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Title: The Black Painting
Author: Neil Olson
Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller
Format: Unabridged
Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
Language: English
Release date: 01-09-18
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes
Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:
An atmospheric literary mystery about an infamous painting rumored to be cursed - and the family torn apart by its disappearance.
There are four cousins in the Morse family: perfect Kenny, the preppy West Coast lawyer; James, the shy but brilliant medical student; his seductive, hard-drinking sister Audrey; and Teresa, youngest and most fragile, haunted by the fear that she has inherited the madness that possessed her father.
Their grandfather summons them to his mansion at Owl's Point. None of them have visited the family estate since they were children, when a prized painting disappeared: a self-portrait by Goya, rumored to cause madness or death upon viewing. Afterward, the family split apart amid the accusations and suspicions that followed its theft.
Any hope that their grandfather planned to make amends evaporates when Teresa arrives to find the old man dead, his horrified gaze pinned upon the spot where the painting once hung. As the family gathers and suspicions mount, Teresa hopes to find the reasons behind her grandfather's death and the painting's loss. But to do so she must uncover ugly family secrets and confront those who would keep them hidden.
A masterful, deftly plotted novel, The Black Painting explores the profound power that art, and the past, hold over our lives.

Critic Reviews:
"A riveting psychological thriller, a serious dissection of a dysfunctional family and an exploration of the power of art to change lives." (Associated Press)
"A fast-paced psychological thriller with a fascinating set of characters. A real page-turner." (B. A. Shapiro, author of The Art Forger)

Members Reviews:
the black painting
"The Black Painting" follows the Morse clan, as narrated by granddaughter Teresa, after Alfred, the patriarch of the family, is found dead, with an expression of horror in his eyes, staring at the place where the mysterious and cursed Goya painting used to hang, but was stolen several years prior. A fight immediately commences over his estate, with his son Philip (Teresa's uncle) re-hiring art theft investigator Dave to try to find it. Meanwhile, Teresa is to stay at the house as she has been appointed executor for the arts portion of the estate. Problem is, that Teresa is sensitive and not privy to the secrets of the other family members swirling around her, kept both by her uncle Fred (a financial entrepreneur who has a habit for gambling with money), uncle Philip (an attorney who has been accused of being involved in the theft of the painting by the very man he hired to investigate the theft), as well as their children and Teresa's cousins--dark-tempered Ken, not-to-be-trusted Audrey, and strange James.
The story is interspersed between Teresa's chapters, and the investigator's, Dave's, chapters. It would have been helpful to have a family tree diagram at the beginning of the book, but overall I managed to get used to the characters--you just have to pay attention when they're introduced. The first three fourths of the book were well-done, but I found the resolution not as satisfying. It is unpredictable, but a bit too coincidental for my taste. I also don't like it when all the characters sort of randomly show up at the same time. Otherwise, a very well written story, with a bit of art-history involving Goya along the way.

Mystery, Romance and More
Well, this one was a surprise.