A nice review from Texas

• Reviews & Press

By Jean Greenlaw For the Denton Record-Chronicle

Are you ready to go on an adventure with Georgia O’Keeffe to solve a murder mystery? Mortal Radiance (Kathryn Lasky, Severn House, 2024, 198 pages, $29.99) transports us to the 1930s, when O’Keeffe was ensconced in New Mexico and the world was heading to another world war. A murder is committed in a chapel built to honor D.H. Lawrence, and the rather incompetent local police are muffing the job. Georgia is staying at Los Gallos, along with a gathering of eccentric hangers-on that includes Wallis Simpson.

Historical fact blends with evocative fiction and a mystery that had me guessing until the end. O’Keeffe’s sardonic wit had me laughing out loud, and the imagery is breathtaking. I have an artist friend who bought multiple copies of the first book in the series to give to her artist friends. The descriptions of all the elements provide enough imagery to allow one to create a painting.