The Art of Dying [Paperback]

Diana Killian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2001

A novel of Faith, art and murder.

Christian painter Hilary Jackson lives a life of contentment, spiritually at peace and doing the work she loves-until the day she plays Good Samaritan to a dangerously handsome Englishman with no name, no identification and no memory beyond the hazy belief that he has killed Scotland Yard art expert, Sir Alexander Napier.

Was Napier a bad cop? Is "Alan" an art thief and murderer? Why are the people closest to Hilary suddenly acting suspiciously? Why is Scotland Yard Detective-Sergeant Hogsworth convinced Hilary is forging old masters? Too late, Hilary realizes that if "Alan" did not kill Napier, someone else did-someone only too willing to kill again.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Diana Killian is the penname of a Los Angeles-based writer and reviewer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 209 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation; 1 edition (April 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738860158
• ISBN-13: 978-0738860152
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,848,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diana Killian is the author of the comedic Mantra for Murder series about an overstressed freelance marketing consultant who inherits a yoga studio from her murdered aunt. Diana is also the author of the romantic and lightly literary Poetic Death novels -- a series about the adventures of an American school teacher in the English Lake District.

A graduate of Pepperdine Malibu, Diana is married and lives in California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Dying--a First Rate Mystery, June 4, 2001

By 

Lori Ford (Eureka, Kansas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Dying (Paperback)

The Art of Dying is that rare thing for us mystery readers, it is a keeper. The story of Hilary, a Christian artist; and Alan, an Englishman with amnesia; is woven into the tapestry of an artists' colony. Hilary plays Good Samaritan to Alan and ends up helping him solve a mystery (or two). Someone is stealing Old Masters' and forging them before selling them and they are willing to kill to continue.

I cannot recommend this book enough. There is a nice mixture of mystery and Christian ethics in this small book. If anything, I wish I could have had more to read. I was sorry when the book ended because I felt as though I had lost some close friends. This is definitely a must for everyone.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, May 31, 2001

By 

"toramaltby" (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Dying (Paperback)

Don't let the title mislead you, this book is not an instruction manual for creative dying. And don't let the blurb about Christian painter mislead you, Hilary Jackson's art is Christian-themed but the story isn't. The Art of Dying is a mystery, a well-crafted mystery about art and murder.

Set in the richly described Northern California village of Steeple Hill, author Diana Killian has put together a book with the elements of a cozy mystery; an innocent observer turned sleuth, a small community of artists, murder without graphic scenes of violence, and yep, even a cat - and the elements of romantic suspense; an attractive British man with amnesia, a kind-hearted young woman who cares for him, a dead Scotland Yard Inspector, lingering doubts about altruism or love, and the question of being mislead by someone who may be a victim or a villain. The pieces all fit together smoothly in a good puzzler.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A New Look, May 28, 2002

By 

Nina Pykare (OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Dying (Paperback)

The Art of Dying is a grippling look at an artists' colony in Southern California. It includes an intriguing Christian heroine who doesn't draw the line where love is concerned and a British hero who can't remember who he is. Fascinating minor characters like the twins, Selena and Serena, and Detective Sergeant Hogsworth make this book a pleasure to read. It held my attention to the end and the end was satisfying.
Nina Coombs Pykare