Tag: Alex Clayton

Painting in the Shadows

Painting in the Shadows

by Katherine Kovacic (Echo, 2019); audiobook read by Casey Withoos (W.F. Howes, 2020)

Book cover: Painting in the Shadows by Katherine Kovacic

Though the mystery and its investigation are quite slight, Kovacic concocts a cosy and somewhat fraught intrigue throughout. The text shines with passion for art, while Alex and John’s female/male friendship shows real Australian personality. Hogarth the Irish Wolfhound remains a delight.

The Portrait of Molly Dean

The Portrait of Molly Dean

by Katherine Kovacic (Bonnier, 2018); audiobook read by Casey Withoos (Wavesound, 2020)

Kovacic_The Portrait of Molly Dean

What would have been a hardboiled detective story in 1930s Melbourne (the setting of the murder) turns to a more cosy mystery in 1999 (when art dealer Alex Clayton attempts to solve it). Kovacic’s easy narrative style cannot quite bridge the disparity.