Artistic License to Kill

A Fine Art Mystery #1

by Paula Darnell

In this cozy mystery, artist Amanda Trent, accompanied by her beloved golden retriever Laddie and her persnickety calico cat Mona Lisa, is determined to start a new life after her husband divorces her to marry a younger woman, but it isn't easy.

After a disastrous interview at the prestigious Roadrunner Gallery in Lonesome Valley, Arizona, far away from her previous home in Kansas City, Amanda's afraid that she'll fail at her new career. But her prospects begin to improve when she's accepted as the newest member of the cooperative gallery.

Then, on her very first day, she discovers Janice, the stern director, has been murdered right in the art gallery, and the Roadrunner's members, including Amanda herself, become suspects. Which gallery member murdered the unpopular director? Or was the killer an outsider with an ax to grind?

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Contemporary, Ebooks, Animals

258 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2021

About the author

An instructor at five colleges over the years, Paula Darnell most often taught the dreaded first-year English composition classes, but she's also been happy to teach some fun classes, such as fashion design, sewing, and jewelry making. Paula has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and a Master's degree in English from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Like Laurel, the main character in Death by Association, Paula enjoys all kinds of arts and crafts. Some of her memorable projects include making a hat and a cape to wear to Royal Ascot, sewing wedding gowns for both her daughters, exhibiting her textile and mixed-media artwork in juried art shows, and having one of her jewelry projects accepted for inclusion in Leather Jewelry, published by Lark Books. She sells some of her jewelry and hair accessories in her Etsy shop.

Paula's interest in DIY craft projects and fashion led to her writing hundreds of articles for print and online national publications.

Paula lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband Gary and their 110-pound dog Rocky, whose favorite pastime is lurking in the kitchen, hoping for a handout.

Reviews

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artistic License to Kill by Paula Darnell has Amanda Trent, a painter, getting accepted into the Roadrunner Gallery, a cooperative gallery, in Lonesome Valley, Arizona. Janice Warren, the director, is a bit intense and intimidating to Amanda, but she likes her mentor, Susan. On her first day of working in the gallery, Amanda joins Susan outside to find the building locked. After Susan gets them entry, the pair find Janice dead after being hit in the dead by one of her own sculptures. The daunting detective assigned the case focuses on Susan as the guilty party. Amanda feels that Susan is being railroaded and decides to do investigating with assistance from her neighbor, Belle. Artistic License to Kill is the debut of A Fine Art Mystery series. I found this new cozy to be easy to read with steady pacing. I thought it contained good writing and some interesting characters. I liked Amanda Trent along with her two cute fur babies as well as Betty, Susan, Pamela, and even the local lothario (Chip). I was not a fan of Lieutenant Belmont, the gruff detective. He was an overly nasty man who focused on one person and pursued this suspect with dogged determination. The mystery was clever and fun to solve. There are good clues to help readers resolve the whodunit (if you pay close attention). I liked that Amanda is a full-time artist. We get to see what life is like for artists, how a cooperative gallery works, the problem with shipping finished creations, and more. I enjoyed this behind the scenes look at the art world. I am looking forward to reading Vanished in Plein Air when it comes out this spring. Artistic License to Kill is a creative new cozy mystery with a cunning killer, a daunting detective, cavorting canines, an intimidated mentor, and a probing painter.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artistic License to Kill is the first book in Ms. Darnell's Fine Art Mystery series and the first book I've read by this author. I found this to be an enjoyable read. Amanda Trent, the main character, is starting over after her divorce and finds herself in Arizona. I liked Amanda as the main character. She is near my age so it was easy to relate to her. She is surrounded by a diverse and interesting group of secondary characters that are all helping her to settle into her new life. The one character I did find a bit annoying was the police detective investigating the murder. He jumped to some unrealistic conclusions based upon highly circumstantial evidence.

I thought the mystery was well done. There are several suspects with plausible motives for committing the crime. The author does throw in some surprises for the reader that made me second guess who I thought to be the culprit. The mystery was tied up nicely in the end and Amanda is settling into her new life with some more mysteries on the horizon.

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

And entertaining and well paced read with likeable characters including one canine and one feline. I
loved all the art info too. A recommended cosy read.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artistic License to Kill is the first book in the Fine Art Mystery series by Paula Darnell.

