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Overview
Getting ready for the summer crowds that she knows will descend on Jackson Hole, Wyoming - and hoping that they're in the mood to buy some of the fine art available for sale in her gallery on the Square - Alix takes some time to do a little white-water kayaking before settling in for business. Aside from a nasty dumping in the river, everything is as it should be until she gets back to town and discovers the fire that has destroyed her friend Eden's struggling gallery. What's worse is the discovery of the body in the ruins, tentatively identified as that of Ray Tantro. He'd had a brilliant career as an artist and was making a comeback with a show at Eden's gallery. Alix is asked to do an estimate of the value of the paintings for insurance purposes, but Eden may never collect. The fire was clearly arson, and that means Tantro's death is a murder. Picking through the charred remains of the gallery, Alix realizes that something is amiss, but she can't quite put her finger on it. And if a cunning and cold-blooded murderer has his way, Alix not only won't find the answers she's looking for, she won't live to see the beginning of Jackson's ski season.Art expert/gallery owner Alix Thorssen is called upon to assess the charred remains of a friend's local gallery, and is shocked to find the body of artist Ray Thornton among the debris. Though the death is ruled a suicide and the fire an arson, the evidence does not sit right with Alix. Her own investigation--and another murder--make her the prime suspect, leaving her in a race to find a killer with art and death on his mind.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Set in Jackson, Wyo., where the Old West merges with upscale art galleries and white-water rafting concessions, this lightening-fast adventure has enough false trails to stock a national park. Introduced in The Bluejay Shaman, the self-mocking narrator Alix Thorssen (``semiprosperous art dealer, so-so kayaker, single girl, thirty-something'') faces upheaval and betrayal on all sides. Her gallery and her partnership with the wildly appealing Paolo Segundo seem to be at a crossroads. When a neighboring gallery goes up in a spectacular blaze and the body of a local artist (``He was big in the seventies'') is found inside, Alix is drawn into the case as an appraiser and finds herself wondering why the police were so quick to label the crime arson/suicide. Of course, she's right. But not as right as she thinks; what she doesn't know nearly kills her and does kill someone close to her. As Alix pursues an investigation that ultimately pits her professional self-interest against her ethics, the plot, which relies on speed more than finesse, takes a skid here and there. But Alix, fueled by endless cups of coffee and a lot of angst, more than makes up for the shortcomings. (Dec.)Library Journal
A brief, italicized prolog underscores the central mystery in this work: an unidentifiable, immobile person dies in a fire. The story unfolds as art gallery owners Alix Thorssen and Eden return to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, after a kayaking trip only to watch Eden's place go up in smoke. Officials discover one body, presumably that of a once popular artist. Alix's subsequent obsessive investigation uncovers forgery, puts her partner (and former lover) in jeopardy, and threatens her relationship with a hunky cop. Breathless action, and a final triple twist. For larger collections.Emily Melton
McClendon's Alix Thorssen series is distinguished by its setting (Jackson Hole, Wyoming) and the occupation of its amateur sleuth, art gallery owner and part-time insurance investigator Alix Thorssen. A fire destroys a gallery owned by one of Alix's friends, and Alix is called in to evaluate the loss. But the stakes change when the smoldering ashes yield up not only evidence of arson but also a body that's been burned beyond recognition. At first, the body is assumed to be that of artist Ray Tantros, but then a very-much-alive Tantros is sighted hiding out at his remote cabin. Before Alix can question Tantros, he turns up dead--for real, this time--and Alix is left to solve the case. Though Alix makes an appealing heroine, she doesn't really stand out from all the other strong-willed, relationship-shy female crime solvers, professional and amateur, populating the field these days. Still, the novel features competent writing, a good premise, and an atmospheric setting. That will be enough for many readers.Book Details
Published
December 1, 1995
Publisher
New York : Walker and Co., 1995.
Pages
252
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780802732712