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A Perfect Eye
Some are born with a perfect palate, others with perfect pitch.
Denver Art Museum’s Conservator of Paintings Lily Sparks was born with a perfect eye. When the museum’s billionaire benefactor is brutally murdered, the grisly tableau stuns her: it’s the human embodiment of the museum’s prized landscape by famed Impressionist Gustave Caillebote.
Lily comes to believe the Caillebotte was forged and the killer is a painter the art world spurned. But as she confronts where art ends and fraud begins, she must face the deceptions in her own past.
Denver Art Museum’s Conservator of Paintings Lily Sparks was born with a perfect eye. When the museum’s billionaire benefactor is brutally murdered, the grisly tableau stuns her: it’s the human embodiment of the museum’s prized landscape by famed Impressionist Gustave Caillebote.
Lily comes to believe the Caillebotte was forged and the killer is a painter the art world spurned. But as she confronts where art ends and fraud begins, she must face the deceptions in her own past.
210 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2019
555 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Kane
19 books16 followersStephanie Kane is a lawyer and award-winning author of seven crime novels. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she came to Colorado as a freshman at CU. A second-degree black belt, she owned and ran a karate studio in Boulder. After becoming a corporate partner at a top Denver law firm, she quit to do criminal defense work. She lives in Denver with her husband and two black cats.
Stephanie’s legal thrillers starring defense lawyer Jackie Flowers have won the Colorado Book Award for Mystery and two Colorado Authors League Awards for Genre Fiction. She belongs to Mystery Writers of America, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and the Colorado Authors League.
Stephanie’s legal thrillers starring defense lawyer Jackie Flowers have won the Colorado Book Award for Mystery and two Colorado Authors League Awards for Genre Fiction. She belongs to Mystery Writers of America, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and the Colorado Authors League.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
April 29, 2020
I had high hopes for this book but they went down the tubes fast. At first even when the book was bad I thought maybe this writer might have some potential but that was a wrong thought lol. I cant be any more honest this book was brutal. The character were very poor, the story was lame and made no sense it was one hot mess. There were too many side stories and wondering who was sleeping with who and for a murder. book no investigation. The main character and FBI were horrible and way to many other characters came and went with no clue to how they were involved in the story or why. At first I thought it was the editors fault but no it was both of them in tandem-run for you lives from this book-------.5
April 22, 2020
The art parts are really cool. The rest? Not so.
September 3, 2019
Lily Sparks, the Conservator of Paintings at the Denver Art Museum, never gets tired of gazing at Fields of the Gennevilliers Plain, a painting by Gustave Caillebotte. The painting had been lost for more than a century. Lily likes the “light cloud canopy” under which Caillebotte painted. She likes the sense of drama in the piece, including the figure of man in a brimmed hat hurrying home.
The painting is also known as Seven. To Lily Sparks it “reminded her that nature was fickle and Eden an illusion. That in the blink of an eye, what she thought she knew could vanish and all she held dear could be lost.”
By chapter three of A Perfect Eye, Lily Sparks’ eye is taking in a much less appealing sight—the murdered body of the museum’s chief benefactor, George Kurtz. (Seven, in fact, was hanging in the Kurtz Building.) Still, Sparks’ attention to detail isn’t affected. Squeamish? Not Lily.
“Propped on an upholstered chair against a wall papered in celadon silk with gold leaves, Kurtz stared imperiously. His head was intact, and his thinning silver hair was parted at the side and darkened and slicked with brilliantine … From the chest down he was riven in two.”
As she studies the scene, Lily asks for the lights to be dimmed and the fan turned off—too distracting. She is taking in every scrap of information. The cops are done. Lily wants to linger and study. She can’t get the image out of her head. Later, she remembers the “geometric slashes and pointillist pricks, intestines dabbed on a green silk wall patterned with leaves.”
Stephanie Kane’s latest mystery-thriller takes us behind the scenes of the Denver Art Museum to follow a character who has such keen visual sensibilities that she is known for her ability to spot a forgery, even one with “impeccable” provenance. Kane’s rich portrait of Lily’s unique talent is detailed and fascinating, particularly as she walks us through Lily’s evaluation of a Degas.
“Lily touched the canvas gently, mindful of her oath: First do no harm. Surgeons buried their mistakes; conservators hung them on the wall. Early in her career, she’d exorcised any vestige of a cavalier nature. Now she never picked anything up without first assessing how it was constructed and should be handled.”