Amanda has moved to Lonesome Valley, AZ, after her divorce and wants to become a member of the Roadrunner Gallery co-op to show and sell her art. On her first day at the gallery, she finds the owner murdered.

I really like Amanda. She is around my age and I could relate to her issues with starting over. Her neighbors, Dennis and Belle, are great neighbors. Rebecca and Susan seem like they’ll be good friends. The mystery was interesting. I suspected the same thing that Amanda did and I liked how it played out.

There are several recipes at the end for some of the food featured in the book.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Donna Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda has just moved to Lonesome Valley with her retriever Laddie and Mona Lisa her cat. She left her ex-husband in Kansas City after he unexpectedly asked for a divorce. Her children are grown with her son working and daughter is in college so she had nothing to hold her there. She found a nice little house to rent that has a studio and is next door to Belle and Dennis, her new friends.
Now she has joined Roadrunner artist co-op, even though she did not think she had a great interview, due to the way she was treated by Janice. Janice is the manager of Roadrunner and the owner of the building Roadrunner Gallery is housed. This is a great opportunity for her as there is no fee for selling her paintings at the gallery. Amanda’s mentor Susan tells Amanda that she is not the only one who has had trouble with Janice.
On the second morning Amanda and Susan are assigned to work at the gallery early they find Janice murdered when they arrive. Obviously this causes a lot of anxiety for all of the artist as well as the citizens of Lonesome Valley. Judith, Janice’s twin sister, is already in town and says she will take over the gallery and co-op and keep everything going at least until the murder is solved. Sounds good. But Amanda starts noticing some strange things and mentions them to her friends Belle and Rebecca and ask what they think. Now they are all interested in finding out what happened to Janice.
This is the first book in this series and is full of interesting characters and many suspects. You will certainly enjoy finding out who did what to whom and why as well as learning more about Amanda and her talents, which are more than painting landscapes. There is already a 2nd in the series and I’m looking forward to reading it.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda Trent moved to Lonesome Valley, Arizona, and started a new life for herself after her marriage fell apart. She is pursuing making a living full-time as an artist and has recently joined a cooperative artists’ group in the town. While Amanda is busy with activities that are pertinent to her life as an artist, she becomes embroiled in a murder case in which she finds herself trying to pinpoint the killer and the motive behind the murder since the detective in charge of the case does not appear to be trying to find the actual guilty person. Amanda hits a few snags along the way in trying to identify the culprit. Will Amanda successfully transition into the new life that she is in the process of building for herself both as an artist and an amateur sleuth? Will the killer be found or get away scot-free?

Artistic License to Kill is the first book in A Fine Art Mystery Series, and Paula Darnell has done a great job of balancing the main character’s personal life with a mystery that needs to be solved. It is not all peaches and cream for the characters as they face difficult life situations. Darnell has created a wonderful mix of character archetypes that are brought to life in the story where their decisions and actions match the personalities they are portraying.

Darnell has written an entertaining mystery that keeps your interest and builds to an exciting tension-filled climax followed by a satisfying ending. Animal lovers will relate to Amanda’s reliance on her golden retriever and calico cat for helping her cope with everyday life. Sufficiently detailed recipes for some of the dishes that are included in the story and sound delicious are provided at the end along with an excerpt from the second book in the series.

[Jerri Cachero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Trent is starting life over in a small town in Arizona. She's a talented artist, who has recently rediscovered her love of painting and crafting. Joining the local artist's co-op, Roadrunner Gallery, she finds friends, enemies and a dead body! Her new friends and her adorable furbabies, Laddie the dog and Mona Lisa the cat help her solve the mystery before a murderer targets Amanda!

I loved the character of Amanda and her strength in moving from one life to another without feeling regret - just excitement! Her new friends are down to earth and helpful - just the kind of folks you'd want to have as a newcomer. The mystery was fast-paced and the author threw me a wonderful curve at the end..I loved the ending! It was nice to read a new series where romance took a back seat to the mystery...at least for a little while.

