Historical fiction based on a factual murder which happened in Melbourne in 1930. This was quite an enjoyable read. This story is told from two different time periods which I love in a book. My favorite parts of the story were Alex's storyline. It help me captive and read this in one day.

In this book, we follow Alex Clayton, an art dealer who has bought a portrait of Molly Dean. She sets out to discover some details about it and stumbles into a decade’s old mystery.

When I read this book, I didn’t realize Molly Dean had been a real person and that that part of the story was real. That makes it hard for me to rate the book.

The characters were interesting. Not mind-blowing but they were developed enough to keep me interested. The story could have been better. I liked the dual timelines but Molly Dean felt a bit flimsy.

This book presents us with a theory of what happened to Molly Dean. I’m not familiar enough with this case to know if it is a good theory but it worked well in this narrative.

All in all, it was an interesting read but not very memorable.

An interesting novel based on real case that remains unsolved. Told in 1930 by Miolly, the murdered woman, and in 1999 by Alex, an art conservator, it's a portrait of how law enforcement has changed,. among other things. Interesting characters and a well crafted plot combined with good storytelling make this a fun read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Great idea for a book and really well executed. A thoroughly good read. Highly recommended. .

It took me months to finish this book. I really enjoyed the first 30-40% but then the story seemed to lag and it became easier and easier to put down. The mystery was intriguing but the end felt like an episode of Scooby-Doo. The bad guy is confronted with what he had done and everything is tied up in a neat little bow.

This was an interesting visit to the 1930s as well as the art world of 1999. We get to see an art dealer learning about a portrait of Molly Dean while learning about Molly Dean herself.

I thought the story was fun and it kept my interest, but some parts of the story felt forced. There were points were it just felt a bit unrealistic and even the main character was trying to come up with excuses to explain her behavior. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, just some basic plot devices that made you think who in their right mind would do that.

Otherwise, I liked the main character and enjoyed going along for the ride with her and even more so with her awesome dog, Hogarth, and her best friend, John. They were just great characters. Molly Dean was a little less relatable, but it was still interesting to visit the time period.

I thought this was a great book for a debut and I'll be interested to see what the author does in the future.

In 1999, art dealer Alex Clayton picks up an unknown painting, that she believes is that of Molly Dean from 1930, painted by a famous artist. If she can prove the providence then the painting will be worth much more than she pays for it, and so she starts to hunt around into the history of Molly Dean.

Molly was sensationally killed in Melbourne in 1930 and not only was her murder never solved, but it seems that there was really no attempt to solve it. Kovacic takes this idea and invents a plausible explanation, for which then our protagonist herself becomes slightly obsessed with discovering.

I enjoy historical fiction, and it is always interesting to me when writers take real figures and events and try and fictionalise them. We will probably never know the truth of what happened to Molly Dean, but I thought Kovacic made a good story around one of the theories. I especially liked the insight into the art world, Alex's character and her friendship with John, but there were a few parts of the story that felt more like plot devices and inconsistent with what I would have expected the characters to do.
The story does alternate between 1999 and 1930, but I never really felt a grasp on Molly's character and I think some further development there would have really helped the story and enabled the reader to feel as passionate and empathetic as Alex Clayton did towards her.

This was an interesting topic for a first novel and I would recommend it to historical fiction fans. I look forward to seeing what Kovacic writes next.
3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This review will be published on my blog and on Goodreads on 30 May 2018.

In brief ★★★½

The Portrait of Molly Dean is a gripping historical roller coaster ride, switching between 1990s an 1930s Melbourne and revolving around a true unsolved crime. In the tradition of Emily Bitto and Kerry Greenwood, Kovacic brings the grungy, artistic underside of 1920s and 30s Melbourne to life, imagining real lives with depth and texture, while layering her fictional craft over the top. While the writing shows its nature as a debut, it isn't a hardship to read, and while you know the nature of the crime early on, Kovacic ratchets up the tension nicely to keep the story moving. An easily devourable debut with strong female protagonists.

