The Secret Portrait (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: secret portrait, game larder, George Lovelace, Glendessary House, Miss Fairbairn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Secret Portrait is a terrific tale that mixes Scottish lore and legend with murder, madness and the paranormal. There is a certain allure about Scotland that has made it a perfect setting for many forms of literature.

The author's characters are richly drawn and authentic. Jean has reason to wallow in self-pity, but has made the best of a bad situation. Her natural curiosity from academic research makes her the perfect amateur sleuth.

Inspector Cameron has let his past, along with his profession, turn him into a rather pragmatic "wet blanket". He sees no romance in the past so-called heroes of Scotland, who have been celebrated by Hollywood. The secondary characters are well developed and the pacing perfect for an entertaining read. The dialog is sharp and witty. I always admire and envy a clever turn of phrase and Ms. Carl is a master.

Lillian Stewart Carl has written eleven other novels and many short stories. Her unique style and voice is sure to continue to attract new fans."
--Murder and Mayhem Book Club, March 2005 (Murder and Mayhem 20050201)

"In pursuit of information about Bonnie Prince Charlie's legendary lost gold, reporter Jean Fairburn discovers a new corpse instead. Before all is said and done, she tangles with a nouveau-riche Stuart aficionado and Inspector Cameron. An entertaining blend of policing and sleuthing. A former librarian, Carl also writes fantasy."
--Library Journal, April 2005 (Library Journal )

"Mystery, history and sexual tension blend with taste of the wild beauty of the Highlands: an enjoyable tale."
--Kirkus Reviews, February 2005 (Kirkus Review ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

Fleeing an academic scandal and a broken marriage, Jean Fairbairn has come to Scotland to work for an Edinburgh-based history and travel magazine. Writing about the Scottish national pastime of playing illusion off reality is just the quiet, scholarly pursuit she needs to soothe her burned-out emotions.

But when Jean heads for the Highlands to investigate the 18th century mystery of Bonnie Prince Charlie's lost treasure, she finds herself involved in a contemporary murder case--and not as an innocent bystander, either.

Alasdair Cameron, the police detective in charge, has his own perspective on reality and illusion. The American dot-com millionaire living out his tartan fantasies in a restored mansion is the loosest of loose cannons. His trophy wife isn't necessarily standing by her man. Their housekeeper knows what's going to happen before it does. And their youth piper is a kilted daydream, even though his parents are nightmares.

At Glendessary House, old wounds and old glories aren't distant memories evoked over a glass of single-malt, to the skirl of the pipes. Here, they are up close, personal, and deadly.

It's a good thing Jean has back-up in Edinburgh. Because if butting heads--not to mention hearts--with Cameron isn't enough to do her in, then a killer is waiting and watching, with a motive for murder not hidden nearly deeply enough in the past.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (April 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557429235
• ISBN-13: 978-1557429230
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #372,048 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lost Gold of the Bonnie Prince Leads to Murder and Madness, May 13, 2005

By	Linda E. Shields (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Five Star First Edition Mystery - The Secret Portrait: A Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron Mystery (Hardcover)

Another great book in the History/Mystery genre. Set in Scotland, this book starts out as a simple hunt for buried treasure but, as is usual with books by Lillian Stewart Carl, things are not what they seem and secrets from the past haunt both the living and the dead. A must for anyone who enjoys historical mysteries with a hint of romance and a smattering of the supernatural.

4.0 out of 5 stars A suspenseful, satisying read, November 6, 2008

By	L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Five Star First Edition Mystery - The Secret Portrait: A Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron Mystery (Hardcover)

First sentence: Jean Fairbairn sat on the stone windowsill of her office, if hardly in command then at least in admiration of all she surveyed.

Historian and half-owner in a Scottish magazine, Jean Fairbairn is visited by George Lovelace, an older gentleman at her office. He claims to have found, and shows Jean, a old gold coin. The coin is a Louis d'Or, one of the lost hoard sent by Louis of France to Scotland in order to restore Bonnie Prince Charlie to the throne. He asks that Jean have the coin authenticated and leaves it with her.

Jean travels to Glendessery House, now owned by an American dot.com millionaire with an obsession for Bonnie Charlie, and to visit again with George. Instead she finds the nearly murdered body of George, and a not-so-recent ghost wandering the halls.

Ms. Carl creates wonderful characters. Jean is bright, has dry humor, questions her judgment in men and is neither young nor stunningly attractive and wear glasses; all quite refreshing characteristics. She and Chief Inspector Alasdair Cameron find they share an ability but are cautious with each other; another refreshing element rather than the usual coup de foudre often found used between characters.

The dialogue occasionally felt off to me. A couple secondary characters early in the story `sounded' more Irish than Scots, but that might just be me. The elements of history were clearly well researched and interesting, as was the sense of place. Carl does have a wonderful, very visual voice

The book had a great opening; however, I found this a slower read than the previous books I've read by Ms. Carl. The story did pick up toward the end and build to a suspenseful and satisfactory conclusion. There are two, so far, more books in this series and I do look forward to reading them.

5.0 out of 5 stars solid amateur sleuth tale, May 25, 2005

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Five Star First Edition Mystery - The Secret Portrait: A Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron Mystery (Hardcover)

In Edinburgh George Lovelace, a retired Leicester University professor, visits Great Scot magazine editor and writer Jean Fairburn, a former academia also. He provides Jean with a gold coin for her to authenticate which he insists he found while bird watching near his home that appears to be part of Bonnie Prince Charlie's horde he allegedly left behind when he fled for France after the Culloden debacle in 1745. At the nearby museum, Jean learns that Lovelace brought in an antique last year so his story of needing her to help him with the law seems even more farfetched than when she first heard him tell her.

As she travels to talk further with George, Jean arranges an interview with American dot com millionaire Rick MacLyon, who recently bought the local castle. She arrives at the MacLyon appointment early having failed to find George before her meeting with the new lord of the manor. While waiting she senses a ghost and follows her feelings only to find the murdered corpse of George. As the police investigate, Jean finds herself embroiled in a weird conspiracy that ties back to the last Stuart pretender.

THE SECRET PORTRAIT is a solid amateur sleuth tale although the heroine had no plans to get involved in a murder mystery as she only was interested in finding the "mother lode" left behind by Charlie. The who-done-it has an intriguing late twist that fits the tone of the tale yet deftly will surprise most readers. Lillian Stewart Carl provides a fine tale that cleverly blends history with the present (a trademark she is known for - see LUCIFER'S CROWN).

Harriet Klausner