I'm looking forward to the next book & have it on my TBR!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it was well written and held my attention all the way through. The plot had several twists that made it all the more interesting. It was different from a lot of cozy mysteries in that the main character, Amanda lives in Arizona , she is older than the usual 25 to 35 year old that you usually see in cozies. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily am leaving an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Trent has closed a chapter of her life when her husband soon becomes her ex. Needing to start a new chapter, divorced and her children out of the nest, she heads for Lonesome Valley, AZ. she has found a nice house to rent complete with a studio and nice neighbors. Perfect for herself and her dog, Laddie and her cat, Mona Lisa. Next on her list of life changes - become a member of the Roadrunner co-op art gallery. Things get off to a rough start when she is interviewed by the owner, Janice but Amanda does manage to snag a spot at the gallery. Turns out Janice isn't everyone's favorite person and that becomes an issue within days.
Arriving at the gallery with her friend, and mentor, Susan, they discover Janice murdered. It's not a stretch to say the police do the predictable by jumping to conclusions and focus on Susan. Time to do some investigating with the help of her new friends and neighbors. Will Amanda be able to catch a killer without becoming the next victim?
I enjoyed entering Amanda's world. She's a well developed mature character with a realistic life. The setting was perfect and I found myself thinking it would make a nice vacation destination. Add the cat and dog - well it had just about everything I expect in a cozy. As for the mystery, it had some very nice twists to it and I guessed wrong. Now I have added the next book in the series, Vanished into Plein Air - due out March 15, 2021 - to my to be read list.

[Paula Darnell]

New Cozy Mystery!
Artistic License to Kill is the first book in A Fine Art Mystery series.

Ebook available to pre-order now at the special introductory price of just 99 cents; release date is January 5, 2021.

Artistic License to Kill
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The release date for the print editions is January 15, 2021. Paperback and large print hardback are available for pre-order now:

Artistic License to Kill
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Want to read the large print hardback edition free? Request it at your local library. (ISBN for large print hardback edition is 978-1887402132 – library and trade distribution by Ingram)

Would you like to review the Artistic License to Kill? Grab your free ARC from Booksprout: https://booksprout.co/arc/52368/artis...

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artistic License to Kill is a new cozy series and it is just that: cozy. The heroine is Amanda, a fifty-year-old divorcee who has moved from Kansas City to Lonesome Valley, Arizona, a small town top heavy on art galleries. Amanda is an artist, a painter. She moved to escape the life the had ended abruptly when he husband had announced he was getting a divorce. He did, immediately married his girlfriend, and they had a baby. Enough of that. She is slowly building a community here in her small house with an attached studio. She has joined an artist's cooperative and is showing her work there and will be included in the Friday night artist's studio tours. It is her first day to work at the cooperative's gallery with Susan, her mentor, when shortly after arriving they stumble on a dead body. It is the gallery's owner. Oh, my God. The detective is rude. Not just to Amanda but to everyone. Amanda doesn't mean to investigate; she just notices things. Things start to get complicated.

This is going to be a terrific series. It was easy to get comfortable almost immediately. Amanda has a dog and a cat: requirements for a cozy mystery. She has kindly neighbors and friends. She has a love interest. Well, he thinks she does; she does not. She has an adversarial relationship with at least one police officer. She has a comfortable home and an avocation: painting. She has an adult son who comes to visit and is more than helpful. She likes her life. She is a well-written character with plenty of depth. The mystery is an intriguing one, not solved easily. During the story she realizes she loves her new life and wants to stay. I am predicting great things for this series. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC by Cozy Mystery Review Crew. All opinions contained herein are solely my own.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun new cozy mystery series with a very likeable main character. Amanda Trent a newly divorcee leaves Kansas and her ex behind and moved to Lonesome Valley Arizona to start a new life with her dog and cat. Her children are grown and pretty much on their own so there was nothing to lose. A talented artist, she joins the artist co-op, the Roadrunner Gallery, even though she didn't hit it off well with the manager, Janice. Amanda is making new friends among them her neighbors and Susan another artist in the co-op. On her second day at the gallery she and Susan discover Janice's dead on the gallery floor. What a way to start anew! Because Janice had problems with a lot of the co-op members, they all become suspects. Who killed Janice and why? Amanda decides then and there she has to help clear her name and find out who killed Janice. Could it be one of the co-op members? Then when Janice's twin sister shows up to run the gallery for now, things seem to be sideways and Amanda not only hits some twists and turns in her investigation, but things don't always seem the way they appear! I really liked this first book and definitely look forward to more. I received and ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Pamela Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love cozy mysteries and this one checked all the boxes for me with a great start to the new Fine Art Mystery series by gifted author, Paula Darnell. I felt a real connection to artist Amanda Trent who is determined to start a new life with her golden retriever Laddie and calico cat Mona Lisa in Lonesome Valley, Arizona. As soon as I started reading I knew I wouldn't be able to put the book down and I really wasn't ready to say goodbye to my new book friend when I got to the last page. If you like well-crafted cozies, you will love "Artistic License to Kill". I received an advance reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my review. I enjoyed it so much, I purchased a copy.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful first book in a new series. Amanda and her pets try to make a new life for themselves after a difficult divorce. Things aren’t going that way. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, just the right length