I received an advanced e-book copy from Bonnier Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

In depth

Plot: The intertwined story is an effective device in this novel - we follow art dealer Alex as she acquires a painting of Molly Dean, and then tries to unravel the secrets surrounding her life, while at the same time following Molly's own story as it unfolds. This is a story full of mystery - of secret and lost documents, of lies and scandal - and the mystery is certainly compelling, despite discovering the crux of the central crime early on. While I read the book over a couple of weeks in spurts, the details of the story stuck with me, and it was easy to become immersed again when I picked it back up.

Characters: I loved 1990's protagonist Alex - a hardened art dealer who lives with her huge dog Hogarth and is a strong, clever character. Alex is well supported as historical sleuth by her own Watson - art restoration expert John, who she shares her theories and discoveries with. Both characters are engaging and fun - I found myself looking forward to their scenes together and the banter that ensues. The eponymous Molly is our other protagonist, trying to break free from a controlling mother and lover who doesn't encourage her passion for writing (presumably preferring her reliable teacher's income to support his art). Molly is plucky (surely I can use that word in the historical context without sounding patronising?) and resourceful, a woman certainly ahead of her time. In Molly's world almost all the other characters are shadowed, concealing goals and motivations, so I won't delve any further to avoid spoilers.

Themes: Kovacic has a strong message about how society treats women in telling this story - she gives us two independent female protagonists, and shows the contrast in how they're treated across time. Both women also grapple with questions of trust, and I'm sure there's something to be said for layers and depth to both characters and paintings (not to mention plotlines) in her thematic constructions.

Writing: Yes, this is a debut novel, so there are some flaws in the writing - a lot of stating the obvious (perhaps a tougher edit needed?) - but the dialogue is crisp and the descriptions (particularly of the art and restoration processes) illuminating. I didn't fall in love with the words, but was driven along by the plot and cared about the characters, so have landed at 3.5 stars overall.

Recommended if you liked: The Last Painting of Sara du Vos, The Strays

This turned out to be a very enjoyable piece of historical fiction based on a factual murder which happened in Melbourne in 1930.

The Portrait of Molly Dean is written in two time periods, Molly's story in 1930 and Alex's hunt for clues about the painting and the mystery behind it in 1990 when it turns up in an auction house for sale. I found both stories equally interesting although I think Alex won the award for the best character. I loved her relationships with her Irish Wolfhound and with John the art restorer. There were some very entertaining interactions and some funny dialogue.

Katherine Kovacic managed to present a very plausible explanation for what may have occurred in 1930 although the truth will probably never be known. I believe this is her debut novel. She writes well with a very readable style and I look forward to more books from her in the future.

Sehr schön atmosphärisch und australisch angehaucht, so als wäre man direkt vor Ort. Ein gut ausgearbeitete Geschichte mit viel Spannung und liebevollen Darstellern. Macht Lust auf mehr Bücher dieses Autors.

I was hoping for Black Dahlia meets Phryne Fischer & instead got a story that did nothing much but pique my curiosity.

THE PORTRAIT OF MOLLY DEAN could’ve been better had it been more atmospheric. The story is told in past and present timelines, from Molly and Alex’s POV.

Alex’s POV was good. Her narration and investigation is good, I slipped into her shoes easily and mirrored her curiosity about Molly’s murder and her goal in solving a 70yo murder mystery.

If only Molly’s POV was equally good. The author could’ve made Molly’s chapters more foreboding what with her impending grisly death, and a tad more colorful. Molly is an aspiring writer AND a painter’s model/lover! But instead Molly came across as ordinary & random versus someone who invoked he irk of a dangerous murderer.

“Lane & Co. think they have a portrait of a pretty but unknown girl by an unknown artist. However, I am planning to buy a portrait by Colin Colahan of a girl who became famous for being the victim in one of Melbourne’s most sensational murders; a murder that has never been solved. Her name is Molly Dean.”

These attention-grabbing sentences summarize the opening of Kovacic’s terrific new crime novel. In 1999, Alex Clayton, an art dealer used to turning paintings over swiftly for profit, arrives at an auction house knowing more about a portrait’s backstory than anyone—or so she thinks. After her successful bid, she researches its subject, uncovers a web of mysteries, and needs to know even more. Molly Dean, the dark-haired, brown-eyed woman gazing out from the canvas, was the artist’s lover, a schoolteacher and aspiring writer with a troubled home life. In 1930, she was brutally beaten on a dark suburban lane and died hours later; the prime suspect went free, without even a trial. With the help of her art restorer friend John, the Mulder to her Scully, Alex investigates the decades-old mystery. An alternating thread follows Molly’s path up to that fateful night.

