The Secret Portrait (A Jean Fairbairn Alasdair Cameron Mystery)

First sentence: Jean Fairbairn sat on the stone windowsill of her office, if hardly in command then at least in admiration of all she surveyed. Historian and half-owner in a Scottish magazine, Jean Fairbairn is visited by George Lovelace, an older gentleman at her office. He claims to have found, and shows Jean, a old gold coin. The coin is a Louis d'Or, one of the lost hoard sent by Louis of France to Scotland in order to restore Bonnie Prince Charlie to the throne. He asks that Jean have the coin authenticated and leaves it with her. Jean travels to Glendessery House, now owned by an American dot.com millionaire with an obsession for Bonnie Charlie, and to visit again with George. Instead she finds the nearly murdered body of George, and a not-so-recent ghost wandering the halls. Ms. Carl creates wonderful characters. Jean is bright, has dry humor, questions her judgment in men and is neither young nor stunningly attractive and wear glasses; all quite refreshing characteristics. She and Chief Inspector Alasdair Cameron find they share an ability but are cautious with each other; another refreshing element rather than the usual coup de foudre often found used between characters. The dialogue occasionally felt off to me. A couple secondary characters early in the story `sounded' more Irish than Scots, but that might just be me. The elements of history were clearly well researched and interesting, as was the sense of place. Carl does have a wonderful, very visual voice The book had a great opening; however, I found this a slower read than the previous books I've read by Ms. Carl. The story did pick up toward the end and build to a suspenseful and satisfactory conclusion. There are two, so far, more books in this series and I do look forward to reading them.

In Edinburgh George Lovelace, a retired Leicester University professor, visits Great Scot magazine editor and writer Jean Fairburn, a former academia also. He provides Jean with a gold coin for her to authenticate which he insists he found while bird watching near his home that appears to be part of Bonnie Prince Charlie's horde he allegedly left behind when he fled for France after the Culloden debacle in 1745. At the nearby museum, Jean learns that Lovelace brought in an antique last year so his story of needing her to help him with the law seems even more farfetched than when she first heard him tell her. As she travels to talk further with George, Jean arranges an interview with American dot com millionaire Rick MacLyon, who recently bought the local castle. She arrives at the MacLyon appointment early having failed to find George before her meeting with the new lord of the manor. While waiting she senses a ghost and follows her feelings only to find the murdered corpse of George. As the police investigate, Jean finds herself embroiled in a weird conspiracy that ties back to the last Stuart pretender. THE SECRET PORTRAIT is a solid amateur sleuth tale although the heroine had no plans to get involved in a murder mystery as she only was interested in finding the "mother lode" left behind by Charlie. The who-done-it has an intriguing late twist that fits the tone of the tale yet deftly will surprise most readers. Lillian Stewart Carl provides a fine tale that cleverly blends history with the present (a trademark she is known for - see LUCIFER'S CROWN). Harriet Klausner

Another great book in the History/Mystery genre. Set in Scotland, this book starts out as a simple hunt for buried treasure but, as is usual with books by Lillian Stewart Carl, things are not what they seem and secrets from the past haunt both the living and the dead. A must for anyone who enjoys historical mysteries with a hint of romance and a smattering of the supernatural.