A Call to Witness

The plot of Coleman's second novel featuring London art dealer Michael Strange (after 2014's All the Rage) requires a heavy suspension of disbelief. Lauren O'Neill, a client of Michael's who's also his lover, dies in a mysterious fire in her Surrey farmhouse barn. Others survive: Lauren's sister, Maggie Conlon; Michael's assistant, Kara Scott; and Michael himself. A year later, the police and the press are still actively investigating the circumstances of the tragedy and whether Michael was involved in fraudulent sales of artwork. Michael, not an easy lead to empathize with, is convinced that Maggie is seeking her revenge after someone shatters the front window of his Mayfair gallery. The danger extends to the now-pregnant Kara. Despite the evil of the villain and multiple murders, Coleman raises few chills, and sometimes the prose is cryptic rather than profound ("Greed was a lonely warrior, he now knew"). (Sept.)