This is Kovacic’s debut, and thriller writing is clearly her forte. Her art-infused story has relentless pacing, and Alex’s brash attitude and witty voice exert a strong pull. Molly’s sections are slower and more detailed, and the bohemian world she inhabits is more implied than present, but her determination inspires respect. She seeks to escape her coarse, abusive mother and achieve her literary dreams but lacks sufficient support. Molly was a real person, and her shocking biography is just as the author describes. Fans of Jessie Burton’s The Muse and Josephine Pennicott’s multi-period gothics should seek it out.

(From the Historical Novels Review, May 2018)

It was a little slow in the beginning but the worth pushing through. The story picks up, and I really enjoyed it. I do wish the ending had more resolution.

My Thoughts

‘My interest in Molly Dean’s portrait may have started as a way to bump up the value, but this is more of a story than I ever expected.’

For a debut novel, this was really engaging and highly commendable. A dual time narrative with an intense and absorbing mystery, revolving around factual events from Australia in the early 1930s. Molly Dean, an aspiring writer but working as a school teacher, was brutally murdered in a Melbourne laneway and her case remains unsolved to this day. There were suspects and a trial even organised but it all amounted to nothing.

What Katherine (author) has done here is indeed very clever. In one timeline, she has reimagined events leading up to the death of Molly and in the 1999 timeline has a fictional Art dealer, Alex, uncovering the portrait of Molly and researching the background behind the artwork. Alex’s initial intention was to just increase the painting’s value by restoring the work and providing provenance with the background story. Except Alex became involved in the history surrounding the portrait. So on the one hand you have Molly wonderfully detailing life in Melbourne of the 1930s (loved reading about my home city - from tram rides to Luna Park) and living a bohemian lifestyle with Colin Colahan (actual painter) - then Alex in 1999 providing a fascinating insight into art auctions, restorations and the like.

Sounds intriguing - and it is! Katherine has done a marvelous job of both timelines. Her art knowledge in terms of history and conservation is clearly evident and most enlightening. The range of characters (both real and fictional) are well formed -from the 1930s and Molly’s mother and Adam Graham brought to life, to the 1990s fictional Alex with the highly amusing inclusion of her friend John and ever faithful Hogarth (dog). The banter between Alex and John is fun, which serves to highlight how the author brings light and shade to the intriguing novel.

If you like a good mystery then the unique appeal of this one is the central plot based around factual events. I love historical fiction and the gripping mystery around poor Molly Dean, her life goals and eventual murder is fascinating. I appreciated the ‘Author’s Notes’ at the end detailing what was fact and what was fiction. A very engaging read that I highly recommend.



This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

A well researched, engaging novel about art and history. Although the characters all sound a bit the same, the main character has a lot going for her (and I loved a book without any romantic entanglements). While I think the book is a bit geographically specific (thus perhaps not appealing to quite as large a market), I did enjoy the book. I do wish the cover was different - I don't think it's at all representative of what is discussed in the novel.

An unsolved homicide lies behind the portrait of Molly Dean, an aspiring Australian writer in a relationship with the artist Colin Colahan. What happened in 1930 was never clear and it's now the turn of Alex Clayton, an art dealer, to solve the mystery. The author tells the story of Molly Dean, describing her life and her thoughts in 1930, but providing a contemporary setting following the actions of Alex in 1999. Although the story is not completely real, the background moves on a true basis. Who loves art will love it, but there is also space to action and historical details. A pleasant reading which focus on a woman's dream with a tragic epilogue. The writing is clean and easy to follow, letting the reader know more of a past story.
I thank NetGalley and Bonnier Publishing Australia for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Un omicidio mai risolto si nasconde dietro il ritratto di Molly Dean, un'aspirante scrittrice australiana legata sentimentalmente all'artista Colin Colahan. Non è mai stato chiarito cosa è successo nel 1930 e tocca ora ad Alex Clayton, una commerciante di oggetti d'arte,risolvere il mistero. L'autrice racconta la storia di Molly Dean descrivendo la sua vita e i suoi pensieri nel 1930, ma fornendo uno scenario contemporaneo seguendo le azioni di Alex nel 1999. Sebbene la storia sia inventata, prende le mosse da fatti realmente accaduti. Adorerà il libro chi ama l'arte,ma c'è anche spazio per l'azione e i dettagli storici. Una piacevole lettura che si concentra su un sogno di una donna con un tragico epilogo. La scrittura è pulita e facile da seguire, facendo scoprire al lettore una storia del passato.
Ringrazio NetGalley e Bonnier Publishing Australia per avermi dato l'opportunità di poter leggere un ARC di questo libro in cambio di una recensione onesta.

‘Lane & Co. think they have a portrait of a pretty but unknown girl by an unknown artist.’

An unsolved murder is at the centre of this accomplished debut novel by Katherine Kovacic. In the early hours of 21 November 1930, Mary (Molly) Winifred Dean was brutally murdered in a laneway in Elwood, Melbourne. Molly was a young teacher and an aspiring author.

While the novel re-imagines events leading up to Molly’s murder, Ms Kovacic starts her novel by working back from the discovery of a painting in 1999. Alex Cole is an art dealer who believes she has found a painting of Molly Dean by her lover, artist Colin Colahan. Alex buys the painting, knowing that it will be worth considerably more once she can have it restored and establish its provenance. Alex’s path leads her to the daughter of the detective who investigated Molly’s murder in the 1930s.

The story unfolds over two timeframes: Molly’s in 1930, and Alex’s in 1999. In Molly’s world, we are reminded of the restrictions that applied to most women trying to make their own way in the world. We also get a glimpse of the bohemian lifestyle of some in the art world at the time. In Alex’s world, we see a different perspective of the art world almost seventy years later: restorations, valuations, establishing provenance.
But Alex wants to find out more about the painting, about what happened to Molly. And there are certainly many inconsistencies and some curious aspects to the investigation undertaken in the 1930s. And in the present? Someone else is also after the painting of Molly.

At the end of the novel, Ms Kovacic provides a set of author’s notes distinguishing fact from fiction. I was grateful for those notes (and glad I read them at the end of the novel). Why at the end? Because I didn’t need to differentiate fact from fiction until the end. In my reading, most of Ms Kovacic’s novel was entirely plausible and I enjoyed reading it. Recommended.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Publishing Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This was a book with a good premise and glimmers of potential, but sadly those just weren’t enough for me. Part of the problem was that our main character Alex is kind of dry. She is likeable enough, but she is just… there. Frankly I didn’t care about her and that’s a problem when I’m supposed to be worried that she’s in danger. There is also way too much info about art dealership in the first chapters. Some background is good because we do need to understand why main character, who is an art dealer, does what she does. However, those early chapters overfed me straight information and made me feel as if I were reading a textbook rather than the exciting mystery I signed on for.
That’s not to say there aren’t good points. The story definitely lights up during the Molly segments set in the 1930s. Molly is a spirited young woman who wants more than life is planning for her. She could easily have been portrayed as a two dimensional wild bohemian type, but the author does a good job of illustrating Molly’s sincere (if somewhat naive but charmingly age-appropriate) yearning for art and beauty that motivates her decisions. She faces very significant challenges at home and I found myself rooting for this young woman who is taking charge of her destiny and trying to break free. So when her dreams get cut short, it is truly sad. Unfortunately, the struggle to keep reading this book overshadowed my need to see Molly’s story through to the end. Even after earnestly trying and coming back to this book several times over three weeks or so, I had only made it a little of 40%. That’s never a good sign, so I unfortunately decided to call it quits on this one.

I enjoyed, very much, the character art dealer Alex Cayton. I'm hoping for more stories featuring her. I had never heard of Molly Dean, and this was a fascinating, well written, well researched book.

I finally finished reading this one, after numerous attempts and false starts. The first chapters just did not interest me and I eventually skipped ahead until the pace of the plot starting picking up. The book switched between the distant past and the more recent past. I skimmed through most of the 1999 portions, reading much of Molly's story in 1930. The ending was unsatisfying, leaving many unanswered questions. Since the book was based on a true case that remains unsolved, I cannot fault the author for her conclusions. I would not read the book a second time.