I enjoyed thinking alongside Lise, as she tried to figure out the identity of the serial killer. Though there were a bunch of red herrings thrown in, I was able to guess who it was quite early. But, I still enjoyed the ride along. ( )

I thank Red Adept Publishing for providing a copy of Andrew Nance’s Red Canvas, in exchange for an honest review.

A serial killer is murdering single women and arranging them to depict a famous work of art. The Dying Niobid, a sculpture rendering a scene from a fifth-century BCE Greek mythology, and The Little Mermaid, a bronze sculpture that sets in the harbor in Copenhagen, Denmark, depicting a character in a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen are the first. The police call in Analise (Lise) Norwood as a consultant. Lise is a private investigator with a background in art history. They ask her to identify the works of art the killer is modeling.

Red Canvas is a workman-like novel that needs something for extra oomph. The premise is interesting, but the plotting was pedestrian. The author failed to capitalize on the premise to produce a novel story fitting the unique protagonist. There is some imaginative language (e.g., horizontal tango), but the scenes themselves are stock. Consequently, the book didn’t sustain my interest, and I read it a few chapters at a time. The conclusion was so naively amateurish I ended the novel feeling let down.

I was not informed that the copy I received had not undergone final editorial review but there were several errors in the copy I received. Most of them were due to a missing word (e.g., I’m going store). I also saw errors using the wrong verb tense. I think readers can assume these problems will be corrected in the final version.

In conclusion, the premise is interesting, but the novel is mediocre. I might read another novel by Nance, but only out of curiosity to see how he takes advantage of the protagonist's unusual background. ( )

A good read! I liked the way the author converged 2 different mysteries into one and paid attention to details without missing out minor details.
The book could have ended differently, considering that Michelangelo was a psychopathic serial killer, convincing him to take his own life is far from reality.
However, I did find the book fast paced and would recommend this book for a quick read. ( )

What I liked: The author's writing style was good, with no typos or grammatical errors to distract. I eventually liked the main character, though she started out to be a bit clueless and boundary-challenged. The two main story-lines had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. In fact, I guessed who the killer was at about 12% and was quite certain of it throughout most of the book, only to find out that I was wrong!

What I didn't like: It was pretty heavy on the romance angle, especially at the start, though it seemed that the author was able to get into the swing of the story as it progressed and this became less of an issue. I thought that Lise had awful boundaries and there's no way that the police would have allowed her to continue to consult on this case in real life. It has some violently graphic scenes, as well as some insights into the mind of the twisted killer, that didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book, but if blood and gore aren't your thing, you may want to pass on it.

I'll give this four stars, which reflects a better-than-average story that was told well, but less one star for the rough start and a few cases where I felt the credibility was a bit stretched. Despite the shortcomings, I would gladly read another book by this author and recommend this book to those who enjoy books of this thriller/serial-killer genre.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of this Early Reviewer book in exchange for writing an unbiased review. I have never met or corresponded with the author. ( )