Chloe Harlow works as a Gallery Assistant in NYC during 9/11. She was in the towers on that fateful day and suffers from serious PTSD as a result. The gallery features Inga Beck and her series of paintings (Hopeless, Careless, etc). Chloe is thrilled to be invited to a gala at the Inga’s apartment. After far too much alcohol, Chloe wakes up naked in her own apartment and remembers very little. How did she get home? What happened during her blackout? The police arrive at the gallery the next morning and things take a turn. Inga has been murdered and Chloe is one of the last people to have seen her. Who killed Inga and why? Did Chloe witness the murder? Chloe needs to find out but who can she trust? Kate Belli gives a wonderful view of the inner workings of galleries, auctions, research, forgeries, and such. A little twist is the lack of cell phones. Remember what life was like before everyone had mobile phones? This adds to the story and imagine using MapQuest to find your way around town.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

4.75 stars

Lately I’ve been going into books blind and not reading the back blurb or synopsis or reading it thinking it’s interesting and then setting it down for a while til I forget and then reading the book. Honestly it’s been so great and I recommend doing that with this book. Especially these mystery/suspense/thriller genres it’s great!

They say this book is great for readers of Julia Bartz but I’d honestly step up the acclaim on that one to an even higher tier of author in this genre. It’s quite good! The characters are well written, the suspense builds, and you just want to keep going. There weren’t parts that frustrated me at all (if you’re a big reader of this genre you know how that can be) but Kate Belli did a great job throughout.

Will definitely be recommending this to others and getting a physical copy upon release. Looking forward to more from Belli.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria / Emily Bestler Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a decent book but not a favorite. I didn’t feel like their was much excitement in it and it was kind of slow at times. Overall, well written though.

The Gallery Assistant is a mystery thriller that follows Chloe, an art gallery assistant, who is still experiencing PTSD symptoms from the 9/11 terror attacks. The story starts after a night out and a party that Chloe can't quite remember. Quickly after the story starts, Chloe is told that an artist she was at the party with has been murdered. Chloe tries to remember that night and figure out what happened to Inga using her unreliable memory, clues she keeps discovering and information she gets from her shady acting friends. This book was a quick read and did offer some suspense. My only critique was that there were too many characters that played a big part in Chloe's life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books, who provided me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Thank you so much for inviting me to read this novel. The book was fairly average across the board. I think the writing had some strong parts to it but the book dragged on at times. I would be excited to ready another novel by Kate Belli however as I think Kate has some real potential to write a smash hit.

This was an interesting read, especially when you have an unreliable narrator so you don’t know who to trust. You get bits and pieces of the night leading you to think one thing and then another.

These days you don’t know if the characters are acting suspicious so that we the readers suspect them or are they suspicious because they are guilty? Let’s be honest though, EVERYONE was suspicious… you end up asking yourself, did Chloe actually do it or is every single person she knows gaslighting her?

Another interesting aspect was the 9/11 experience in which the author draws from her own experience to write.

Unfortunately this book was not great. I was about 20% through it and couldn’t read anymore. I was bored. 🥱 DNF

What a refreshing treat to read The Gallery Assistant. After reading so many books that feel similar, this felt fresh and unique. I was immediately hooked and kept feeling like I had to read "just one more chapter" before going to bed. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

The Gallery Assistant by Kate Belli is a gripping, atmospheric mystery that blends the glamour of the New York art world with the darker undercurrents of trauma and deception. The story follows Chloe Harlow, an art gallery assistant who wakes up disoriented after a glitzy party—only to learn the host, a buzzed-about young artist, has been murdered. What follows is a tense, intricately plotted unraveling of secrets, as Chloe tries to piece together the night’s events while grappling with PTSD from surviving the 9/11 attacks. Belli does a brilliant job weaving in Chloe’s emotional struggles with the fast-paced investigation, and the lack of modern tech—no smartphones or social media—adds a refreshing realism and heightens the suspense.

This was my first read from Kate Belli, and I was genuinely surprised by how compelling it was from the very start. Chloe is a likable yet complicated protagonist, and the fine art backdrop adds a unique flair to the mystery. While there were a few too many side characters to keep straight at times, the main narrative stayed strong and well-paced. The tension builds naturally, and the unpredictable twists kept me guessing right up to the end. If you enjoy a moody, Manhattan-set mystery with depth and psychological nuance, this is definitely a book to check out.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

An art novel painted in broad strokes when tiny precise brushwork would have made it more lasting. A paint by numbers thriller. Thank you for the ARC.

Definition of a nail biter! This kept me up all night reading as I HAD to know what was going on, a fast paced thriller that was equal parts mysterious and creepy!

I read this book in one day. It's fast paced and action packed. I loved the guessing ride it took me on until the very end. Every character was a suspect. The story delved into art forgery after 9/11 happened. I think the story could have done without the 9/11 tragedy. The filler fell a little flat for me. But all in all I really enjoyed the story with the clues it dropped and the turns it took. What an exciting fun read.

This one really benefits from sticking with it — some of the early chapters are filled with cringey “look, it’s 2001!” mentions that rankle (Built by Wendy pants??? “Smooth” dancing??) — but patience pays off and these details build into something quite rewarding. While the mystery at its center can feel quite messy, that’s part of the point of unraveling the messiness of Chloe, who is a rich and rewarding character.

My first book by this author! I absolutely loved it!! Keep you wanting to read more !! Highly suggest reading this one !! Five stars !!

Fast-paced thriller! I appreciated how the author handled the delicate time and place of a post-9/11 NYC. The nuances of the emotions of the main character, the shared suffering of the city - all very well done. I also appreciated how I couldn't predict what would happen next. Every time I thought I knew who it was, I quickly found myself wrong.

The Gallery Assistant has all the ingredients for a gripping mystery—art theft, hidden motives, and a behind-the-scenes look at the high-stakes world of galleries—but the final result doesn’t quite deliver on its potential.

Kate Belli’s writing is elegant and evocative, especially when describing the art world’s glamour and undercurrents of tension. The setting feels authentic, and there’s a moody allure to the backdrop that adds a nice layer of sophistication.

That said, the plot unfolds a bit too predictably, and some of the character development feels surface-level. The pacing drags in the middle, and while the mystery is resolved competently, it lacks the kind of emotional or thematic punch that lingers after the final page.

It’s a solid read for fans of slow-burn mysteries with an artistic flair, but it didn’t fully stick with me. Enjoyable, but not unforgettable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC,

Suspense, art scene, New York City and blacking out after a party….Doesn’t get any better than that? The perfect combination for a fun thriller.

This story took place not long after a horrible time in American history, 9-11. I really appreciated the way the author twisted that into the storyline.
I really liked the characters and the development of each one.

I liked the writing style and the pacing kept me hooked and wanting to read ….. just one more chapter.

The more Chloe try’s to remember and figure out what happen the crazier it gets. I also thought I had it figured and out and NOPE!!!

I recommend this book and can’t wait to read more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley.

A quick-moving mystery set against the backdrop of Manhattan’s art scene. After the murder of a gallery artist, Chloe’s quest for answers is clouded by her own unreliable recollections. I appreciated that the story takes place before smartphones became common, which made her investigation feel more grounded and authentic. Overall, it’s an entertaining and stylish read, ideal for fans of art-themed suspense.

I e read tons of mysteries and this one rises to the top. There were hints of things to come but certainly didn’t put it all together and the book kept me in suspense and turning the pages till the end at which point I wanted more

Chloe, a gallery assistant but also a party girl (and, admittedly, now a blackout drunk), is still shaken to the core by narrowly escaping the collapse of the North Tower on 9/11, just a few months ago in this story’s timeline. Her world goes topsy-turvy again when she attends and forgets most of the party for one her art gallery’s superstars. She can’t remember how she got home afterwards and now the police are at her workplace informing her that Inga Beck, the hostess and artist, was murdered. Chloe must have been one of the last people to see her. What can’t she remember? And as her gallery intends to go forward with a major showing of the deceased artist’s works, why does everything seem “off”? Is there some message that Inga, a relative stranger, wanted Chloe, of all people, to know?

Author Belli gives us an insider’s view into the world of commercial art, galleries, auction houses, soirées, provenance research and exhibition logistics, mixed with the main character’s struggle with PTSD, its physical symptoms, and her self-doubt about the puzzling things she’s encountering. This is a psychological thriller that incorporates a story about trauma that played out in the shadow of the World Trade Center disaster, including the conspiracy theories and fear that swirled around New York in the aftermath. For a damaged soul like Chloe, the unusual time she was living in adds to her story. The plot becomes fairly complex and characters multiply, but I ended up devouring this thriller. 4.5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Bo has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO It’s winter in New York, the only trees mentioned are in a Georgia O’Keefe drawing.

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!