Published in April, 2017
Published in India: May, 2017
Pages 400, Paperback
Judging this book by its cover 4/5
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Sequel to last year’s “first class thriller” Maestra which sold in more than 43 countries and soon to be turned into a movie is finally out. Written by Lisa Hilton, charmingly, both of her books, Maestra and Domina are in regard of a competitor to Fifty Shades of Grey, another bestseller, but after reading, I think there’s more than Fifty Shades in her books. Her plot creation is full of thrilling effects, and a piece of her imagination equals more than just Fifty Shades.
Set in Europe, mostly Venice, Judith Rashleigh, alias Elisabeth Teerlinc, previously an auction house assistant, now has an art gallery of her own. She’s got the paycheck, lifestyle, and obsessive wardrobe that she can recount neatly in any situation, not to mention the interest of a Russian billionaire. But when a chance encounter in Ibiza leads to a corpse that is, for once, not her own doing, she finds her life is back on the line—and she’s more alone than ever. It seems Judith’s become involved with more than just one stolen painting, and there is someone else willing to kill for what’s theirs.
The plot is intense, full of shocking turns, it did amaze me in the aspect of a character who is sexually confident and reflects a mixture of both moral values and sprinkles of violence, by having protagonist like Judith. It had me from the prologue till the last page. A real page turner. If that is not enough to grab your attention, I think the genesis of the plot will. Full of art history, coming from the background of historian (the author), this element blended with murder is the pivot of the novel and brings much complexity which I enjoyed.
The character of Judith might seem an anti-hero but the morals bring her down to being a protagonist and to keep things interesting. This character is well-develop, mature and aware of her inner conscience. There is an emotional element indulged by the author through flashbacks of a younger Judith.
Lastly, the book is left on a cliffhanger that is supposed to come to a conclusion in the next and last edition of this trilogy.
This book worked for me for reasons I describe above and being a page turner it will make you want more. Lately, there have been some comparison with Fifty Shades. This book is a lot different than that. It is not biased towards half of the species for a start. I think with unique theme it posses a better comparison for this book would be Patricia Highsmith’s Talented Mr. Ripley and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, both because of its plot formation and stock of history.
I recommend it if you are looking for a light, page turning, perfect for travelling or over a weekend reading.
5 out of 5!
Author’s Bio:
Lisa Hilton is a well-known and widely published British author, journalist, biographer and art critic. Since Maestra’s publication last year, Lisa has been named Glamour Magazine’s ‘Writer of the Year’ and as one of PORTER magazine’s #IncredibleWomen of 2016. Sony Pictures have acquired Maestra’s film rights: Amy Pascal (Ghostbusters) is scheduled to produce the film with the screenplay written by Erin Cressida Wilson (The Girl on the Train, Secretary). Maestra was the Sunday Times number 1 bestseller and a New York Times bestseller.
Lisa is also an opera librettist – she wrote Love Hurts, with music by Nicola Moro in late 2016 and the opera received its first performance in Milano at the Piccolo Teatro on 25 June 2016, conducted by James Ross. The US premiere followed in New York City, at Symphony Space, on 28 October 2016. She also just curated the recent (controversial) Caravaggio show with Dr James Bradburne, the Anglo-Canadian director of the Pinacoteca di Brera gallery. Lisa has lived in Key West, New York, Paris and Milan, and is presently based in London.
Note: I received this book from the publisher but that doesn’t mean my review is breaking any reviewing rules.
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Tagged: 2016, 2017, amy pascal, art, Bestseller, Book, book reviews, books, British, Caravaggio, cliffhanger, crime, Da Vinci Code, Domina, European Literature, Fiction, Fifty Shades of Grey, gallery, History, Italian, Judith Rashleigh, Lisa Hilton, literature, Maestra, mystery, New York Times, page turner, painter, psychological, Reading, Review, sex, sexual, summary, suspense, Talented Mr Ripley, thriller, Thrilling, trilogy, Venice, Writing
