Painting in the Shadows

When a gallery becomes a dangerous place, art dealer Alex Clayton must find the hidden meaning.

Art dealer Alex Clayton and conservator John Porter are thrilled to be previewing the Melbourne International Museum of Art's (MIMA) newest exhibition, until they witness a museum worker collapse and badly damage a reportedly cursed painting.

Belief in the curse is strengthened when MIMA's senior conservator Meredith Buchanan dies less than twenty-four hours later while repairing the work. But Alex and John are convinced there is a decidedly human element at work in the museum.

The evidence sets them on the trail of a mysterious painting that could hold a key to Meredith's death, and the stakes are raised higher when Alex is offered her dream job at MIMA. Damaging the museum's reputation will jeopardise her professional future.

The friends soon realise they are facing an adversary far more ruthless than they had anticipated, and there is much more at risk than Alex's career.

About the Author

Katherine Kovacic has a diverse professional life: she is a director of CK Minerals, dealing in mineral and gold specimens for museums and collectors throughout the world; as an independent art curator, Katherine researches and works on exhibitions in conjunction with host galleries; and she devotes considerable time to her role as a trustee and director of The Copland Foundation, a charitable trust dedicated to assisting museums and historic houses with conservation and interpretation projects.

Katherine is also a qualified dog trainer, and when she has time, she loves helping people teach their dogs how to do everything from sit and stay to riding a skateboard - and have fun while they're doing it! Katherine enjoys writing, reading, hanging out with her dogs, dancing Argentine tango (and maybe a bit of mambo) and making voyages of discovery. The Portrait of Molly Dean was her debut novel and the first Alex Clayton art mystery.