Do What Godmother Says

Stratton (Not So Perfect Strangers) interweaves the stories of two budding artists living a century apart in this entertaining chiller. In 1920s New York City, Estelle Johnson’s dream of becoming a successful painter appears to come true when she meets eccentric philanthropist Maude Bachmann. Maude becomes Estelle’s patron, lavishing her with money and resources and insisting that Estelle call her “Godmother.” But when Maude is found murdered in her home, Estelle vanishes. In a parallel story line set in contemporary Washington, D.C., aspiring writer Shanice Pierce loses her magazine internship and is dumped by her long-term boyfriend. In the aftermath, she agrees to help her grandmother clear out her house before she sells it. Among her grandmother’s belongings, Shanice finds a painting by Estelle, which has apparently been in her family for generations. Her grandmother insists Shanice take the painting home with her, and shortly after she does, a dealer comes knocking with a lucrative offer. Shanice turns him down, and before long, people she’s discussed the painting with turn up dead, leaving her to wonder what makes it so sought-after—and what might have happened to its creator. Some readers may have trouble suspending disbelief as Stratton unveils the grand conspiracy behind the killings, but there’s more than enough style and atmosphere on offer to keep the pages turning. This gets the job done. (June)