4 and 5 May – Remembrance and Liberation Day – are important dates in the Netherlands as they mark the end of the Second World War by honoring its victims then celebrating freedom after five long years of fighting. May 4th is Remembrance Day in the Netherlands, when all those who lost their lives during World War II are honored in ceremonies all over the city. At 8 p.m. there is two minutes’ of silence. This is strictly enforced and…
I am pleased to welcome historical fiction author Kathryn Gauci to my blog today! She’s an English expat living in Australia. Before heading Down Under, she studied textile design, lived in Vienna and worked in Greece as a carpet designer. Not only does she lead a fascinating life, her novels also sound intriguing. I hope you enjoy learning more about Kathryn, her passion for art, and her books. Tell me a little bit about yourself, your books and your…
Amsterdam is the perfect setting for an art-related mystery, especially one in which the looting of artwork by the Nazis during World War Two plays a central role. My second novel, The Lover’s Portrait: An Art Mystery, is about an American art history student who finds clues to the whereabouts of a collection of masterpieces hidden somewhere in Amsterdam, secreted away in 1942 by a homosexual art dealer who’d rather die than turn his collection over to his Nazi blackmailer. I can…
I am thrilled to announce The Lover’s Portrait won a Chill with a Book Readers’ Award last week! The Lover’s Portrait was read and evaluated by Chill’s readers against the following… Were the characters strong and engaging? Was the book well written? Did the story / plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next? Was the ending satisfying? Would you recommend to someone who reads this kind of story? And the verdict was: “Well written and well researched….
Before moving to Amsterdam, I knew very little about the restitution of artwork stolen by the Nazis during World War II, a topic that plays a central role in my novel, The Lover’s Portrait: An Art Mystery. Sure, I’d read about controversial cases in newspapers and wondered why museums didn’t hand over the artwork immediately when legitimate claimants appeared on the scene, but also why it took the relative of the legal owner so long to submit a claim. Only…
My second novel, The Lover’s Portrait: An Art Mystery, is an amateur sleuth mystery describing the plight of homosexuals and Jewish artists in Europe during World War II, as well as the complexities inherent to the restitution of artwork stolen by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s. Before writing it, I read a number of very interesting and somewhat obscure reference books and articles to help me better understand this complex period in European history. I’ve seen several Goodreads…
Welcome to the third of four themed posts about MysteryThrillerWeek, an annual event celebrating the Mystery and Thriller genres! Over two-hundred authors are participating in this global event. To help readers and authors better connect, a variety of themed lists – sub-categories of both genres – have been created. Today I’m thrilled to share with you eight books from the Historical Mysteries and Thrillers Theme, books which transport you back to Amsterdam during World War Two, Victorian England, the American Revolution,…