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Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. Kim Lord is an avant garde figure, feminist icon, and agent provocateur in the L.A. art scene. Her groundbreaking new exhibition Still Lives is comprised of self-portraits depicting herself as famous, murdered women-the Black Dahlia, Chandra Levy, Nicole Brown Simpson, among many others-and the works are as compelling as they are disturbing, implicating a culture that is too accustomed to violence against women. As the city's richest art patrons pour into the Rocque Museum's opening night, all of the staff, including editor Maggie Richter, hope the event will be enough to save the historic institution's flailing finances. Except Kim Lord never shows up to her own gala. Fear mounts as the hours and days drag on and Lord remains missing. Suspicion falls upon the up-and-coming gallerist Greg Shaw Ferguson, who happens to be Maggie's ex. A rogue's gallery of eccentric art world figures could also have motive for the act, and as Maggie gets drawn into her own investigation of Lord's disappearance, she'll come to suspect all of those closest to her.… (more)
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Kim Lord has a new show opening at a small museum in LA. Though we never meet her in the novel, we know all about her
This is a real page turner that takes the reader behind the scenes in the art world.
Thanks to goodreads for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Still Lives is a fascinating read set in Los Angeles that focuses on the disappearance of an up-and-coming artist right before the opening night of her exhibition. The book is significantly darker and more grim than I usually tolerate, but the originality of the plot and the subject matter
Maggie Richter works as an editor at the Rocque Museum and has mixed feelings about Kim Lord’s exhibition, self-portraits of Lord dressed up as famous, murdered women including Nicole Brown Simpson, the Black Dahlia, and numerous others. On a professional level, Maggie is uncomfortable with the subject matter and the fact that the art work itself has drawn a lot of criticism; on a personal level, Kim Lord currently dates Maggie’s ex-boyfriend Greg who Maggie still misses. While the subject matter of the book is dark, Hummel’s deft and careful handling of the graphic elements of the story lessened the gruesomeness and allowed me to focus on Kim’s disappearance and the craziness of the modern art world.
I highly recommend Still Lives. I finished it weeks ago and am still contemplating aspects of the story. To me that is a sign of a fabulous book.
Maggie Richter is working a modern art museum in down town
When the story starts, everyone at the museum is gearing up for a new controversial exhibit. Kim Lord, the artist had been working a theme. She dressed herself, as famous women who had been murdered like Nicole Simpson Brown, the Black Dahlia and others. Even though she put years into painting the portraits of the murdered women, she did not want to sell them. She was making a statement about the use of the women as prey for society for entertainment. But when the show opens, she does not show up for the debut.
When Maggie's boyfriend from the past also the current lover of Kim Lord is the main suspect is arrested, Maggie is sure that he could never murder any one and the hunt for the killer starts.
Although, the story started out slowly, it was actually building in complexity and before long, it had me in its grip!.
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the Publisher as a win from FirstReads but that in no way made a difference in my thoughts or feelings in this review.
This is a tightly plotted, literary mystery. What happened to Kim? Clues are scarce, the timeline of her disappearance, suspect but Maggie is determined to get to the bottom of this crime. She has a vested interest in the outcome. In her journey we see the parts of Los Angeles that is far from glam. We also see how violence to women titillates and sells. We see the underside of the art world, from collectors who manipulate the market to scammers who are out for a quick buck.
There is a full, well rounded supporting cast and plenty of interpersonal drama. It all balances out nicely though, didn't guess the finale until Maggie herself makes the connection. This is a well done, well thought out story and is so much more than just a thriller.
ARC from Counterpoint.
Every character was described by their appearance with great attention to their hair style and waist size. Maybe I have been watching too many murder mysteries on tv but unless the size of someone's waist helps them solve/commit a murder