get to it. Another murder/mystery/romantic story from Clair Poulson. This takes place on a cruise ship from Australia to New Zealand and about famous Art. Many twists and turns and a lot of suspects, some known and others not reveled till at the end.
Profile Image for Michelle.
1,293 reviews8 followers
August 27, 2015
Well, this was the 2nd Poulson book I tried, and I won't be reading anymore. The idea for the story was good, but the dialogue between characters was awful. And there were so many characters, I couldn't quite keep all the "bad-guy"/suspects straight.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews

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