Lily’s long-ago boyfriend is FBI agent Paul Riley, who still sparks (yes) some interest. He must be persuaded about Lily’s theory. And, then, Lily sees something in Seven. Those shapes. The patterns from the murder. It’s a sterling moment, observation as realization. (Caillebotte was an impressionist, a contemporary of Monet and Degas; Seven is Kane’s imagination. A Perfect Eye includes plenty of interesting tidbits of Caillebotte appreciation.)
Floating around Lily Sparks’ personal life are her widowed father Harry, co-workers, and a docent trainee, a “provisional” in museum lingo, named Nick. A Perfect Eye has a nifty cast of quality suspects, all viewed by Lily with the same eye she gives everything. She lives by a mantra—avoid subjectivity, stick to what you can see, quantify intangibles, focus. Kane also takes us inside the point of view of a truly vile forger, whose attention to detail might only be matched by someone who is talented enough to be a conservator of paintings.
But it’s Lily Sparks who drives the story. Her smarts, her keen eye. Even with the killer cornered, she’s cool enough to notice that the brushstrokes on a painting are decent, but lifeless. Lily Sparks is no copy. She’s the real deal.
The painting is also known as Seven. To Lily Sparks it “reminded her that nature was fickle and Eden an illusion. That in the blink of an eye, what she thought she knew could vanish and all she held dear could be lost.”
By chapter three of A Perfect Eye, Lily Sparks’ eye is taking in a much less appealing sight—the murdered body of the museum’s chief benefactor, George Kurtz. (Seven, in fact, was hanging in the Kurtz Building.) Still, Sparks’ attention to detail isn’t affected. Squeamish? Not Lily.
“Propped on an upholstered chair against a wall papered in celadon silk with gold leaves, Kurtz stared imperiously. His head was intact, and his thinning silver hair was parted at the side and darkened and slicked with brilliantine … From the chest down he was riven in two.”
As she studies the scene, Lily asks for the lights to be dimmed and the fan turned off—too distracting. She is taking in every scrap of information. The cops are done. Lily wants to linger and study. She can’t get the image out of her head. Later, she remembers the “geometric slashes and pointillist pricks, intestines dabbed on a green silk wall patterned with leaves.”
Stephanie Kane’s latest mystery-thriller takes us behind the scenes of the Denver Art Museum to follow a character who has such keen visual sensibilities that she is known for her ability to spot a forgery, even one with “impeccable” provenance. Kane’s rich portrait of Lily’s unique talent is detailed and fascinating, particularly as she walks us through Lily’s evaluation of a Degas.
“Lily touched the canvas gently, mindful of her oath: First do no harm. Surgeons buried their mistakes; conservators hung them on the wall. Early in her career, she’d exorcised any vestige of a cavalier nature. Now she never picked anything up without first assessing how it was constructed and should be handled.”
Lily’s long-ago boyfriend is FBI agent Paul Riley, who still sparks (yes) some interest. He must be persuaded about Lily’s theory. And, then, Lily sees something in Seven. Those shapes. The patterns from the murder. It’s a sterling moment, observation as realization. (Caillebotte was an impressionist, a contemporary of Monet and Degas; Seven is Kane’s imagination. A Perfect Eye includes plenty of interesting tidbits of Caillebotte appreciation.)
Floating around Lily Sparks’ personal life are her widowed father Harry, co-workers, and a docent trainee, a “provisional” in museum lingo, named Nick. A Perfect Eye has a nifty cast of quality suspects, all viewed by Lily with the same eye she gives everything. She lives by a mantra—avoid subjectivity, stick to what you can see, quantify intangibles, focus. Kane also takes us inside the point of view of a truly vile forger, whose attention to detail might only be matched by someone who is talented enough to be a conservator of paintings.
But it’s Lily Sparks who drives the story. Her smarts, her keen eye. Even with the killer cornered, she’s cool enough to notice that the brushstrokes on a painting are decent, but lifeless. Lily Sparks is no copy. She’s the real deal.
April 25, 2020
A Perfect Eye started out intriguing, but then dropped off a cliff for me. So many characters who zip in and out of the plot. A lot of technical talk about "should we do this to the painting or should we try that..." I think you really need to be a art gallery/museum aficionado to enjoy this book. I enjoy looking at beautiful paintings but I'd rather hear about the background story of who/what motivated to paint that particular subject/scene etc.
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April 20, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/20/2020)! 🎁
March 14, 2022
A lawyer turned art conservator gets sucked into a murder case and becomes the next target of the killer. Some annoyances but overall an okay underlying whodunit story. I wouldn't say it was a surprise or even a twist but it did have me wondering who the killer was for a short bit. The things that bothered me most were: I didn't enjoy the bait and switch with "the new boyfriend" not to mention the unfinished plot point, he started off a nice enough distraction but in order to detract the readers from the real killer, he was used as a scapegoat with all this weird crap meant to make him look guilty then he conveniently just disappears never to be heard from again. I thought the melodrama with "the old boyfriend" was a bit contrived - he doesn't want her but doesn't want anyone else to have her. The macho BS was a bit worn. And honestly I'm so tired of the overused drama of let's don't talk about anything important and then everything can get completely screwed up because we were to stupid to just have a conversation...grow up real people don't act like that. But the worse and I was pissed off for the entirety of it was the Jack fiasco; Totally unnecessary to hurt that baby. The characters needed to be flushed out a little better. It felt like so much was left hanging and unfinished, what happened to Nick? What happened between Paul and Lily? Why stay at the museum with Gina and Michel? I know the explanation Harry ended up giving about why he lied but seriously why invent the crazy backstory it upset seems over the top. So much of this entire tale just feels like this huge web of deceit and lies that just snowballs into massive unnecessary drama. All of that being said, it was an entertaining story that was worth reading if you're into art. If not it's a little meh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2020
Murder? Mystery? Catch a killer? Sign me up! A Perfect Eye follows Lily Sparks as she is thrusted into a murder investigation involving the one of the museums benefactors. She has a “Perfect Eye” and catches a lot of things we normally miss which made her perfect person to consult for the case.
A good part of the book was a little slow for me as far as pacing. The author uses a lot of technical terms when it came to the art and the techniques. I found myself becoming distracted during these scenes. While they are helpful, I felt maybe a little less would have been good. Moving on…the story is quite a good one! I did not see that ending coming and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I love when that happens! The characters were good. I found myself wanting to know more about Lily and her FBI friend.
The story as a whole is a good one. The writing is good and so were the characters. Towards the end, I was page turning so fast. So much was happening and I needed to see it through! You won’t see that ending coming! I look forward to reading the next book. I give this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
**Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng**
A good part of the book was a little slow for me as far as pacing. The author uses a lot of technical terms when it came to the art and the techniques. I found myself becoming distracted during these scenes. While they are helpful, I felt maybe a little less would have been good. Moving on…the story is quite a good one! I did not see that ending coming and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I love when that happens! The characters were good. I found myself wanting to know more about Lily and her FBI friend.
The story as a whole is a good one. The writing is good and so were the characters. Towards the end, I was page turning so fast. So much was happening and I needed to see it through! You won’t see that ending coming! I look forward to reading the next book. I give this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
**Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng**
January 23, 2020
received in exchange for a honest review.
Overall I enjoyed the book and would like to see more of lily and paul. I would love to see them work together to solve mysteries as they become more of an us.
The story itself was intriguing. there was alot of behind the scenes politics and betrayal that you don’t expect to see in such a outward fashion. The plot is where a donor of the museum is killed and it looks like a painting. A painting that one begins to wonder about. At the same time Paul comes back into Lily’s world and asks for her help. Asks for her eye for details and putting together details in a fashion no one else seems to be able to. only this may backfire because her view isn’t really one he expects and there is alot of tension amongst them.
I love the plot stories. Here we have the murder, the dynamic of what is happening between Lily and Paul, the idea of forgery and the politics of the museum. We also have the story of LIly and her dad. And they all intertwine seemlessly.
Lily is a smart woman. She knows her mind and knows where she stands on things. At the museum, she does great work and we see some around her be more envious and go after her in not so subtle ways when this murder occurs. She stands her ground and discovers many things. She doesn’t go against her principles or beliefs but also she notices more than realized. I love how she stands up to everyone and goes against the grain even if it costs her what she loves.
