Book review: Painting in the Shadows by Katherine Kovacic

Tuesday, December 29, 2020 Permalink
Painting in the Shadows by Katherine Kovacic

Painting in the Shadows by Katherine Kovacic is the second in her Alex Clayton Art series. I met Katherine at the BAD Sydney Crime Writers’ Festival in September 2019 and she’d been nominated for a prestigious Ned Kelly Award for the first in that series, The Portrait of Molly Dean.

I bought that book soon after and very much enjoyed it. The Shifting Landscape was released in early 2020 and I assumed it was the sequel, forgetting about the time lag involved in award nominations. It wasn’t until I started that book I realised it was the third in the series and I’d missed one in between. That’s now been rectified and I’m glad I’ve read Painting in the Shadows as it’s probably my favourite in the series to date.

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four-half-stars

Book review: The Shifting Landscape by Katherine Kovacic

Saturday, April 11, 2020 Permalink
The Shifting Landscape by Katherine Kovacic

I met Melbourne author Katherine Kovacic at the BAD Sydney Crime Writers’ Festival in late 2019. Her first book, The Portrait of Molly Dean was a finalist for Australia’s premier crime-fiction award, The Ned Kelly Awards.

I’d heard of the book but as I’d assumed it was historical non-fiction I hadn’t read it (usually preferring to chew off my arm than read either historical fiction or non-fiction). But after meeting Kovacic and learning more about the book, I bought it and was enchanted.

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four-stars

Book review: The Portrait of Molly Dean by Katherine Kovacic

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 Permalink
The Portrait of Molly Dean by Katherine Kovacic

I met Melbourne author Katherine Kovacic at the BAD Crime Writers’ Festival in early September. She was speaking at some sessions and also a finalist at the Ned Kelly Awards, for her debut novel, The Portrait of Molly Dean.

I’d heard of the book but – a bit like The Killing of Louisa by Janet Lee – thought it was non-fiction. And anyone who knows anything about me knows I do not read non-fiction. (Or historical fiction, or fantasy, romance, science fiction etc…) Except on those occasions when I ‘accidentally’ do.

I discovered of course The Portrait of Molly Dean is a fictionalised account of the actual murder of teacher/writer/muse Molly Dean in Melbourne in 1930. And my interest was piqued after I heard Katherine speak about it and how she became intrigued by the unsolved crime and rather cynical accounts of the victim.

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four-stars