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DEATH ON A STARRY NIGHT
by Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden
University of Wisconsin Press, April 2016
213 pages
$24.95
ISBN: 0299307301


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Two deaths are at the center of this mystery. One is that of Vincent Van Gogh; the other is a presenter at an academic conference in southern France, who intended to shed light on the painter's demise.

This is the third book in the Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler mystery series, although Toby figures less prominently in this volume. Instead, it's art historian Nora Barnes, attending an academic conference on Van Gogh in southern France, who's hot on the trail of a murder that happens at the welcoming dinner the night before the conference begins.

The victim is a French woman, who claims to have inside information on the death of the painter, about whom a recent disagreement has broken out in the art world. With the publication of VAN GOGH: THE LIFE, by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, new claims have surfaced that the gunshot wound that killed Van Gogh was not self-inflicted and thus he did not commit suicide, as has long been held.

Even before the conference begins, however, the French woman who's to be the keynote speaker is murdered. Just who is to blame? There are plenty of potential killers at this small meeting of academics. One imagines that Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden had a field day with this one, both being professors emeriti at the University of Wisconsin-Madison themselves.

The real heart and soul of the story, however, is southern France and the life of Van Gogh, both of which figure prominently into the plot. There are lots of tidbits of art history, plenty of French food and wine, and a generous helping of armchair travel highlights included here. All these alone make the book worth reading.

There are more than enough reasons to suspect many of the conference participants, as everyone seems to have a hidden agenda. And for those who aren't aware of the controversy over Van Gogh's death, there's an entire chapter at the end of the novel laying out the two sides and where the authors come down on the research to date.

While some might categorize this mystery a cozy, the other elements, including plenty of art history, make this something more. It's an easy read, with enjoyable characters and a challenging-enough whodunit. However, the real reason to read the book is the reader's interest in art, Van Gogh, or southern France, all of which feature richly in this charming book.

§ Christine Zibas is a freelance writer and former director of publications for a Chicago nonprofit.

Reviewed by Christine Zibas, March 2016

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