The Muralist

“B. A. Shapiro captivated us in 2012 with her ‘addictive’ novel The Art Forger. Now, she’s back with another thrilling tale from the art world.” —Entertainment Weekly   When Alizée Benoit, an American painter working for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), vanishes in New York City in 1940, no one knows what happened to her. Not her Jewish family living in German-occupied France. Not her artistic patron and political compatriot, Eleanor Roosevelt. Not her close-knit group of friends, including Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, and Lee Krasner. And, some seventy years later, not her great-niece, Danielle Abrams, who while working at Christie’s auction house uncovers enigmatic paintings hidden behind works by those now-famous Abstract Expressionist artists. Do they hold answers to the questions surrounding her missing aunt?   “Reminiscent, in the best way, of Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize winner, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and the way that novel considered artists—both the great power of their grand statements and the often heartbreaking futility of same.” —The Boston Globe   “Noirish intrigue and [a] fine-art detective story.”   —Library Journal, starred review   “Riveting, gracefully romantic, and sharply revelatory.” —Booklist, starred review   “The Muralist is, like What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman or Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, a historical novel that brings the 20th century to life.” —USA Today   “Barbara Shapiro once again pens the art world into vivid, sensual life. Set during World War II and the dawn of Abstract Expressionism, TheMuralist is an intriguing story masterfully imagined about art, war, family, truth, and freedom. If you liked The Art Forger, you’re going to love The Muralist!” —Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice