Customer Reviews

Portrait of Victorine

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It was a chance search on amazon.com that put me in touch with Mary Devlin. Now, she's one of my favorite authors. I don't usually like romance novels, but this one transcends the usual pap that falls into that category. The plot is the usual damsel-in-distress-caught-up-in-frightening-circumstances typical of authors like Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt (am I dating myself by naming them?), but heroine Lindsay Parker is definitely NOT a stereotypical romantic heroine, and I only wish that I had met hero Alain Bordeaux when I was younger. The action takes place in romantic Paris, in even more romantic Montmartre. To the romance, add murder, art theft, mysterious informants, and the shadowy figure of Victorine, who inadvertently set the action in motion back in the days of the Impressionists, and you've got a real page-turner!

Lindsay Parker left California for Paris, France, to teach at a prestigious art school. Within her first week, she gets involved with two men--Mark McGovern and Alain Bordeaux. Both are attractive, accomplished men, but one is not what he seems. He has been hired at the same school as Lindsay, but under a different assignment--one that begins with the discovery of a forged Picasso painting and escalates to kidnapping and murder.

As Lindsay begins to delve deeper into these art thefts with her mysterious partner, her own life--as well as those she cares about--is greatly at risk. Who is behind these stolen forgeries? How far will they go to cover their tracks? And, most importantly, who can Lindsay trust?

The French art setting is perfect for this book, complete with a budding Paris romance and a few near-death experiences. So, for those who love romantic mysteries, Impressionist art, and Paris, France, I would strongly recommend you find a copy of "Portrait of Victorine" and read it.