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The Lover’s Portrait

Author(s): Jennifer S Alderson

Location(s): Amsterdam

Genre(s): Crime, Mystery

Era(s): Contemporary/WW2

Location

Content

When a homosexual Dutch art dealer hides the stock from his gallery – rather than turn it over to his Nazi blackmailer – he pays with his life, leaving a treasure trove of modern masterpieces buried somewhere in Amsterdam, presumably lost forever. That is, until American art history student Zelda Richardson sticks her nose in.

After studying for a year in the Netherlands, Zelda scores an internship at the prestigious Amsterdam Museum, where she works on an exhibition of paintings and sculptures once stolen by the Nazis, lying unclaimed in Dutch museum depots almost seventy years later. When two women claim the same portrait of a young girl entitled Irises, Zelda is tasked with investigating the painting’s history and soon finds evidence that one of the two women must be lying about her past. Before she can figure out which one it is and why, Zelda learns about the Dutch art dealer’s concealed collection. And that Irises is the key to finding it all.

Her discoveries make her a target of someone willing to steal – and even kill – to find the missing paintings. As the list of suspects grows, Zelda realizes she has to track down the lost collection and unmask a killer if she wants to survive.

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Book Reviews

An Excellent Art Mystery set in Amsterdam

Author: [email protected]

Thrilled at securing an internship at the prestigious Amsterdam Museum, art history student and amateur sleuth, Zelda Richardson, is disappointed when she finds that her role in an important exhibition aimed at reuniting owners...

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Lead Review (plus top tips from the author for a visit to Amsterdam)

Author: tripfiction

Firmly set in Amsterdam, this enjoyable mystery explores the darker world of misappropriated and stolen art works during World War II. Zelda Richardson, an American, is applying to do a Master’s programme in Amsterdam...

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