Chloe Harlow set herself up for the fall: she partied a tad too hearty and drank to excess. on a regular basis.

So much so that on "that fateful morning," she was an hour late for work and could not remember how she had gotten home from a work-party the previous evening.

...And this memory lapse would turn out to be crucial because apparently she was the last person to be seen with the murdered Inga Beck. Chloe worked as the curator's assistant for the art gallery where Inga's work was to be shown - and apparently Inga had focused most of her attention on Chloe that fateful night.

Things were looking bad for Chloe, but she refused to stop searching for clues as to what the cryptic messages in Inga's abstract paintings meant.

That nail-biter of an ending kept me on the edge of my seat. This was my first Kate Belli thriller, but it won't be my last. My only complaint would be that the plot relied too heavily on Chloe's drinking problem, which she somehow managed to tame while she was on the investigatory trail. Chloe had been trapped inside a stairwell in the Twin Towers during the 911 attacks. She and so many New Yorkers were suffering from PTSD, and this was her main excuse for disappearing into a wine bottle almost every night. In her afterword, the author reveals that she too used to work as a gallery assistant and was also in New York when the Twin Towers fell.

There were plenty of red herrings, possible culprits and baffling scenarios to keep anyone turning the pages until that action-packed ending!

I am rating this thriller 3.9 out of 5 stars, rounded up to a 4 since Goodreads and NetGalley do not allow for half stars. My thanks to Kate Belli, her publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review,

The thriller “The Gallery Assistant” by Kate Belli follows Chloe Harlow, a young New York art gallery assistant, who awakens to find a murdered artist. The story explores art forgeries, galleries, art history, and the terror of 9/11. The author effectively connects the dots and concludes the mystery with a great pace and twists that keep you guessing.

Chloe Harlow wakes up one morning in November 2001 not knowing how she got home or what exactly happened the night before. When she arrives at work, definitely the worse for wear, she finds out that an artist who was recently offered a big show at the gallery where she works, has been murdered. Chloe and her supervisor, Lou, are questioned by the police since the party Chloe attended the night before was hosted by the now-murdered artist. As Chloe tries desperately to remember what happened that night, she starts to realize that her dependence on alcohol is becoming a huge problem for her. Chloe starts to remember bits of the night of the murder, she also starts to deal with the memories of September 11 and how she managed to escape from the World Trade Center. The more she remembers, the more she realizes that people she trusts might have played a part in the murder. When she finally remembers the events of the evening, her entire world changes and everything she thought she knew about her friends and co-workers turns out to be a lie. A well-crafted suspenseful mystery.

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley for including me in the review process for this new novel by Kate Belli.

I downloaded this to my eReader and started to read - with trepidation. The author is known more for her "gothic" novels, and that's not my thing.

But, this? This book is my thing. The young woman at the center of this story is a mess. Emotionally scarred by the events of 9/11. She is going through the motions and dulling the pain with meaningless relationships and alcohol.

In an alcohol fueled party, she gets embroiled in a murder. She blacked-out for most of the event - but is starting to get some flashes of what happened. Did she murder the artist? Did she know who did? Where does she fit in? Is she being followed? Who can she trust?

My #1 priority for a twisted mystery novel, like this one - is a satisfactory ending. And let me say - this gave me a very satisfactory ending.

I was at the 80% mark in the book and put a fake meeting on my calendar so I could finish the book. For me, that is HIGH praise.

Loved it!

This was a very slow burn and honestly I kept having to come back to it. It took a while to set the storyline but once I got to about 45% it really started getting going and then held my interest for the rest of the book.

The book seems to heavily focus on Chloe's PTSD after 9/11 but the ending is very good!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.
This is a good book, set in a New York City still reeling from 9/11. The protagonist, Chloe, is suffering from PTSD and drinking too much to stop remembering.
After a party held by one of the gallery's painters, she wakes up not knowing how she got home and realizing she has lost huge swaths of her memory.
On arriving at work, she's told the painter was murdered.
An interesting setting and a twisty mystery make this a really good read.

The Gallery Assistant is exactly my kind of novel and I loved it. It pulled me in quickly and the rapid pace kept me reading late into the night. The events are set in NYC immediately following 9/11 and this story made me realize just how long ago this period actually was and how much life has changed. To me, this setting created an intriguing environment and allowed the author to present Chloe in a particular way; although reading about what happened to Chloe was not easy I found it really gripping. The artists and gallery staff depicted are just believable enough to make this story come to life and I adored the twists and turns as Chloe tries to figure out exactly what is going on, when she can't really remember what actually happened on the night in question. Highly recommended for readers looking for a captivating thriller set in the NYC art world. Thanks to the author. publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I look forward to reading more by Kate Belli.

