Karen Odden, Author of the historical mystery, "A Lady in the Smoke"

A Trace of Deceit

“Odden keenly evokes the physical as well as cultural milieu of Victorian England, and peoples her setting with fully realized and intriguing characters.
This book will delight readers
who like their mysteries cloaked in well-researched history.”
— Publishers Weekly

"Odden's third effort injects a refreshing level of complexity, both in character development and plotting, into what one typically expects to find in historical cozies. This will appeal to fans of Victorian mysteries, as well as those interested in art history."
— Booklist (starred review)

**WINNER for Best Mystery**
— 2020 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards

A Trace of Deceit, by Karen Odden

London, 1875. An art student, a stolen painting &
A MYSTERious Death

A young woman painter digs beneath the veneer of Victorian London’s art world to learn the truth behind her brother’s murder.

"Edwin is dead." This is what Scotland Yard Inspector Matthew Hallam tells Annabel Rowe when she discovers him searching her brother’s flat for clues. Annabel is devastated but not wholly surprised, given Edwin's history as a swindler and convicted art forger.

Recently released from prison, Edwin swore he'd reformed and wanted to repair his broken relationship with her. Annabel wants desperately to believe him, but when she discovers that a priceless French painting is missing from his studio, she wonders if he had lied to her yet again, or if--despite Edwin's best efforts--his old life had come back to haunt him.

Determined to know the truth, Annabel convinces Matthew that as a painter at the prestigious Slade School of Art and Edwin’s only family, she is crucial to his investigation. Together they trace a path of deceit and villainy that reaches far beyond the elegant rooms of the auction house, into an underworld of treachery, heartbreak, and secrets someone will kill to keep.

KaREN's BLOG: WHY THE 1870s?

The 1878 Matrimonial Causes Act finally provided legal protection for abused wives.

In 1850s and 1860s London, waves of social unrest were spurred in part by popular and sensation novels that represented bigamy, adultery, and spousal and child abuse; and by reports of famous legal cases and ardent discussions in the growing number of newspapers and journals. Read More...