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Overview
Haarlem, Holland, seventeenth-century: The city’s chief magistrate commissions a family portrait from Dutch master painter Johannes Miereveld. But when the artist sees the magistrate’s daughter, Amalia, an illicit love affair begins. Miereveld creates a captivating masterpiece, The Chrysalis–a stunning portrait of the Virgin Mary, full of Catholic symbols, that outrages his Protestant patron and signals the death of his career.
New York, present day: Mara Coyne is one high-profile case away from making partner at her powerful Manhattan law firm, and now the client that is sure to seal the deal has fallen into her lap. The prestigious Beazley’s auction house is about to sell a lost masterwork, The Chrysalis, in an auction that is destined to become legendary. Standing in the way, however, is the shocking accusation that the painting belongs not to Beazley’s client but to Hilda Baum, the daughter of a Dutch collector who lost his paintings–and his life–to the Nazis.
The case brings an unexpected surprise when Mara discovers that Beazley’s in-house attorney is Michael Roarke, a man for whom she once had an intense attraction. But the same skills that make her a brilliant litigator also make Mara suspicious, and she begins to believe that Hilda’s tragic family story might be more than just heartbreaking–it might be true. And the man she’s come to love might not be who she thought he was at all.
Spanning centuries and continents, The Chrysalis is a brilliant, intelligent, fast-paced thriller that melds art and history into a provocative work of fiction. From the underground Catholicism in seventeenth-century Holland to the unspeakable crimes of the Nazis and the repercussions that reverberate to this day throughout the art world, Heather Terrell has created a fascinating story that will entrance readers to the very last page.
Synopsis
A thriller that spans centuries and continents THE CHRYSALIS tracks an artistic masterpiece that falls prey to the worst of human desires and a heroic attorney's struggle to right the wrongs of its history.
Mara Coyne has sweat blood and tears to reach the pinnacle at her prominent New York law firm, and now the client that will guarantee her partnership has fallen into her lap. The prestigious Beazley's auction house is about to auction a lost master work of Dutch painting, THE CHRYSALIS, in a sale destined for fame and fortune. Standing in the way, however, is the shocking claim that the painting belongs not to Beazley's, but to Hilda Baum, the daughter of a Dutch collector whose collection and life was pillaged by the Nazis.
It is Mara's job to prove that the painting is Beazley's, no matter how terrifying and heartbreaking Baum's story is. And she does, using the ruthless calculation that earned her the job. Her firm couldn't be happier, nor could Michael Roarke...
Beth Lindsay - Library Journal
Mara Coyne returns in Terrell's second novel, now heading her own firm in the aftermath of The Chrysalis case. Coyne accepts an assignment from prominent collector Richard Tobias to verify the provenance of a map located at-and subsequently stolen from-an archaelogical dig site. Proof of the existence of what is purported to be the earliest world map ever made would change our understanding of the history of the age of exploration. Terrell again follows three narrative paths, following Coyne on the hunt for the map in the present day while tracing the mapmaker in early 15th-century China and the eventual voyage of the map with Vasco de Gama's navigator. An intriguing blend of suspense and historical fiction featuring a strong protagonist in Coyne; for popular fiction collections.
Editorials
Library Journal
Mara Coyne returns in Terrell's second novel, now heading her own firm in the aftermath of The Chrysalis case. Coyne accepts an assignment from prominent collector Richard Tobias to verify the provenance of a map located at-and subsequently stolen from-an archaelogical dig site. Proof of the existence of what is purported to be the earliest world map ever made would change our understanding of the history of the age of exploration. Terrell again follows three narrative paths, following Coyne on the hunt for the map in the present day while tracing the mapmaker in early 15th-century China and the eventual voyage of the map with Vasco de Gama's navigator. An intriguing blend of suspense and historical fiction featuring a strong protagonist in Coyne; for popular fiction collections.
—Beth Lindsay