A grave talent

This gripping debut of the Kate Martinelli mystery series won the Edgar Awardfor Best First Mystery, generating wide critical acclaim and moving Laurie R.King into the upper tier of the genre. As "A Grave Talent" begins, theunthinkable has happened in a small community outside of San Francisco. Astring of shocking murders has occurred, each victim an innocent child. ForDetective Kate Martinelli, just promoted to Homicide and paired with a seasonedcop who's less than thrilled to be handed a green partner, it's going to be adifficult case. Then the detectives receive what appears to be a case-breakinglead: it seems that one of the residents of this odd, close-knit colony is VaunAdams, arguably the century's greatest painter of women, a man, as it turnsout, with a sinister secret. For behind the brushes and canvases also stands anotorious felon once convicted of strangling a little girl. What reallyhappened on that day of savage violence eighteen years ago? To bring a murdererto justice, Kate must delve into the artist's dark past -- even if she knows itmeans losing everything she holds dear.