Paul is more stoic and less stubborn. He doesn’t hide behind walls as much as Lily. she doesn’t give people chances to explain themselves and isn’t apt to admit to herself her mistakes nor will she admit them to others. Paul risks alot for her in this book. I like him the most because he was more honest with himself and doesn’t let Lily off the hook on things. He challenges her and has her discover things even when she doesn’t want to. He teaches her that not everything is as it seems and to learn to trust others and have some faith in them.
The murder had some twists and turns. Some were obvious and some not. I love how we are drawn into the art world and shown many facets to art and what it represents. We are brought into the underbelly of the ins and outs of museums and see the pressure many are under. The murder is fascinating and gives us a new way to view many characters but also keeps us intrigued as to what is next to happen. I love seeing what LIly sees at the scene and how it draws Paul in as well.
The story is full of intrigue and draws you in. I loved trying to figure out what Paul was going to do with the investigation. Where Lily’s thoughts on the scene would take her and the path it led with the artwork and her life. I like how not everything is as it seems and how sometimes you need to read between the words to find the whole meaning and scene. A good murder from beginning to end and look forward to more of Paul and Lily.
Overall I enjoyed the book and would like to see more of lily and paul. I would love to see them work together to solve mysteries as they become more of an us.
The story itself was intriguing. there was alot of behind the scenes politics and betrayal that you don’t expect to see in such a outward fashion. The plot is where a donor of the museum is killed and it looks like a painting. A painting that one begins to wonder about. At the same time Paul comes back into Lily’s world and asks for her help. Asks for her eye for details and putting together details in a fashion no one else seems to be able to. only this may backfire because her view isn’t really one he expects and there is alot of tension amongst them.
I love the plot stories. Here we have the murder, the dynamic of what is happening between Lily and Paul, the idea of forgery and the politics of the museum. We also have the story of LIly and her dad. And they all intertwine seemlessly.
Lily is a smart woman. She knows her mind and knows where she stands on things. At the museum, she does great work and we see some around her be more envious and go after her in not so subtle ways when this murder occurs. She stands her ground and discovers many things. She doesn’t go against her principles or beliefs but also she notices more than realized. I love how she stands up to everyone and goes against the grain even if it costs her what she loves.
Paul is more stoic and less stubborn. He doesn’t hide behind walls as much as Lily. she doesn’t give people chances to explain themselves and isn’t apt to admit to herself her mistakes nor will she admit them to others. Paul risks alot for her in this book. I like him the most because he was more honest with himself and doesn’t let Lily off the hook on things. He challenges her and has her discover things even when she doesn’t want to. He teaches her that not everything is as it seems and to learn to trust others and have some faith in them.
The murder had some twists and turns. Some were obvious and some not. I love how we are drawn into the art world and shown many facets to art and what it represents. We are brought into the underbelly of the ins and outs of museums and see the pressure many are under. The murder is fascinating and gives us a new way to view many characters but also keeps us intrigued as to what is next to happen. I love seeing what LIly sees at the scene and how it draws Paul in as well.
The story is full of intrigue and draws you in. I loved trying to figure out what Paul was going to do with the investigation. Where Lily’s thoughts on the scene would take her and the path it led with the artwork and her life. I like how not everything is as it seems and how sometimes you need to read between the words to find the whole meaning and scene. A good murder from beginning to end and look forward to more of Paul and Lily.
December 20, 2019
Lily Sparks is Conservator of Paintings at the Denver Art Museum. This is a second career for her and uses her perfect eye. She was trained since childhood by her single father to really see what is around her. Her talent came in handy when she was a lawyer and it comes in handy now too.
When the billionaire benefactor of the museum who donated a large amount of art to the facility is found brutally murdered, Lily is called in by old flame FBI Agent Paul Riley to use her talent to see what others have missed. Even though their relationship broke up ten years earlier when he neglected to mention that he was married, she hasn't really gotten over him and working with him is painful. What's worse is that he seems to have an agenda of his own and isn't really listening when she brings up how much the murder scene mirrors one of the billionaire's donations to the museum.
Lily comes to believe that the landscape by Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte is a forgery which doesn't make her at all popular with the museum director who claims to have a perfect eye of his own. The tension at work combined with her investigation bring a lot of tension to the story.
I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints in this story. The action was fast-paced and the tension was quite high through the story.