The very first thing I found interesting about The Gallery Assistant, by kate Belli, is the setting - shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Chloe, the protagonist, happened to be in one of the towers that day, delivering a piece of art. However, that backdrop doesn't take over the story, other than obviously affecting Chloe's state of mind and behavior. The real story is a murder mystery. A rising artist with an upcoming show at the gallery where Chloe works is found dead, and Chloe may have been the last person to see her alive. Too bad she cannot remember any details of the night of the murder, when she attended a party hosted by the artist. It's an interesting and entertaining story - her friends are worried about her and what she experienced - is it making her imagine conspiracies everywhere she looks, or are there actual conspiracies at play? Highly recommend!

This is my first book by this author, and I will say it won't be my last. I love thrillers, but this one delivered but was a little slow for me. I enjoyed each character and the story telling. Chloe wakes up with little memory of how she got home after a party. When she finds out the host was murdered the story takes off from there, with her memories fuzzy and people acting oddly, she stays confused throughout the book, but at the end everything becomes clear. I will definitely be reading books from this author in the future.

Thank you for the ARC!

I would like to say that I was initially very excited for this book, but it ultimately ended up not being for me. The writing was confusing at times and I struggled with staying interested. I think the premise is incredibly interesting, so I would recommend giving it a try! However, this becomes more of a murder mystery with an abundance of PTSD. Wasn’t for me, but give it a try as it might be for you :)

The Gallery Assistant is one of my favorite books I've read this year. The post-9/11 New York setting not only added an incredible sense of emotion to the story, but gave a unique angle to the plot (which Belli unpacks beautifully). The mystery itself is also fantastic. I loved the peek into the art world — how galleries run, what an auction feels like, and all of the players behind the scenes.

I read a lot of thrillers and it's rare to find one with a plot that's so unique, emotionally resonant, and gripping, but The Gallery Assistant absolutely hits all three of those qualities.

I enjoyed the writing style of Ms. Belli with this story. I find "loss of memory" mysteries pretty interesting. Backdrop setting was around the time of 9/11. Everyone older than a young child will forever have the day etched in their mind including what they were doing at the time. I liked how this was woven into the story.

I appreciate Atria and Kate Belli allowing me the opportunity to read the ARC. I freely offer this honest review.

There are so many twists and turns in this thriller that you will have a hard time putting this book down! This was my first book to read by the author but I can't wait to read more by her. Highly recommend!

It took me a few chapters to become fully invested, and then, bam, I was on tenterhooks throughout. A thriller from start to finish, so many twists and turns, I had absolutely no clue who to trust, unlike our main character Chloe Harlow who seemed to trust everyone, putting herself in dangerous situations and still drinking in excess, even though that seems to be the reason she’s in the predicament that she’s in. Alcohol is definitely not her friend. An intriguing and clever murder mystery which had me captivated until the very last chapter. Great characters, an entertaining and tense storyline that I really enjoyed. Highly recommend if you love a good whodunnit. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and author for my review copy. I've never read Kate Belli before, but I'd definitely be interested in reading more from her because this was quite entertaining. My rating is probably more like 3.5 stars. I thought it was well thought out and the pacing was pretty good. It was set in NYC shortly after 9/11 so the main character was dealing with some ptsd. I did enjoy diving into the art world because it's not something I know a lot about. It was relatively fast paced. The ending was mildly predictable and while I didn't have it figured out exactly, I was pretty close. That's really my only complaint...I just wished for a bigger twist. But if you're looking for a good thriller/mystery, check this one out!

4/5 stars

This book started off way too slow. It took me multiple chapters to start caring about what was happening. There are some good twists and a few fake outs that I appreciated. I thought setting it in NYC right after 9/11 was interesting. Chloe clearly has PTSD, so you don’t know if you can fully trust everything she’s thinking, seeing, and remembering—Though I don’t know if I agree with that choice of setting to be honest; it felt a bit forced at times. The ending wrapped up in less than 20 minutes. For such a slow moving book, I would’ve liked more of a conclusion. Other than that, it was well-written and kept me interested.

I’m always looking for a good and entertaining thriller but this was not it. It was way too slow burn for my liking and had absolutely nothing original or unique

I enjoyed this suspenseful mystery a lot. Set in the months after 9/11 the characters are grappling with their grief as the mystery unfolds. It was a good look into the art world and very character driven.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. I want to start by saying that the first half of this book was really slow. A lot of readers may stop reading at the beginning. It wasn't until the second half of the book that it picked up pace and actually gave me some hope that it would turn into a good book. I felt the first half was a lot of back story that did not necessarily need to even be present. It might have even been beneficial to write multiple perspectives to help develop the lead character and then gaslight her. Also, it felt kind of YA to me but not in a bad way.

The second half of the book was like night and day and I really enjoyed it. The writing style seemed to get into a good groove and the story takes off. I don't want to say a lot due to spoilers but the back half really saves this book!

Not able to remember a night out at a burgeoning artist's party, Chloe tries to piece together the mystery of how the artist, Inga, was murdered. And what happened to her mentor/boss? And why is her roommate avoiding her? And what is with the hidden messages in the artist's paintings?

This is my first book read by Kate Belli. I enjoyed it. It reminded me of Freida McFadden's earlier works. It has a lot of twists and mysteries and was a quick, engaging story to read. I didn't expect a lot that happened and would read this author again.