by Davis Bunn >> Four years after his wife’s death, art history teacher Derek Gaines keeps relationships at a safe distance to guard against pain. It’s all part of his necessary transition to surviving alone. If anything is truly responsible for Derek making it back from the brink it’s his edifying work as a consultant for auction houses—and indulging a consuming sideline job: tracking stolen art. Joining Derek on his quest is Kelly Reid, the new junior vice president of gallery operations at Christies Los Angeles. She is driven, ambitious, fiercely passionate about her work—and a fellow wounded kindred spirit. Bitterly immune to men’s promises, she’s never letting herself be vulnerable again. Yet a tenuous start to her partnership with Derek slowly builds toward something more. And soon, both will be tested beyond anything they could have imagined—in the deepening mystery of a lost painting, and in matters of the heart, which can be the greatest mystery of all.