When the billionaire benefactor of the museum who donated a large amount of art to the facility is found brutally murdered, Lily is called in by old flame FBI Agent Paul Riley to use her talent to see what others have missed. Even though their relationship broke up ten years earlier when he neglected to mention that he was married, she hasn't really gotten over him and working with him is painful. What's worse is that he seems to have an agenda of his own and isn't really listening when she brings up how much the murder scene mirrors one of the billionaire's donations to the museum.
Lily comes to believe that the landscape by Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte is a forgery which doesn't make her at all popular with the museum director who claims to have a perfect eye of his own. The tension at work combined with her investigation bring a lot of tension to the story.
I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints in this story. The action was fast-paced and the tension was quite high through the story.
September 29, 2020
This was my first book by author Stephanie Kane, but I will read more by her in the future. I give this book a 3.5 star rating that I rounded up. The book was a bit slow at times and the technical terms and phrases slowed it down even more for me. It disrupted the flow for the reader and then it was hard to get back on track (at least for this reader).
Lily Sparks is Conservator of Paintings at the Denver Art Museum. She has "a perfect eye" and can spot things most others can't. She becomes involved in a myriad of trouble - murder, romance, fakes...it's not a bad story, it just is a lot...with a lot of characters that we see for a minute and then never again...and plots that need less curves and more straight lines...
I will try this author again in the future, but for me this one was just an ok read. I wanted more action, less technical. I wanted to be able to guess who did it and not have to stop and start reading multiple times so that it held my interest. Overall an ok read, but not one that should be moved to the top of your TBR list - just add it and wait till it comes up.
**Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng**
Lily Sparks is Conservator of Paintings at the Denver Art Museum. She has "a perfect eye" and can spot things most others can't. She becomes involved in a myriad of trouble - murder, romance, fakes...it's not a bad story, it just is a lot...with a lot of characters that we see for a minute and then never again...and plots that need less curves and more straight lines...
I will try this author again in the future, but for me this one was just an ok read. I wanted more action, less technical. I wanted to be able to guess who did it and not have to stop and start reading multiple times so that it held my interest. Overall an ok read, but not one that should be moved to the top of your TBR list - just add it and wait till it comes up.
**Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng**
September 11, 2019
"Your Eye's like a perfect pitch, he said. You're lucky you were born with it" Lily's father told her when she was young. Lily Sparks is the Conservator of Paintings at the Denver Art Museum and her focus is on Fields of the Gennevilliers Plain, a painting by Gustave Caillebotte because the painting was lost for over a century but she believes that the painting is most likely forged.
George Kurtz, the museum's benefactor is found murdered, split in two. She finds the scene fascinating. Kurtz was everiscated with his intestines were smeared on the wall behind where Kurts was sitting, what is strange about that? Well, it imitated the painting. Pretty gory right?
The story also involves a past boyfriend FBI agent Paul Riley, there is still an attraction but she does not know is she should pursue it. She is too busy though trying to convince Paul to her theory on the murder. Another important character is her father Harry, her mother died when Lily was too young to remember. As the story continues, she finds that what she was told when she was young was a lie and that her father may be in danger along with herself.
What ensues is a great mystery story that is page-turning. Lily's "eye" and intuition makes this story a great mystery. Loved the characters especially Lily! I loved the story and actually finished it in a few hours.
George Kurtz, the museum's benefactor is found murdered, split in two. She finds the scene fascinating. Kurtz was everiscated with his intestines were smeared on the wall behind where Kurts was sitting, what is strange about that? Well, it imitated the painting. Pretty gory right?
The story also involves a past boyfriend FBI agent Paul Riley, there is still an attraction but she does not know is she should pursue it. She is too busy though trying to convince Paul to her theory on the murder. Another important character is her father Harry, her mother died when Lily was too young to remember. As the story continues, she finds that what she was told when she was young was a lie and that her father may be in danger along with herself.
What ensues is a great mystery story that is page-turning. Lily's "eye" and intuition makes this story a great mystery. Loved the characters especially Lily! I loved the story and actually finished it in a few hours.
May 18, 2022
A Perfect Eye by Stephanie Kane.
