Let's start the week with a mystery...
[Helen] Hello Heidi - what are you going to share with us today?
[Heidi] Today, I’d like to talk about mysteries. Unsolved problems. Questions about who, where, when, how, and why? Strange and not known things that we try to explain or even understand.
[Helen] Ooh, that sounds interesting..!
[Heidi] There’s a feel of several mysteries in my novel called Hidden Masterpiece.
· Where is the baroque painting hidden? How is our heroine Soli going to find it? And if she does, how will she preserve the old artwork?
· Who is the model in the painting? What happened to her? In what way is she connected to previous paintings Soli and her friends in the resistance group have already found?
· What is the significance of the word chiaroscuro in this series? How does the old Italian term for a painting technique using a strong contrast of light and dark compare with the effects of war…of good and bad?
· The Ruber family has kept a ledger of their acquisitions since the end of the sixteenth century. What is special about this old journal, and why does it become a focal object for both German and Norwegian leaders in Norway during WWII?
These are some of the things that keep us flipping pages. We want to know what happens. We want a satisfactory solution.
I’d like to tell you a little more about the ledger I mentioned above.
Ever since the first book in the Soli Hansen Mysteries, Soli has been concerned about an old book connected to the artwork she’s trying to preserve and keep away from the enemy. For three hundred and fifty years this book of personal assets and investments has been kept by the head of the Jewish-Italian Ruber family. The Rubers were wealthy merchants with strong family ties. Because of their demanding business and the looming threat of religious persecution, they were forced to move several times. We first meet them in Malta, then in Antwerp, and in Hidden Masterpiece they end up in Amsterdam. The ledger is carefully kept and follows the generations.
[Helen] But Hidden Masterpiece is a WWII story, isn’t it?
[Heidi] Yes, the novel takes place in Norway in 1944, but it also has a dual timeline. Five sections of the book are woven into the storyline and takes the reader back to the seventeenth century and the dealings of the Ruber family, especially the main character Annarosa. And because the ledger is still intact in 1944 and has important information about hidden masterpieces, it becomes a vital but also dangerous tool for those who try to find the paintings. Along with the entries of purchase—and shrouded in mystery—clues and riddles are written throughout the pages of the ledger in hopes that one day someone trustworthy will find and take care of the hidden treasures.
I’ve left one mystery unsolved. It emerges during the last few pages of Hidden Masterpiece. But that’s a tale for the next book in the series.
So, enjoy! I certainly loved writing this story for you.
About the book:
In this riveting third book in the Soli Hansen Mysteries series, a woman’s courage to follow her conviction during a horrible war leads her to the portrait of a young Jewish heiress painted three centuries earlier.
Norway 1944. Art historian Soli Hansen has gone undercover to rescue masterpieces and keep them from falling into the hands of Nazi thieves. Working with a small resistance group led by her best friend Heddy, Soli will stop at nothing to thwart the efforts of the invaders of their scenic country. Trust and loyalty mean everything when working against a merciless enemy.
Riddles and clues lead the way to a mysterious work of art. It’s a race against time, but Soli and her network refuse to give up. However, when news arrives that her sweetheart Nikolai is missing in action, she strives to concentrate on the demanding quest.
From the streets of Oslo to the snow-covered mountains and medieval churches of Nume Valley, Soli takes risks larger than her courage, trying to preserve and hide precious art. But she must decide if it’s all worth losing the man she loves.
Antwerp 1639. Fabiola Ruber’s daughter, Annarosa, wants to honor her mother’s last wish and have her portrait done by a master artist who specializes in the art of chiaroscuro. Her uncle writes to an accomplished painter in Amsterdam and commissions him to paint his beloved niece.
Struggling with religious and social persecution, the Jewish Ruber family uproots once again and travels northward. On the way, they will sojourn in Amsterdam for Annarosa’s sitting in the master painter’s studio. But will they make it there? None of them can foresee the danger of such a journey.
Buy Links:
This novel is available to read for free with #KindleUnlimited subscription.
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4joZyk
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B096S9ZH74/
Amazon US: https://www.amzn.com/B096S9ZH74/
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B096S9ZH74/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B096S9ZH74/
About the Author:
Heidi Eljarbo is the bestselling author of historical fiction and mysteries filled with courageous and good characters that are easy to love and others you don't want to go near.
Heidi grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as an author, magazine journalist, and painter.
After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have a total of nine children, thirteen grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier.
Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter.
Heidi’s favorites are family, God's beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/
Newsletter: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/newsletter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeidiEljarbo
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Heidi-Eljarbo/e/B073D852VG
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Twitter Handle: @HeidiEljarbo @maryanneyarde
Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalMystery #DualTimeline #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub #solihansenmysteries
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Helen