Still Lives

In Los Angeles, the talented staff at Rocque Museum feverishly prepare for avant-garde artist Kim Lord's opening night. Lord's controversial art showcases real women who have died violently, such as Nicole Brown Simpson and Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. Museum editor Maggie Richter hopes the gala will reinvigorate the declining finances of this revered institution, but as the limos begin to arrive, it becomes embarrassingly clear that Lord will not be present at her own exhibition. When Lord's ex is arrested for her murder, Maggie uses her journalistic skills to delve into the deep recesses of the art world and soon finds her own life at risk. After a sluggish start, Hummel's (Motherland) novel ultimately offers an intriguing insider's view into a high-stakes, turbulent industry, from peculiar artists to fabulous exhibitions. With deliberate pacing increasing the tension, the story line revolving around the public's fascination with graphic crimes against women serves as a chilling reminder that such violence continues to occur in many forms.