About the book
If it wasn’t for art thieves, spies and killers, Alex Vlodnachek’s life would be bliss.
Her freelance career is catching fire. Her relationship with B&B owner Ian Sterling is flirty and fun. She’s even attending a glittering cocktail party at his sprawling Victorian inn.
But, to this ex-reporter, something seems “off.” And it’s not the canapés. When Ian’s father vanishes, the enigmatic innkeeper asks for her discretion. And her assistance.
Meanwhile, Alex is having the opposite problem at her tiny bungalow: People keep piling in uninvited. Including a mysterious intruder found sleeping in her kitchen. Her grandmother, Baba, who shows up “to help”—with Alex’s own mother hot on her heels.
When the intrepid redhead discovers a body in the B&B’s basement and a “reproduction” Renoir in the library, she begins to suspect that Ian is more than just a simple hotel owner.
With editor pal Trip, brother Nick, and rescue-pup Lucy riding shotgun, Alex scrambles to stay one step ahead of disaster—and some very nasty characters.
Can she find the missing man before it’s too late? Or will Alex be the next one to disappear?
Character guest post
Hi, I’m Alex Vlodnachek.
I live in a little bungalow in Fordham, Virginia – just outside DC. I used to
be an investigative reporter, now I’m a freelance writer. When my neighbor, Ian
Sterling, asked for assistance getting a lead on his missing father, Harkins, I
agreed to help. Ian runs a B&B out of the huge Victorian mansion across the
street, and he’s a nice guy. Realistically, too, I kind of owe him. (Long
story.) So in the service of a good cause, I reasoned a
little solo snooping might be forgivable:
My
first goal was to get into Harkins’s room and look around.
I
knew Ian had said he’d looked for clues. But it was possible he didn’t know
what he was looking for. It was also possible he was glossing over a few
inconvenient facts.
I
headed up the stairs. While the staircase into the lobby was stately and wide,
it narrowed as it gained altitude. By the time I hit the third-floor landing,
the air was getting thin.
I
honestly had no idea how I was going to get through Harkins’s locked door. I’d
noticed that even the guest doors had more than your typical bedroom door
push-lock.
Too
bad. With two older siblings, I could beat those things by the time I was five.
My younger brother Nick could do it by three-and-a-half. Although Mom left that
milestone out of our family Christmas letter.
The
phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out. My best friend (and former
editor), Trip.
I’d
meant to call him before I left. Rule No. 1 in the newsroom: always let someone
know where you are and when you expect to return. It won’t necessarily keep you
safe, but it will give the cadaver dogs a place to start.
“Hey,”
I whispered as I ascended the summit, “any idea how to beat a locked door?”
“Where
are you?”
“The
B&B. Heading for Harkins’s room.”
“One
dead body this week not enough for you?”
“Apparently,
if it falls into a freezer in a basement and nobody hears it, it doesn’t make a
sound. So it doesn’t count.”
“Seriously,
what are you doing there? Besides the obvious.”
“Nick’s
bound and determined to keep coming over here. So I need to find out what the
heck is going on. And if I get a lead on Harkins in the interim . . . What’s
that noise? Are you watching a movie?”
“I’m
YouTubing a video on how to pick a lock. But if you get caught, you tell them
we were sharing fashion tips. I do know a place where you can get some silver
earrings that will look great with your new handcuffs.”
“Thanks
for the vote of confidence. Well, this is my floor. Two doors.”
“The
lady or the tiger?” Trip quipped.
“Hey,
as long as it isn’t the murderer or the dead body, I almost don’t care.”
“So
how many bodies is it that you’ve found now?”
“How
many have I found, or how many do the police know I’ve found?”
“Should
it bother me that there’s a difference?” he asked.
“Talk
about sharing your number. OK, here goes nothing.” I turned the knob.
Didn’t
budge. Definitely locked. I reached for the other door. The knob turned in my
hand.
“I’m
in—I’ll call you back.”
“You’ve
got fifteen minutes,” Trip said. “Then I’m calling the cops myself.”
“Deal.”
I
didn’t know it from the hallway, but this room occupied one of the turrets on
the back of the house. The outer wall was rounded and comprised of a half dozen
long windows. It smelled of oil paint and turpentine. There were six easels spread
across the space. Different paintings. Different styles. Different artists.
The
room was like an art museum. I walked softly from one canvas to the next,
studying them. They were amazing. I’m no art connoisseur. But growing up, my
parents dragged all four of us kids to every art museum, gallery opening, and
exhibition in town. To me, these looked
like the real thing.
One
was a Van Gogh. Another was a Monet. Waterlilies. And a sturdy Degas dancer
warmed up on a third easel. There were also a couple more modern ones in styles
I didn’t recognize. But the star of the show was in the center of the room.
Renoir. And it looked familiar.
Mom
and I had seen it a couple of years ago when some big-business muckety-muck
lent it—and a few other prized works—to a local museum for the summer. I remember
standing in front of it, just staring. Entranced. Kind of like I was now.
I
heard a soft “thump.” And it definitely didn’t sound like the house settling.
It sounded like someone hiding in the closet.
Want to read more? Pick
up a copy of “Seeing Red” out now from Kensington Books!
And others are saying
This book kept me on my toes with the various mysteries/storylines that were going on in the book.
Filled with high jinx and hilarity, this series is an entertaining escape into a fictional Virginia suburb.
~Book Club Librarian
~Book Club Librarian
OMG, hold on to your funny bones! Dana Dratch has penned another fantastic mystery filled with humor that you will be unable to put down.
~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book
~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book
It’s a really compelling story, the plot is well intertwined and complex, there are so many mysteries to solve and so many unexpected events and plot twists that make it difficult to solve them before the end.
~LibriAmoriMiei
~LibriAmoriMiei
Fast-paced and entertaining, with wonderful characters, this book has more mysteries than expected. As one gets solved, another two come into view!
~Laura’s Interests
~Laura’s Interests
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