Portrait of a Murder - (The Art of Murder) Large Print by Michael Jecks (Hardcover)

About the Book

Struggling artist, Nick Morris paints pet portraits to pay the bills but is always just one big commission away from the big time. Which is why he agrees to paint the reluctant, hot-tempered hotelier, Jason Robart. But when he finds Jason dead, and the hotelier's shady business associates come after Nick, he wishes he'd stuck to painting cats!

Book Synopsis

Join this accidental sleuth, Nick Morris, in his first mystery in The Art of Murder series.

Nick Morris is your classic struggling artist. He paints pet portraits to pay the bills but is always just one big commission away from a more comfortable life. Which is why he agrees to paint the reluctant, hot-tempered hotelier, Jason Robart. But Nick gets more than he bargained for when he finds Jason dead from a shotgun blast to the head in an apparent suicide.

No one seems upset about his death except for his girlfriend Elizabeth, and Nick, who has lost the income from the commission. It turns out Jason owed money to everyone - including some unsavoury Russians.

When Elizabeth goes missing, Nick is concerned, but so is Jason's unpleasant business partner and those persuasive Russians who threaten Nick to reveal everything he knows . . . or else! Nick is knee deep in trouble and to escape he must find Elizabeth, uncover the truth of Jason's death, and stay alive. If only he had stuck to painting cats . . .

Review Quotes

Diverting . . . The main draw is high-spirited Jack, with his Bertie Woosterish commentary. Fans of offbeat Tudor mysteries will clamor for more-- "Publishers Weekly on Death Comes Hot"

Jecks brings the seamy side of Tudor London to life through rich, atmospheric descriptions of its taverns, brothels, and streets-- "Publishers Weekly on A Missed Murder"

Plenty of action and all-too-plausible suspects hidden in a thicket of duplicity-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Superb . . . a fast-moving and gripping plot-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of The Merchant Murderers "

The comical hero provides an amusing instrument for exploring the mores and history of the period-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Merchant Murderers "

The improbably and delightfully humorous protagonist moves the story to a surprising conclusion-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Dead Don't Wait"

The light tone is perfectly matched to the gripping plot-- "Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Michael Jecks is the author of more than forty-six novels in the Knights Templar medieval mystery series and seven Bloody Mary Tudor mysteries. This is the first book in his contemporary mystery series The Art of Murder. A former Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association, he lives with his wife, children and dogs in northern Dartmoor.