Goya's Black Paintings are mysterious enough in appearance and in creation, but Neil Olson's novel gives an even more sinister legacy to the black painting owned by the patriarch of the Morse family.

Fifteen years earlier, Alfred Arthur Morse's black painting was stolen, causing accusations, suspicion, and the estrangement of family members. Now, the four cousins have been summoned to their grandfather's estate. Teresa and Audrey arrive together, but it is Teresa who discovers their grandfather's body in his study--in front of the space where the black painting had hung before its disappearance.

Teresa is intent on finding out more about the original theft and about her grandfather's death. Family secrets emerge.

Whether or not the painting was haunted, there is plenty of suspense and mystery surrounding the Morse family's association with the painting. A clever use of Goya's dark and nightmarish paintings to inspire a curse and a mystery.

(The book never mentions which black painting Morse owned; perhaps a totally fictitious one, but the cover partially reveals one painting from the series.)

read in April; blog post scheduled for Dec. 18.

NetGalley/Hanover Square Press

Mystery/Suspense. Jan. 9, 2018. Print length: 320 pages.

Thank you to the author, Neil Olson, Netgalley, and the publisher for providing me an advanced reader copy of this book.

I rated this book 2.5 stars. I was so disappointed with this book because it had so much promise. The setting and atmosphere lured me in: an old, mysterious house, a painting by Goya that supposedly has a demon lurking inside it, and a family with dark secrets. All this sounds great, right?

This book is a case study in what happens when characters aren't fully developed, and when the storyline meanders without truly committing to a plot. I <b>really</b>, <b>really</b> wanted to love this book, but the creepy old house and painting completely got left behind after the beginning of the book. Teresa, the main character, was also supposed to be hiding a dark past or secret that I stopped caring about because it was only alluded to a few times.

The overall plot is that Teresa's grandfather passes away, and her relatives descend upon his southern manor to see what he has left behind for them. The grandfather was mean and cruel, and there was an ordeal with him acquiring (potentially via black market) the Goya painting that curses those who look at it. The Goya painting was stolen, and it's unclear who took it. Teresa is charged with uncovering the mystery of the stolen painting, and potentially undergoing a mysterious surgery so that she can receive money from her grandfather's will. There are so many side plots taking place in this book that I got lost and was constantly re-reading the book to make sure I at least attempted to follow it.

I also had such a difficult time following the immense cast of characters because none of them were fully developed. I often had no clue who they were when they popped up into the narrative. By the time I was 80% into the book, I didn't care about the characters, and I didn't care about the ending. It's a huge bummer, because again, the book started strong and faded due to the confusing cast of unpredictable, unreliable, and stiff characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

A mystery surrounding a lost painting by Goya? A disfunctional family? An old house full of secrets?

Yes, please.

This book really engrossed me. I enjoyed all of the characters and it was so atmospheric. The characters were plausible, perhaps with the exception of Audrey who at times felt a bit over the top but hey, she was an over the top kind of girl. My only gripe was that I figured out the mystery fairly early on, however that didn't take away from my enjoyment. The multi-cultural elements, the twisted love interests, and the supernatural aspect made this a very enjoyable read.

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