Julie Hyzy - Artistic License (2004)
Chicagoan Julie Hyzy's debut novel Artistic License is a book of a different sort, more of a slice-of-life romance than a mystery; it is nevertheless an engaging story, made especially interesting by its complex, realistic heroine, Annie Callaghan.
Annie is an artist living in Chicago, a struggling painter trying to build a career and rebuild her life after kicking out her ne'er-do-well husband. Things become even more complicated for her when she discovers that her last, ill-advised fling with her husband has resulted in an unexpected pregnancy.
Were it not for the tender relationship she forms with Sam Morgan, her new friend and employer, Annie would probably fall apart. This is especially true once the mystery of the plot unfolds. It involves her ex-husband, a shady lawyer and a missing masterpiece of art.
Hyzy's work is tentative at points and the suspense of her story is never as tightly wound as it might be, but the real draw here is the finely crafted characters and the interactions between them. This first-time author has begun her career with a promising start.
Posted by David J. Montgomery in Book Reviews | Permalink
