Veridian Sterling Fakes It - by Jennifer Gooch Hummer (Paperback)

About the Book

Freshly graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, Veridian Sterling is ready to hang her work in any of the countless New York galleries that are sure to give her a show. The problem is only one will, and they're not interested in her art so much as her personal assistant skills. No glitz, no glam, and definitely none of the money she needs to help her struggling mother finally realize her dream of starting her own business after having sacrificed everything for Veri to go to art school. So when she overhears her new boss discussing the impressive finder's fee for a lost van Gogh, Veri takes matters into her own hands. Maybe her own artwork isn't celebrated, but she knows how to copy what is, and maybe those skills can help lead to a discovery.

Book Synopsis

In this colorful and humorous tale, a hopeful young painter finds herself embroiled in the world of art heists...and possibly responsible for the counterfeits needed to cover them up.

Freshly graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, Veridian Sterling is ready to hang her work in any of the countless New York galleries that are sure to give her a show. The problem is only one will, and they're not interested in her art so much as her personal assistant skills.

No glitz, no glam, and definitely none of the money she needs to help her struggling mother finally realize her dream of starting her own business after having sacrificed everything for Veri to go to art school. So when she overhears her new boss discussing the impressive finder's fee for a lost Van Gogh, Veri takes matters into her own hands. Maybe her own artwork isn't celebrated, but she knows how to copy what is, and maybe those skills can help lead to a discovery.

But when a famous art dealer takes her under his wing (and his charming driver takes her interest), Veri realizes she's in deeper than she expected, and quite possibly with the wrong people. With her mother's dreams and her own future at stake, Veri will have to pull out every trick she can think of to wipe her canvas clean and erase the mess she's created before she goes down for someone else's crimes.

Review Quotes

"Original, clever, and a fun read from cover to cover...populated with deftly crafted and memorable characters embedded in an inherently interesting and unpredictable plot line. Highly recommended." --Midwest Book Review

"What does it mean to be truly authentic? Veridian Sterling Fakes It is about all the ways we pretend and fool ourselves--be it with art, love, or life--with a mother-daughter relationship so engaging you'll wish it were yours. Deliciously funny, movingly real, glitteringly smart, and so, so alive." --Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You and Days of Wonder

"In an entertaining update of the classic art heist, Jennifer Gooch Hummer immerses the reader in the vibrant New York art scene where old-school stolen Klimts and counterfeit van Goghs jostle for space with the digital frontier of nonfungible tokens and cryptocurrency. With crisp, evocative prose and an insider's eye, the author deftly navigates the glitz and greed of the contemporary art world in an engrossing tale of a young painter's quest for success." --Carson Morton, author of Stealing Mona Lisa

"Too often novels involving art crime are heavy-handed--more dark heist than peppy caper. This one is a total joy to read. You'll shoot through from the first page to the last. Cinematic, lighthearted, with an endearing protagonist and some good twists--everything a good caper should be." --Noah Charney, bestselling author of The Art Thief

"Jennifer Gooch Hummer paints a fun, fast-paced twist on the art heist in Veridian Sterling Fakes It. Reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn's role in How to Steal a Million in the best of ways, Veridian's unintentional descent into a life of crime is a wild ride from beginning to end. Veridian Sterling may fake it, but Jennifer Gooch Hummer is the real deal as a rising voice in humorous fiction." --Sara Goodman Confino, bestselling author of Don't Forget to Write and She's Up to No Good

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"I honestly couldn't tell what captivated me more about Veridian Sterling Fakes It--the twists and turns in the world of art crime or the sheer relatability of being a fresh graduate from art school forced to work for a mercurial, toxic boss. At various points I had no idea what was going to happen next, but I knew I was along for the ride! This expertly crafted story from Jennifer Gooch Hummer made me feel like an insider to an exclusive club." --Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers