The pace of this book was way off for me as it moved fast then slowed down. It had elements that were choppy and didn't make sense. This was a mystery/thriller that did nothing for me. I had to put it down and then skim it wasn't keeping my attention at all. This might find it's audience, but this one wasn't for me.

I don't think that this genre is for me, which explains why I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. The writing style felt very fragmented and disconnected, so that made it difficult for me to follow the plot, and I never really felt invested in the characters or setting. I thought that the idea was very cool and I liked how the art piece was at the centre of the story, especially with the two different time periods. I will definitely be recommending it to patrons, but I was not the right reader for it.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Rounding this up to 5 tars because overall it was a really great read!! I couldn't put it down because i just had to know who did it! Great spooky mystery with some crushes/romance and a bit of cozy mystery vibes!

Rating Guide Questions

*Did the story catch your attention, after reading the first 1-3 paragraphs, enough for you not to be able to put it down? And if not, did it become ‘gripping’ at some point?
-4.5. The story starts with a prologue describing an event in the past that hints at the horrific crime that will haunt the story’s present events. It effectively sets the right mood and would have you ‘flipping’ through the pages just so you can get to the bottom of this mystery.

*Genre-specific questions: For mystery thrillers:* Was the solution/plot twist convincing enough?
-4. The solution to the mystery made sense but mixing the supernatural felt off. There were already enough elements to build the setting and set the atmosphere of the story i.e., mystifying and intriguing without the supernatural aspect. Maybe that’s why I found it like it was forced into the narrative unnecessarily.

*Did the story leave a significant impact in your mind e.g. led you to an epiphany, made you reflect on life and its complexities?
-Not the story but rather the MC. The passion and drive for her work, the strength to stand by her life choices and embrace the sadness and happiness it all brings, was inspiring. She’s a picture of a strong, independent, beautiful woman with a heart. And I’d like to be that kind of person someday too.

*How about the characters? Were they well-developed (i.e. connect with them by relating to their experiences, or you can see them as an actual person because of their profound development through the story)?
-The writing was beautifully done and it felt realistic. It wasn’t hard to connect with these fictional characters like they were real people. Usually, when I read books in this genre, it always feels like I’m watching one of my father’s action movies. But this one felt like a friend, opening up to you about something horrifying that happened to them.

*For romance, both as a main plot and as a subplot, were the relationships between the characters to your liking?
-Though it’s a subplot of a subplot, it was a breath of fresh air to see them interact and develop into reliable ride-or-die for each other.

*How was the climax and resolution of the story for you?
-The build-up was subtle that when you realize you’re in the rising action, you’re already in the peak and then the climax hits you like a lightning bolt on a sunny day, I couldn’t help but hold my breath until the resolution was reached.


*Will you recommend it to someone?
-Definitely! For everyone who loves mystery thrillers, this is a must-read!

⭐⭐⭐.5

A Cruel Light by Cyndi MacMillan is an intriguing mix of art, murder, and buried secrets that will captivate readers...

Hidden away for decades, a cryptic mural resurfaces during the renovation of an old parsonage, revealing deadly clues related to a brutal crime that shook the town to its core. Annora Garde, a conservator hired by the local police, is tasked with cleaning the painting and unearthing its hidden secrets.

Inspector Scott ‘Mac’ MacGowan believes that the mural holds the key to solving the cold case, but someone is desperate to keep the past buried. As Annora and Mac work together to piece together the puzzle and provide closure for the victim’s family, they find themselves haunted by both the toxic mold obscuring vital clues and by their own tragic losses. As they get closer to revealing the killer’s identity, danger lurks around every corner.

The book’s premise is highly original, centered around an art conservator using her skills to aid in catching a murderer. The cover of A Cruel Light is also visually stunning. However, there are areas where improvement is needed. The plot feels somewhat scattered and could benefit from better organization. Additionally, while there is a romantic subplot, it lacks depth and fails to leave a lasting impression. Furthermore, more development could be given to the characters to make them more engaging.

Despite these drawbacks, I found A Cruel Light to be an entertaining read overall. Its unique concept and suspenseful storyline kept me engaged throughout.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I really wanted to like this book because it seemed like an interesting murder mystery that was similar to the Da Vinci Code. However, the book moved at a really slow pace, and I could not connect with the characters. Thus, this book had potential but was not well-executed.

First, I need to say how amazing this cover is, absolutely stunning! Now, onto the review. This was just an ok read for me. I felt the premise was fantastic and I was completely absorbed...initially. The idea of an art restoration expert being able to help solve a crime seemed like such a cool concept and it was but it was also bogged down with a lot of random stuff. I felt like the romance aspect was forced and felt unnatural and all the happenings were just, well, a lot. By the time I made it to the end of the book I was a little bored, unfortunately. I will definitely try another book by this author as I think they are really good, I just didn't connect with this one as much as I'd hoped. Thank you for the opportunity!

🖌👩‍🎨Book Review:
Title: A Cruel Light
Author: Cyndi MacMillan
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars
(rounded up)

Annora Garde is an art conservator, hired by the local police of Bliss River, to clean a mural that was recently unearthed during a renovation of an old parsonage. The reason behind hiring her is that Inspector Scott "Mac" MacGowan believes that this mural could possibly be a confession in the murder of 8 year old Rosemary.

Rosemary was killer years ago and her true murderer was never caught. If Annora can piece together the cryptic clues left on the mural then justice can truly be served. As Annora and Mac get closer to revealing the identity, threats keep happening to stop them from finding out the truth. Will they solve the murder of Rosemary or will they lose their own lives in the process?

This book was okay. I wasn't really too intrigued because I felt it was definitely more targeted towards those we understand a wide knowledge of art (which unfortunately, I do not). I do like that the author did actually teach me a few things about conserving pieces of art.

Thank you to @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really like how this story is based in Canada, and the concept and storyline was extraordinary but there was a lot going on. It was extremely fast paced, and a lot was incorporated into a story that didn't need so many side stories. It was best to focus on the general storyline, to have it all over the place. It was hard to keep track of it.

The cover itself is beautiful, the name is perfect, so in general I would recommend this novel, but it wasn't my favourite murder mystery.

This was not my favorite Mystery/thriller.

I do think the pacing could’ve been better. It moved too fast in the beginning and then in the middle it got really slow and made me bored a few times.

I also think the author added too many things to the story, it started to take away from the overall storyline. I think it could’ve been edited down a bit better.

I love romance in a book, but here it felt very unnecessary and took away from the story. I didn’t see any chemistry and it felt awkward.

Okay... once again the time has come for a not-the-most-pleasant review of the newest Ms. MacMillan book. When I read the premise I felt a connection with it, as it was intriguing and promising - a mystery that should follow throughout the book regarding murder mystery. It gave us some promises, but... it was not provided to my liking.
I wanted to follow this story smoothly, yet I could not do it as it was like throwing everything at me in one giant pile that I had to sort somehow on my own, which was impossible and made me feel lost and confused. Then there was a huge slowdown that did not make sense or provide us with additional subplots that took the main attention from the main one, additionally making it hard to follow or even care about the main one.
In the end, I wanted to love it, but I got not too invested in what was happening generally or with the characters (like a sudden romantic-ish plot - from where??). Oh, and I have to mention it - THIS cover, it's amazingly enchanting! Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book, but if you want - try it and let me know!

Conservator Annora Garde is asked by Inspector Scott ‘Mac’ MacGowan to restore an old mural that he thinks may help solve a murder. Garde must carefully clean the toxic mold covered mural and as she does new elements appear in the mural that they then try and piece together to determine what happened. As Garde uncovers more of the mural, she finds her work space being sabotaged and her life in danger, as someone wants the past to remain hidden. Overall, a decent mystery and the art aspect is interesting, but some may find the slow pacing hard to get into.

Gasp! It’s that a crime fiction novel that I’m reviewing? Why yes, yes it is. I used to read quite a lot of crime years ago with a lot less romance and to be honest it was actually quite nice to read a book that had me intrigued with the mystery taking place in a small town and such an interesting plot.

✨

During the renovation of the old parsonage, a previous murder from years ago rears its ugly head again when workers discover a time-ravaged portrait of the young victim.

Conservator Annora Garde is hired by the local police to clean the painting and expose what lies buried within it.

Inspector Scott ‘Mac’ MacGowan is convinced the mural is a cryptic confession that will solve the cold case—but it’s looking more and more like someone will do whatever it takes to keep the past in the past. Together, Mac and Annora struggle to put the pieces of the puzzle together, in order to provide closure to surviving family members.

✨

This book kept me very interested. I was super invested in finding out the whole ‘who done it’ factor. I learnt so much about art restoration and the author has clearly done her home work.

The only downfall to me was that the writing was a little different to what I’m used to. I feel like it could of benefitted from another round of editing. The flow between scenes or even paragraphs in the same scenes were a bit disjointed. There was several times that I had to flick back to the previous page to realise it was either the same scene or the next scene.

