Morgan Christopher is serving time in the North Carolina Women’s
Correctional Center for a crime she didn’t commit. It’s hard
enough to be in jail, but it has also derailed Morgan’s desire for
career as an artist. Then in a surprising twist two visitors come to
the prison. Lisa Williams, the daughter of Jesse Jameson Williams a
prominent artist, and Andrea Fuller, an attorney. They offer Morgan a
chance to get out of prison immediately if she agrees to the terms of
Jesse’s will. She will be expected to restore a seventy-year-old
mural in two months for Jesse’s museum opening.
The mural was
painted in 1939 by Anna Dale. She was encouraged by her mother to
enter a government contest to paint murals in post offices. Now her
mother is dead and instead of winning a chance to paint a mural in
Plainfield, New Jersey where she lives, she is given Edenton, North
Carolina. When she arrives, she realizes that the project won’t be
easy. The men who run the town wanted the local artist, Martin
Drabble, to have the commission. Working in the town is difficult for
Anna, and she discovers that the polite Southern atmosphere covers a
myriad of secrets and prejudices.
This story works
well in two time periods. Both women are talented artists and their
stores mesh perfectly to reveal the town secrets: racism, mental
illness, abusive family relationships, and injustice, among others.
The two women are strong characters faced by difficulties, some
brought on by their own actions. The atmosphere is normal and yet
there is an under current of tension that keeps the story moving. If
you enjoy mysterious stories about strong women, this is a good one.
I received this book
from St. Martin’s Press for this review.
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