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for cozy mysteries based on Art. This was fun and very light. I appreciate that the author did explain the money problems of an artist and did not give her an a start with too much. I will keep on going with this.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newly divorced artist moves to the southwest and joins a coop gallery. One her first shift she and her mentor discover the owner dead, apparently hit in the head by her own statue. Her twin sister arrives the next day and takes up where the owner left off. But despite being a twin there is something too familiar about the sister …. An interesting book and a good mystery.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda is a fifty-year-old artist with two adult children when her husband files for divorce. She decides to leave the midwest for the southwest and kickstart her life along with her dog and cat. She applies for a position in a cooperative art gallery and although the director and the two others interviewing her are not very friendly, she is accepted. Then the director is murdered, and Amanda has to deal with an obnoxious Lieutenant. Fortunately, her neighbors Belle and Dennis are nice and she becomes friends with a fellow co-op artist Susan. There are plenty of suspects and I like that she is ready to move on from her husband and does not do anything foolish to prove a killer. I look forward to book two.

[Laure Estep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artsy cozy mystery

Small town cozy with likable characters and a nice mystery with some good twists. I enjoyed the look into the art world. Would read more from this eeries

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

New to me author. I enjoyed reading this first book in the series. The main character was relatable and well written. I look forward to book #2.

[Michele Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Trent, an artist, has recently moved to Lonesome Valley, Arizona. She and her husband Ned had divorced and she decided to move to Lonesome Valley and begin showing her paintings at an artistic co-operative there. Shortly after her being accepted into the co-operative, she and her mentor Susan arrive at the gallery only to find the owner Janice, has been killed. The police lieutenant is intensely focused on Susan as the killer and even goes so far as to arrest her on circumstancual evidence. There are several suspects and with the help of her neighbor Betty, realizes that Janice is still alive and that she is impersonating her twin sister, Judith Warren, who was actually the one killed. Judith tells them that she is searching for her sister's killer. Amanda advises the lieutenant, but he refuses to believe her. Janice agrees to tell the police who she really is a few days later. Who was actually killed and who was the killer?

I received this book free from the author for my review of same.

[Kiki Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn't feel like much of a mystery, to be honest.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but it did not really hold my interest.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you are the mother of grown kids nearing your mid-century mark and you marriage blows up you look for a fresh start. This new series is a wonderfully fresh beginning.
Amanda is an aspiring artist who moves alone, with her dog and cat, to Arizona to be among other artists. Her interview to join a gallery of artists has a shaky start but soon she is making new friends and even has a potential sale or two. Even her pets are making new friends.
However her fresh start over is threatened when the gallery's director and benefactor is discovered murdered, by none other than Amanda herself, and her new close friend, Susan. The gruff detective on the case is more concerned with arresting someone than solving the crime. Who better to suspect than those who called in the body? Or the other artists? After all, the victim was not the most liked person in town.

What I liked best about this book are the characters and the look behind the scenes of the art world. From the studios to galleries and even in-person sales at a fair, you'll find yourself connected to and afraid for Amanda. Does she have information that could also make her the next victim?

As you read, various suspects will come to mind. Who can Amanda trust? Who will believe her?
This case will be closed but I look forward to how Amanda's life evolves as she comes into her own person.

[BlueInk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was reasonably cute. I did expect the animals to play more of a factor for some reason, but I appreciated how they were written, so we take that.

The mystery itself pretty solid. I liked the cast of characters, and the way the clues were laid out. I also loved that the main character didn't really set out to solve the mystery. She genuinely left it to the police, but is a curious person so she keeps asking questions. She wasn't trying to "beat the police" or anything.