Also for all my bookstas, this has ZERO SMUT. Like maybe two scenes completely fade to black. I wouldn’t even classify it closed door. Like I couldn’t even tell what was happening at one point.

It was purely focused on the crime full stop. I found that I actually didn’t mind that. Clearly my brain has been fried a little by all the smut I’d read lately 🤣

Overall it was pretty good book and I enjoyed it but the flow was just confusing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars

A Cruel Light is the story of Annora Garde who is an art conservator. She is asked to come to Bliss River, Canada to help solve a mystery. Rosemary was killed when she was eight years old, and the murder has never been solved. Annora is asked to see if she can clean a recently discovered mural that’s covered in mold and dirt that they believe was painted by the killer and tells the story of Rosemary's death.

Many people in the town have been employed to renovate the building where the mural was found. Each day Annora spends working is one less day they are paid. Several people have died mysteriously, and fires are started to distract the people protecting the town. Worse yet, Annora is in the killer's sights and has attempted to stop her but somehow, she survives the attacks. Will Annora be able to solve the mystery as easily and she removes the mold and dirt from the mural.

This is an artistic murder mystery with hints of paranormal. The story is well written and very descriptive. The characters are mysterious and have secrets which affect how they react to solving the crime. I enjoyed the mystery and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

A Cruel Light is a very enjoyable read that reminds me of Simone St. James' mysteries. Annora Garde is an art conservator who has been hired to uncover a mural that may lead to the murderer of a cold case from decades prior. The writing is very poetic and the story is a slow burn, making it stand out from so many other mysteries. I really liked the storyline of having someone who restores art for a living being utilized so help with a cold case. The characters and story drew me immediately. Overall, an intriguing and satisfying read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ebook/audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I'm all about amateur and professional murder mysteries. A Cruel Light gave me distinct "Murder, She Wrote" vibes where instead of a writer, the main character is an art conservator. This is such a unique job and added a unusual layer of detail to the storyline. I will definitely say, however, that this is not a "cozy" Jessica Fletcher mystery; it's a stressful and terrifyingly violent one for the main characters.

I found the beginning of the novel a little slow to get into but once I hit about 30%, I didn't want to stop reading it. I practically binged the last 70% in two sessions. MacMillan cleverly crafted the ends of her chapters in such a way so as to entice you to keep going, and at less than 10 minutes (according to my kindle) of time per chapter it was hard to justify taking a break!

I found the use of the painting and the actual investigation to be well thought out and I didn't see coming who the killer turned out to be, which is always a win for a mystery/thriller. My only gripe is what I consider to be a big plot hole. Why did the killer continuously keep trying to maim or subtly kill the main character instead of just burning down the whole building? GRANTED, not long after making this note in my kindle, the main character said as much herself and not long after that, the killer did escalate "appropriately" which turns the plot hole into a gripe instead of a real issue.

All in all, I do recommend this book. It's a solid amateur murder mystery with some paranormal elements added in. Probably perfect for fans of Simone St. James.

An unusual sort of murder mystery that's as much a Gothic as anything else. Annora, an art restorer, is persuaded to work on a newly discovered mural in an Ontario town that's believed to hold the answers as to who killed a young girl many years earlier. Seems simple but it's not. The mural is a mess, those who had been working on the renovation of the building are annoyed because they don't work while she does (and therefore don't get paid) and now there's arsons. Mac. the police chief is both an advocate and a potential romantic interest. There are old secrets and lies but the story wanders a bit to get there. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I want to thank Netgalley for allowing me to review this book as an ARC.
Murder, Puzzles, Mystery is what this book brings to the table. This book takes a different approach into solving a murder. The world within this book deals with the art murals and how our MC believes they hold the key to solving an old murder in the town. The story is extremely intense from the start and holds that energy throughout. I liked the writing style of this book and I am interested in who they will be doing the audiobook with.

I absolutely loved delving into the art world with Conservator Annora Garde, I've never read a book that centers around art restoration. The mystery behind an old crime and the mural that put the pieces together kept me guessing, and on the brink of madness;I couldn't figure it out until the very last moment. If you like creepy buildings, art, murder, secrets, and a sprinkle of romance, then this is the book you should read. I honestly want this to become a series because it was so good. Run to your local bookstore on its release date,you won't be disappointed.

This book was intense from the start. A mural is found that could lead to a killer. The suspense was very well written and the killer was definitely not who I thought it would be! I love a good mystery that doesn't give everything away.