Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief
Sheila Sharpe
Redwood Publishing, LLC (2025)
ISBN: 978-1966333142
Reviewed by Ada Jenkins for Reader Views (06/2025)
There is more to a painting than meets the eye, and nobody knows this better than Nick McCoy, art conservator at the Steele Museum in San Diego, California. Underneath his polished exterior, Nick is a conman and notorious forger, intent on exacting revenge. However, when attractive ex-therapist Kate O’Dade asks him to authenticate a famous Matisse painting mysteriously left on her doorstep by an anonymous benefactor, a game of cat and mouse ensues, where secrets are revealed and the stakes are high.
With its in-depth knowledge of art, forgery, and candid exploration of human nature, Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief by Sheila Sharpe is a truly riveting novel. The depth of knowledge surrounding the intricacies of conservation, as well as the secrets of imitation, makes art a central theme in this story. Indeed, the plot is infused with fascinating real-world information: for example, air maintained at a seventy-degree temperature is ideal for preserving paintings. This has the effect of enhancing plot authenticity, immersing the reader in the special world of art.
The use of multiple third-person points of view allows direct access to the mindsets of the characters. This includes Nick and Kate’s perspectives, as well as Steele’s long-suffering wife, Raquel, and Chief Inspector Eddie Cromwell, the detective intent on pursuing Nick. This broadens the narrative, creating intrigue and building tension, as the story is portrayed through different lenses.
As well as maintaining an excellent pace with its plot-focused style, the characters are three-dimensional and well-developed. Nick McCoy is a complex protagonist, with various flaws and redeeming features. Despite being a successful imitator of famous artists’ work, he struggles to express himself in his own art, which is an ongoing source of frustration. Cunning and deceitful, yet also, at times, sensitive and vulnerable, Nick is a series of contradictions.
Kate O’Dade also suffers from issues surrounding identity, longing to escape the “good girl” role assigned to her. The blossoming romantic relationship between these two central characters kept me guessing until the very end, with sharp dialogue creating heat and intrigue, adding a dose of sizzling chemistry that seemed to leap off the page. While abusive tycoon Dixon Steele and his sleazy son, Simon, arouse visceral feelings of loathing in the reader, other characters are easier to root for, balancing out the different voices.
Intertextuality invites engagement, further enriching the narrative. An example of this is when Nick listens to Freddie Mercury while painting, even singing along to the lyrics at one point, imagining himself joining “Freddie, Queen, and the seventy-two thousand people in the Live Aid audience . . .” References to real events and quotes by various artists also add new layers of meaning.
Not to be missed by fans of mysteries and crime thrillers, Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief by Sheila Sharpe is a psychologically on-point story, with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very last sentence. With its labyrinth of secrets, deception, disguises, and forgery, this high-stakes heist mystery is infused with edge-of-your-seat suspense. Unputdownable and utterly addictive, Sharpe has crafted the perfect art-crime thriller.