Some of her life feels a little bit magical. She talks about her finances a fair bit, and it feels like a fair amount of commissions and sales just fall into her lap in an unrealistic way, but I also am not an artist so I don't really know. There is one element that they kind of wrap up in the end that felt extremely magical and random, and I didn't like that. It has nothing to do with the main plot, and I suspect it was intended as set up for the later books, but I didn't like it.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with it, and probably won't remember I've already read it in six months.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artist Amanda Trent is ready to start over after her husband divorced her for a younger woman. She, her golden retriever Laddie, and her calico cat Mona Lisa move to Arizona and her adventure begins.

Things start looking up for Amanda when she is accepted into the cooperative gallery and can support herself with her art. But finding the body of Janice, the unlikable director, murdered in the art gallery makes everyone become a suspect to the police who want a quick arrest. Amanda will have to work fast to find out who murdered the unpopular director. Then things start to get even more complicated! Can she find the killer? Is she putting herself in danger getting too close to this?

Cozy mysteries are one of my favorite books, so I am glad to catch this one at the start. I love the pets in the story and look forward to meeting more of the characters as the stories progress. Grab your copy and see if you can find the killer before Amanda does!

[Debbie Orazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable cozy mystery. The characters were realistic and the story was captivating. Recommend.

Amanda Trent is newly divorced, has moved to Arizona for a new start and is a full time painter. She applies at the Roadrunner Gallery cooperative to display her paintings. She is accepted and assigned Susan Carpenter as her mentor at the gallery. As the ladies show up for their first shift together at the gallery, they find a dead body, Janice Warren the gallery director. Janice's twin sister Judith shows up and takes over running the gallery. The local detective arrests Susan for the murder, but she is later cleared. With a killer running around loose and several possible suspects, Amanda ends up solving the case for the local police depart but not before being kidnapped and threatened at gunpoint.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jacquelyn Schingeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by Paula Darnell but it won't be my last. Paula is a talented painter who moves to Arizona following her divorce to start a new life. She interviews immediately with a gallery that she hopes will admit her to membership and thereby will show her paintings. This is a gallery that is comprised of many painters and is perfect for our painter because it doesn't charge a commission since the building/gallery is owned by Janice who is part of the committee voting whether or not to accept new talent. The interview does not go well but she later finds that this is the way all interviews are handled based on the instructions of the gallery owner and she is accepted to be a member.
She is assigned a mentor who becomes a friend and as they both show up at the gallery a few days later they find the door locked. After gaining entry they find Janice dead on the floor and obviously attacked making this a murder.

[Rebecca Gregory-Chifos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tepid

This was an easy read, but just...bland. Meh. Being a fan of old B&W movies, I immediately caught the plot twist regarding the murdered twin. ('nuff said; that's not quite a spoiler, now is it?) The book wasn't badly written, but constantly included so many tedious details; i.e., was it really necessary to explain why the skirting for the table at the craft fair was handy? Isn't that something that basically everyone knows? I also just couldn't connect with the main character, Amanda, and I simply wanted to slap her for her stupidity in not pursuing the financial aspects of her divorce. That little aspect of the story also seemed unlikely; what kind of quack divorce lawyer did she hire?! Lt. Belmont seemed a laughable caricature of a poor detective.

Although I did finish the book, I kept asking myself why I was bothering. It's not one I'll be keeping on my Kindle for an eventual re-read.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't blame her

Amanda, newly divorced, moves to Arizona to pursue her dream of being a full time artist. Her first day working her shift at the gallery co-op, she and her mentor, Susan, stumble onto the dead body of the director and owner of the building. When the police point their sights at her and her fellow artists, she starts to look into the murder with the help of her neighbors. It takes awhile to start putting together the clues, and with an interesting twist, she does manage to get farther than the arrogant police detective in charge.

I liked Amanda and her friends. The adorable pets added some sweetness. She was a little naive about the divorce but glad that worked out as well.

[HAL · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Perspective on an Artistic Mystery!

This is my first cosy mystery by Darnell and there's not anything to dislike. Great character development, well thought out plot that revealed itself in a nice pace with the action. Yes, there are pets, but they don't dominate in this story ( neither good or bad) but enhance the events as they unfold. As an artist myself, I did enjoy the references to that world. The solution did not follow the unexpected but then, art can sometimes be what isn't really there.
Any age can enjoy this ( there is a murder, after all) as it is free from swears and sex, proving you don't need either to deliver a great story. Thanks Paula and may your creative juices keep flowing!