Deborah Grabien’s Still Life With Devils is an esoteric little novel, one part police procedural, one part paranormal mystery, and one part romance. Leontyne Chant is an artist with an unusual gift: the ability to walk into her paintings. But her brother Cassius, chief of Homicide in the San Francisco PD, must call upon her for help to solve a string of serial killings–and soon Leo discovers she not only has seen the killer before, but that she’ll have to call upon her unique ability to help her brother bring the case to a close.
This book’s sensibilities are elegant, and it’s refreshing to read a murder mystery that doesn’t lavish gory detail upon the killer’s activities. Rather, Grabien brings a quiet, suspenseful sophistication to the table. Four stars.
(P.S. I know I said I was going to try to be impartial with Drollerie Press reviews, but hey–this one was really, really solid, and I’m really rather proud to be associated with the press that produced it. The same will be said of the next couple of Drollerie books I’m about to review!
Also, it is worth noting that this book is one of the ones Drollerie has out in print. So if you’d like to see what we can do with a printed work, ask your favorite local bookstore to pick this one up today!)