For me this book started off ok and then it became a bit of a slog to the finish. The ending left a lot of stuff just unfinished. It has an interesting premise, but unless you are an art afficionado, the amount of detail and art references are overwhelming for a non-art person like me. The research that must have gone into this book is huge, but this is a murder mystery?, not an art reference book so for me, I became bored with all the descriptions etc. The main character is portrayed as a smart woman and a high achiever, but her actions and relationships with her father, friends, lovers, co-workers, clients, in my opinion do not reflect that. The ending for me was underwhelming. Yes, the murder mystery was solved, but her relationship with the love of her life and her work situation was still a mess and unresolved. 2 and half stars.
For me this book started off ok and then it became a bit of a slog to the finish. The ending left a lot of stuff just unfinished. It has an interesting premise, but unless you are an art afficionado, the amount of detail and art references are overwhelming for a non-art person like me. The research that must have gone into this book is huge, but this is a murder mystery?, not an art reference book so for me, I became bored with all the descriptions etc. The main character is portrayed as a smart woman and a high achiever, but her actions and relationships with her father, friends, lovers, co-workers, clients, in my opinion do not reflect that. The ending for me was underwhelming. Yes, the murder mystery was solved, but her relationship with the love of her life and her work situation was still a mess and unresolved. 2 and half stars.
April 22, 2020
I started off trying to keep the characters straight. Amy's and Lily's names were so close I called them Assistant and Leader which helped me keep them separate. I like the idea of a story in the art museum but I couldn't seem to connect with the story or either romance. Several scenes in the book needed more words to develop that scene. The scene was over before it was fully developed for me. I re-read sections to "get it". Occasionally I've wished I was reading a draft rather than the book so I could request the writer consider changes. This is one of those books. However, I like Ms. Kane's writing and will check out her other books. I bought this copy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2020
A 3.5 stars
This book has a lot of pros and cons. The plot is good with lots of suspects and motives. The writing is also good in many ways. But I have no background in Art and am not knowledgeable in the "language" of art and art conservation , and frequently found that I did not really understand what was going on. Even rereading paragraphs did not help. While I really enjoy learning about new things, they need to be presented in a way that is understandable to a non-expert. The characters were interesting but not particularly well developed. Overall I would try another book by this author .
This book has a lot of pros and cons. The plot is good with lots of suspects and motives. The writing is also good in many ways. But I have no background in Art and am not knowledgeable in the "language" of art and art conservation , and frequently found that I did not really understand what was going on. Even rereading paragraphs did not help. While I really enjoy learning about new things, they need to be presented in a way that is understandable to a non-expert. The characters were interesting but not particularly well developed. Overall I would try another book by this author .
October 28, 2024
Murder as art. It's an interesting concept. When Lily, a museum art curator in Denver is called in to help with the murder, she notices how carefully the body has been laid out.
Despite her expertise, everyone, including a former flame, scoffs at her idea. So, as anyone would, she decides to investigate on her own. Bad choice. Soon, everything she cares about it at risk, her privacy, her job, her family and even her cat (he survives).
It's a page turner that will have you looking at the art a little closer and wondering what secrets the artist kept the next time you visit a museum.
Despite her expertise, everyone, including a former flame, scoffs at her idea. So, as anyone would, she decides to investigate on her own. Bad choice. Soon, everything she cares about it at risk, her privacy, her job, her family and even her cat (he survives).
It's a page turner that will have you looking at the art a little closer and wondering what secrets the artist kept the next time you visit a museum.
November 14, 2024
A 3.5 if I could make it that. While the rest being was good, personally it didn’t get exciting til there was 40 pages left where it really made the murderer more prominent. I think this is because of the “love-triangle” taking place for sometime however the triangle didn’t seem interesting enough to have time like the mystery. But I did enjoy how it pointed toward one person as the murderer only for it to not be them; but I do wish the actual murderer was given more time before the big reveal as the character is forgotten about for some time. Overall it was fine.
July 11, 2020
Painting a mystery.
This was pretty good as a thriller, something far different from my usual happy cozy craft mysteries. Lol. I liked the game played in this and since I'm not an obsessively observant person, unless we are talking about bead quality or spreadsheets, it will be interesting to see what I can retain about my surroundings. A nice brain exercise. Worth the read, especially if you love art.
This was pretty good as a thriller, something far different from my usual happy cozy craft mysteries. Lol. I liked the game played in this and since I'm not an obsessively observant person, unless we are talking about bead quality or spreadsheets, it will be interesting to see what I can retain about my surroundings. A nice brain exercise. Worth the read, especially if you love art.
