Painted Silver

St. Michaels Silver Mysteries #3

by Susan Reiss

Silver, art and murder lead to an exciting read! --S. Jennifer Sugarman, Artist

Sterling silver expert Abby Strickland accepts an invitation to an art festival’s gala on a private island, once home to a famous silversmith. When someone screams, it becomes an invitation to murder. Abby’s curiosity about the quirky artists and wealthy collectors puts her in danger. Anyone could be the killer, even the charming artist who believes she is his muse. As she hunts for treasure of silver pieces, she is drawn into a web of creative envy, greed... and fear that the murderer will strike again.

What Readers Are Saying:
Susan Reiss captures the magic, mystery and charm of that quintessential Eastern Shore town of St. Michaels. Secrets lay hidden for generations among the stunningly beautiful estates along the Miles River. Can’t wait for her next “silver” adventure. —Kathy Harig, owner of Mystery Loves Company Booksellers for 23 years

This is the book I recommend to my library patrons… and to you.
—Shauna Beulah, Branch Manager, Talbot County Free Library, St. Michaels Branch

Third Book in the Silver Mystery series that includes Tarnished Silver and Sacred Silver.

Susan Reiss started collecting sterling silver pieces as a young bride and has enjoyed decades of exploring this wonderfully elegant world, filled with history and romance. She worked as a television writer/producer for many years in news, children’s programming, sports and entertainment. Her work earned a Silver Medal in the New York International Film Festival, CINE Golden Eagle, Telly Awards and Emmy nominations. A native of Washington, D.C., she now makes her home in St. Michaels, Maryland.

www.silvermystery.com
Facebook: SusanReiss
Twitter: @SusanReiss

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2014

About the author

Susan Reiss trained as a concert pianist then moved into television as a writer/producer for many years. Her work has received a Silver Medal, New York International Film Festival, the Cine Golden Eagle, three Tellys and numerous Emmy nominations. Reiss has been named a Scribe of the Shore. She delved into the mysteries of plot and character creation as a featured speaker in the Sheldon Goldgeiger Lecture Series. She started collecting sterling silver pieces decades ago and blogs about sterling silver, Eastern Shore life and writing at www.SusanReiss.com.
The complete Silver Mystery series:
1. TARNISHED SILVER
1.5 DEATHLY SILVER
2. SACRED SILVER
3. PAINTED SILVER
4. HAMMERED SILVER
5. FOILED SILVER

Reviews

[Alice Hazelbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series I’ve read (although it’s the third book). I have to admit Susan a Reiss had made me fall in love with this shore community. The quotes from “The Butlers Guide ti Fine Silver” were full of interesting tidbits about silver and the art of polishing it properly! Learning about how an artist views what he’s choosing to paint and how he goes about setting it was was also very revealing, as were the quotes by Some of the Plein Aire Festival artists. But mostly, in both of these books (1 & 3) I loved the descriptions of the beauty of this area. The murders were just complicated enough to keep you guessing as you got to know the suspects better. I definitely plan to read the rest of this series and hope Reiss continues it!!

[Anne Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve read the previous one, so “knew” some of the characters. The art festival is a great idea with all the different perspectives of the different artists, I could almost see some of the scenes they are so well described. Once again Abby cannot stop herself working things out!

[Karin Tillotson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who killed Larry and Margaret and why??? Walt's death set it up??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.

[Ron Jutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puppy

I enjoy your description of Simon. I have a chocolate lab. and like your description of his or her antics.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Painted Silver book 4

The artists painted for a prize. Three deaths, one a stroke and two others murder. Susan Reiss sure wrote a mystery out of this world.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Susan Reiss's third Sterling Silver Mystery, PAINTED SILVER! Abby Strickland is an intriguing character, curious and insightful, someone you would want to have the acquaintance of in a small town.

In this story, I greatly enjoyed taking field trips through Easton, meeting the artists and learning about their quirks in an effort to produce a "winning" piece. It is always such fun to try to SOLVE the crime/mystery alongside Abby!

Looking forward to another adventure with Abby...soon! Can't wait!

[Ginney Etherton · Rating 2 out of 5]

The murder mystery is good, with enough suspects and motives to keep me guessing, for a while anyway. The protagonist has a good sense of reasoning and drive to solve the puzzles, but I found her self-examinations repetitive. I've been to the Plein Air Easton Festival and enjoyed the local-color depictions and the artists' points of view, as well as the education on silver craft. The book needed a good editor, though, to correct typos, grammar errors, and pacing, in my opinion.

[Kassandra Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, intriguing story. This may now be my favorite in the series. A whodunnit set against the backdrop on an en plein air art competition on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, it is full of interesting local color, peeks behind the scenes of the plein air circuit, and plenty of twists and turns to keep this mystery lover well satisfied.