Review of A Painting to Die For by Joan C. Curtis with Giveaway

A Painting to Die For Book 3 Jenna Scali Mystery Series

Jenna’s quiet weekend turns upside down when her house is ransacked and a body is found with her name and number in its possession. Meanwhile her long-lost cousins show up with stories about international art theft dating back to World War II.

While Jenna questions the motives of her dead father in his connection to stolen art, the police find a second body with Jenna’s name in its possession and she becomes the primary link in two murder inquiries. Sidestepping the police and dodging the mob, she and her best friend, Quentin, embark on their own investigation to save themselves and Jenna’s cousins from untimely deaths.

Offset by the quiet university town where faculty and students mill about, minding their own business, Jenna is kidnapped and held at gunpoint while her double-crossing, lying cousins chase after the missing painting worth millions.  

A Painting to Die For forms a web of deceit that leaves Jenna doubting everything she believes about her father and his Italian heritage.

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**My thoughts**

I was so excited when I saw there was a new Jenna Scali book. I have been following this series since it came out, plus I read The Clock Strikes Midnight. Joan C. Curtis' mysteries are usually full of all kinds of twists and turns that keep you guessing as the pages keep on flying by. 

I have to say that this one was my least favorite out of the four. Jenna's cousins were a bit over-the-top for me and I didn't feel like I related to this one as much as I did in the other ones. Sometimes I felt like the story was coming to a close, only for some strange event to occur that sent the characters back a few steps on their journey. I also found it easier to figure out what the little plot twists were going to be and somewhat easily guessed a lot of the ending. I found her previous three books to be a little bit more shocking when those nuances were revealed. 

Was it still worth reading? Absolutely. I love to follow series in their entirety and you aren't always going to like every book in exactly the same way. I still love watching Jenna get into her weird scrapes and fighting her way out. Starr is still funny. I still want Quentin to be my best friend. And then of course, she has her smoking detective boyfriend Rich. Plus Jenna is almost done with her studies, which means that she is going to be even more likely to get herself involved in tracking down some bad guys. I see a great future continuing for Jenna, her friends, and this series.

Should you pick up this book? Absolutely. Just because this particular one wasn't my favorite doesn't mean that someone else isn't going to love it. I did still enjoy reading it and was extremely grateful for a break from my crazy schedule at this time of year. You'll likely also roll your eyes and chuckle as you make your way through it and try to figure out all the whodunnit. And you'll want to know all the storylines for when the next one rolls around.

About Dr. Joan Curtis

Dr. Joan Curtis is an award winning writer who has published 8 books and numerous stories.

The e-Murderer: Book 1 Jenna Scali mystery series won the GOLD in the Global eBook Awards for 2016 for Mystery.

The Clock Strikes Midnight has won three major awards. FINALIST in the prestigious Eric Hoffer Book Awards 2016, FIRST PLACE Royal Palm Literary Award for mainstream/literary 2015 and the Silver in the Global eBook Awards for 2015 for Fiction/Suspense

Murder on Moonshine Hill won the SILVER in the Global eBook Awards for 2017 Mystery and the BRONZE 2017 for Southern fiction Reader's Favorite.


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