Release Date: June 1/2013
Adquired: Print ARC provided by Publisher
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Indigo/Book Depository
Cousins Coleman and Dinah Greene moved from North Carolina to New York after college to make their mark on the art world: Coleman is the editor of an influential arts magazine and Dinah is the owner of a print gallery in Greenwich Village. But their challenges are mounting as one of Coleman's writers is discovered selling story ideas to a competitor and The Greene Gallery is in the red because sales are down.
When billionaire Heyward Bain arrives with a glamorous assistant, announcing plans to fund a fine print museum, Coleman is intrigued and plans to get to know Bain and publish an article about him. Dinah hopes to sell him enough prints to save her gallery. At the same time, swindlers, attracted by Bain’s lavish spending, invade the print world to grab some of his money.
When a print dealer dies in peculiar circumstances, Coleman is suspicious, but she can’t persuade the NYPD crime investigator of a connection between the dealer’s death and Bain’s buying spree. After one of Coleman’s editors is killed and Coleman is attacked, the police must acknowledge the connection, and Coleman becomes even more determined to discover the truth about Bain. In an unforgettable final scene, Coleman risks her life to expose the last deception threatening her, her friends, and the formerly tranquil print world.
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I have absolutely zero knowledge about the buy and sell world of art, and even less about the potential crimes that occur within it. What I do know, is that Restrike was the perfect way to become acquainted with both aspects. There was little opportunity for me to feel bombarded with art lingo, and the story line had just enough scandal to keep me reading until the very end.
Restrike made me realize how much I missed reading mysteries. Prologue: Crime is committed, check. There are several witnesses who may have seen something, check. Anticipation instilled for following the clues and eventually catching the culprit, double check. After we meet the main leads, it's only a short while until the ball gets rolling, potential suspects are laid out, and you're wracking your brain trying to pinpoint the bad guy before the author reveals him. I enjoyed every last second of the thrill. The main characters, Dinah and Coleman Greene, were great as a team, and entertaining in their own individual storylines. However, I didn't grow deeply attached to them, and felt like their back stories could have used some more depth.
The plot of Restrike was multi-faceted, and involved some surprisingly dark elements. It explored paths that lead to forgery, theft, murder, and domestic and sexual abuse. The majority of the juicy bits/twists occurred at the end, and I could not have predicted 90% of them. Reba White Williams had me guessing until the very last second, and then dropped bombs of ALL sizes. I especially enjoyed what I learned about art: the selling and buying of obscure prints, the work and stress that goes into owning an art gallery and running an art magazine, and the ends to which people might go to secure the most coveted pieces. Restrike was what mysteries should be: exciting, and fast-paced. It also didn't hurt that some of the characters more personal moments, could have been moments borrowed from real life.
I look forward to reading future installments featuring the Greene cousins.
Recommended for Fans of: Mystery, Thriller, and Contemporary.
Restrike made me realize how much I missed reading mysteries. Prologue: Crime is committed, check. There are several witnesses who may have seen something, check. Anticipation instilled for following the clues and eventually catching the culprit, double check. After we meet the main leads, it's only a short while until the ball gets rolling, potential suspects are laid out, and you're wracking your brain trying to pinpoint the bad guy before the author reveals him. I enjoyed every last second of the thrill. The main characters, Dinah and Coleman Greene, were great as a team, and entertaining in their own individual storylines. However, I didn't grow deeply attached to them, and felt like their back stories could have used some more depth.
The plot of Restrike was multi-faceted, and involved some surprisingly dark elements. It explored paths that lead to forgery, theft, murder, and domestic and sexual abuse. The majority of the juicy bits/twists occurred at the end, and I could not have predicted 90% of them. Reba White Williams had me guessing until the very last second, and then dropped bombs of ALL sizes. I especially enjoyed what I learned about art: the selling and buying of obscure prints, the work and stress that goes into owning an art gallery and running an art magazine, and the ends to which people might go to secure the most coveted pieces. Restrike was what mysteries should be: exciting, and fast-paced. It also didn't hurt that some of the characters more personal moments, could have been moments borrowed from real life.
I look forward to reading future installments featuring the Greene cousins.
Recommended for Fans of: Mystery, Thriller, and Contemporary.
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Reba has quite the extensive bio, please click here to find out more about her exciting journey to becoming an author!
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Thank-you to Trish from TLC Blog Tours for hosting this tour, and to the publisher sending me an ARC copy of the book to review!
CLICK HERE to follow the rest of the tour
I know nothing about the art world so I'm happy to know that won't keep me from enjoying this book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour. I'm featuring your review on TLC's Facebook page today.