The Lady with the Dark Hair: A Novel

by Erin Bartels

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Book cover for The Lady with the Dark Hair

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Esther Markstrom and her artist mother have always been proud of their ancestor, painter Francisco Vella. They even run a small museum and gallery dedicated to raising awareness of his scandalously underappreciated work. But when Esther reconnects with her former art history professor, she finds her once-solid family history on shaky ground as questions arise about Vella's greatest work--a portrait entitled The Lady with the Dark Hair.

In 1879, Catalan orphan-turned-fugitive Viviana Torrens has found sanctuary serving in the home of an aging artist in Southern France. It is in his studio that she meets Francisco Vella, a Gibraltarian merchant who sells artists' pigments. When her past catches up to her, she is compelled to pose as Vella's sister and join him on his travels or be deported back to Spain to stand trial. Along the way she will discover that the many parts she has been playing in order to hide her identity have far-reaching implications she never could have foreseen.

This dual-timeline story from award-winning author Erin Bartels takes readers from the sleepy Midwest to the sultry Mediterranean on a relentless search for truth, identity, and the freedom to follow one's dreams.
  • ISBN10 0800741668
  • ISBN13 9780800741662
  • Publish Date 21 May 2024 (first published 26 March 2024)
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country US
  • Publisher Baker Publishing Group
  • Imprint Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group
  • Format Paperback (US Trade)
  • Pages 352
  • Language English