The Painter of Time
By: Matthew S O'Connell
Narrated by: Susan Fouche
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 06-13-18
Language: English
Publisher: Matthew O'Connell
Genre: Historical, Mystery
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0
Publisher's Summary
Contemporary/historical suspense audiobook set amid the art world of modern day NYC and the dawn of the Renaissance in Italy.
Bronx born and bred, Mackenzie Ferrara is both nervous and excited to begin her career as a restorer of fine art at the prestigious Cloisters in New York City. The star of the restoration team is a handsome and reserved Italian, Anthony Bataglia. On loan from the Ufizzi, he is renowned for his ability to bring pre-Renaissance treasures back to life. Despite a rocky start, the two form a close working relationship, which Mackenzie hopes will blossom into something more.
But as she works with him she begins to notice peculiar patterns and unexplainable similarities in all of his restorations. Something is clearly not what it seems to be with the dashing Mr. Bataglia. Mackenzie - with help from her father, a retired detective - is determined to uncover the truth, regardless of the consequences.
©2015 Matthew O'Connell (P)2018 Matthew O'Connell
Review:
Mackenzie is excited to begin her new career as a restorer of fine art at the prestigious Cloisters Museum. She is partnered to work under a renowned restorer, a handsome Italian, Anthony Bataglia. Anthony specializes in restorations of pre-Renaissance works. He is quiet and dedicated and Mackenzie is learning as he mentors her, showing her how to inspect every corner and inch of the work, documenting any deterioration in color, paint medium, canvas, condition or other unusual anomalies.
Mackenzie notices an unusual detail regarding women in several paintings as well as a mystery about the signatures. Mackenzie’s father is a retired cop who has reason to be interested in art anomalies due to an old forgery case. They discuss the details of Mackenzie’s research and turn up some more interesting facts. Mackenzie’s investigation brings a possibility of romance while revealing some surprises and twists that are unique and fun.
The plot details are engaging and kept me eagerly listening. The historical elements of the paintings and the detailed explanation of restoration are very fascinating. The descriptions would pull in any art lover and even those of us who are familiar with some art periods and styles but are in no way art authorities. I recommend this to mystery lovers as well as art lovers.
Audio Notes: Susan Fouche does a wonderful job with the narration. She provides appropriate voices and energies to each of the characters. The presentation is clear and flows easily. I enjoyed this and highly recommend the audio version.
Source: Author Marketing Experts. This qualifies for my Audiobook and Alphabet Challenges.
