I tried starting this book three times, but just couldn't get going on it. The plot elements should have made it engaging, but I couldn't get rid of my sense of being disant from the action.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a really interesting book based on a true story in the artistic community of 18th century London. The author does a good job of laying the groundwork for the mystery of the story, concealing motives and placing the reader at unease. At first, I was confused with the jumble of characters and trying to keep track of the plot; there was some playing with the timeline that helped to contribute to this confusion as well, but it was born out by the climax.

Each of the characters are involved in some way in a deception or optical illusion. Optical illusion is also at the heart of what a painting is as well as the idea of the manuscript that would allow the artists to mimic the techniques of Titian. It was very satisfying to see all of these elements to come together in an interesting way.

As an art history major, I enjoyed seeing the descriptions of painting techniques and the use of the familiar figure of Benjamin West. However, it is not necessary to have an art background in order to understand this book. Recommended for fans of historical fiction, art and women's fiction.