August 2, 2023
It took me a little to get into the book but once I did I was swept away with the need to know who had committed the murder and which of the possible suspects. Not to mention the cat Jack. And of course the hunky FBI agent Paul. I liked the main character and her flaws, as well as her strange father and their unspoken past. I viewed it as a Romance book and thriller/murder mystery. Love all the art! Thank you for such a succinct and compelling read!
April 23, 2020
I really like the premise that this person had a great eye for and about art yet the story didn’t take advantage of this to the extent it could. Too much time was spent on her screwed up life and not enough about the mystery and this relationship with the FBI guy Paul. He also didn’t act like a top FBI agent. Maybe next time
May 5, 2020
Don't stop reading!
A Perfect Eye taught me about seeing beyond the initial view. You need to examine deeper to discover mire !
A great read with twists and turns and women and men. A hint of sex and lots of intrigue!
Racing to the end is the best part of a great mystery and who cares what time it is, keep reading .
A Perfect Eye taught me about seeing beyond the initial view. You need to examine deeper to discover mire !
A great read with twists and turns and women and men. A hint of sex and lots of intrigue!
Racing to the end is the best part of a great mystery and who cares what time it is, keep reading .
November 8, 2022
Meh. It started off strong with an interesting premise and main characters, but then trailed off. There was so much careful set up and character development but then devolved from there. The plot got rushed and sporadic references muddied the whole story. The main action felt super rushed and lacked the thoughtfulness and detail the beginning of the story had.
December 11, 2019
I chose this novel because the author is local to Denver. That part of the novel was fun: reading about all of the places I am now familiar with. However, the story line was lacking. Would not recommend.
February 27, 2020
Good read
Fast moving. Believable characters. Tight story development. Very professional writing. I am looking forward to reading more from this author. I will definitely be on the lookout for another book by her.
Fast moving. Believable characters. Tight story development. Very professional writing. I am looking forward to reading more from this author. I will definitely be on the lookout for another book by her.
March 12, 2020
Murder Most Artistic
If you like Denver and its landmarks like the Art Museum, mystery with misdirection in play, tidbits of art world aesthetics, and a host of characters with all too down to earth baggage, A Perfect Eye by Stephanie Kane offers a view to a killer, fast read.
If you like Denver and its landmarks like the Art Museum, mystery with misdirection in play, tidbits of art world aesthetics, and a host of characters with all too down to earth baggage, A Perfect Eye by Stephanie Kane offers a view to a killer, fast read.
April 22, 2020
Brilliant attention to detail
From an author who certainly knows her subject.
A taut, well paced, eminently readable story about skullduggery in the world of Art. Interesting heroine. Flawed enough to empathize with.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
From an author who certainly knows her subject.
A taut, well paced, eminently readable story about skullduggery in the world of Art. Interesting heroine. Flawed enough to empathize with.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 28, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot had a lot of twists and turns, with a lot of red herrings thrown in to keep the reader guessing. I agree with another reviewer that Lily & Paul would make a great crime-fighting team if the author would like to turn this into a series. (Hint, hint ;)
May 12, 2020
I learned a lot.
I learned a lot about painting restoration and what constitutes “art”. The ending seemed a little rushed and incomplete. I would have liked more about the aftermath.
I learned a lot about painting restoration and what constitutes “art”. The ending seemed a little rushed and incomplete. I would have liked more about the aftermath.
June 12, 2020
I really enjoyed this book for its art information and especially the loopholes in tax laws about deductions for art donations. Good mystery with interesting characters, though the love story did drag at it in places.
July 1, 2020
The power of perception
Lilly's eye for details makes for an interesting storyline. Maybe a bit heavy on the artistic terminology, but did enjoy the time spent on character development.
Lilly's eye for details makes for an interesting storyline. Maybe a bit heavy on the artistic terminology, but did enjoy the time spent on character development.
April 15, 2024
A page turner
I don't have a background in art. The story was a little hard to follow at first, it started to come together. The twists kept coming. I couldn't figure out the killer. This is my 1st read from this author.
I don't have a background in art. The story was a little hard to follow at first, it started to come together. The twists kept coming. I couldn't figure out the killer. This is my 1st read from this author.
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