Readers say...
If you need a good book to help you escape reality, this is it! There’s history, mystery, grandeur and characters that make you forget you’re reading a book and not back in the 18th century.
—Kristen
The historical setting feels immersive, the mystery offers plenty of suspects and secrets, and the art-history angle makes it stand out from a typical mystery. This book is a great choice for readers who enjoy clean mysteries, clever clues, strong friendships, and just a subtle touch of time travel.
—Zulkifli
What I enjoyed most was how naturally the art history fits into the story. I learned quite a few interesting things along the way without feeling like I was reading a history lesson. —Quasar D. Paul
Book 3: Sargent's Deadly Commission
A murder at the dazzling Brussels World's Fair turns a celebrated American artist into the prime suspect, and the only woman who believes he's innocent has secrets of her own.
He Painted Their Portraits. Someone Painted Him a Killer.
Modern-day art restorer Jade Beckham and her best friend Ivey travel to 1897 Brussels to investigate a mysterious unfinished painting connected to John Singer Sargent. Amid the glittering exhibitions and grand ambitions of the World's Fair, they expect an intriguing art mystery, not a corpse.
When a member of a prominent family is murdered, suspicion falls on Sargent. Worse, the celebrated portrait painter refuses to reveal his alibi, even as the evidence against him mounts.
Convinced of his innocence, Jade begins investigating a tangled web of family rivalries, hidden motives, and dangerous secrets. But the trail leads far beyond the World's Fair, into the shadowy world of international politics—and toward the unsettling Professor Heinrich Schmidt, whose interest in Jade seems far too personal.
As Jade and Ivey close in on the truth, they discover that someone is manipulating events from the shadows. Clearing Sargent's name may be only the beginning of their troubles.
To save an innocent man from a murder charge, Jade must expose the real killer, but solving this mystery could place her and everyone she cares about in greater danger than ever before.
Sargent's Deadly Commission is the third Jade Beckham Mystery, a richly atmospheric historical whodunit blending murder, Gilded Age intrigue, famous artists, fascinating history, and a whisper of time travel.
Free on Kindle Unlimited, $4.99 for the ebook, and $13.99 for paperback.
Keep scrolling to see some of Sargent's greatest works.
Paintings In the Book
Clockwise from left: Lady Agnew of Lochnaw (the inspiration for the portrait of Lady Braxton), El Jaleo, The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, Venice, photo of Sargent in his studio, and Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose.
The Artist Who Inspired the Book
One of my personal favorite artists, John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) was a celebrated portrait painter in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, renowned for his dazzling technique and psychological insight.
Sargent trained formally at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Carolus-Duran, and by his twenties, he had begun attracting elite clients eager for portraits that conveyed both status and vitality. This type of portrait inspired my story in Sargent's Deadly Commission.
Eventually, Sargent became the portraitist of choice for high society. Although he grew weary of formal portrait commissions later in life, Sargent found renewed freedom in watercolor landscapes and informal studies, particularly during travels to Venice and the Middle East.
Today, he is remembered as a master technician whose bravura brushwork, luminous color, and penetrating observation captured the grandeur of the Gilded Age.
