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A Historical Art Mystery
by Heidi Eljarbo
During WWII, art theft and looting escalated greatly. A lesser know fact about Adolf Hitler was that he wanted to become an artist. As a young man he envisioned an art career, but he was rejected by Vienna’s Academy of Fine Art who claimed his drawings were unsatisfactory. Certain of his success and future as an artist, Hitler was shocked by this rejection. He applied again, but once more he was turned down.
Still determined to make it, Hitler lived as a pauper and even stayed in a shelter for the homeless for a period. He started copying postcards of Vienna and sold these small watercolors to tourists.
Frustrated about his failure as an artist, Hitler never forgot those first years of struggle. Decades later, as he rose to power, one of his rallying cries was against degenerate modern art, claiming such products of Jews and Bolsheviks were a threat to the German national identity. By 1937, the Nazis had collected about 16 000 modern artworks and showed many of these in a massive exhibition with the purpose of mocking the artists. Then at the beginning of WWII, Hitler ordered the looting of Jewish cultural treasures. Countless pieces of wonderful artwork were an easy conquest, and by Nazi decree these collections had no owners. Looted art that did not meet Hitler’s standard of ideals for the Reich were sold, and the plans for building an enormous art museum in his hometown Linz were born. Here he would collect the greatest art treasures in the world, art he believed rightfully belonged to Germany.
So began the madness and fury of Hitler’s art theft. Fortunately, brave men and women of the resistance worked determinedly to preserve precious artwork from the Nazis. Early on, when rumors of Hitler’s art plans spread, treasures from the largest galleries around Europe were removed for safekeeping and hidden in silver mines, salt mines, slate mines, and other remote places.
Brushstrokes from the Past is the fourth book in an art mystery series. Soli Hansen, a young art historian, joins the resistance to help hide baroque portraits from sinister and greedy Nazi leaders. Written as a dual timeline novel, we meet Soli and her friends in the resistance during the last weeks of WWII. A. The second story takes us back to Amsterdam in the year 1641. Rembrandt van Rijn has painted a portrait of his friend, the French musketeer Claude Beaulieu, but there are complications.
The two separate stories are woven together. Brushstrokes from the Past can be read as a standalone, but the four books are more enjoyable when read in order as both stories continue. What happened to the portrait? Why does it show up three hundred years later? How can Soli and her friends keep it from Hitler’s wolves
Enjoy the adventure!
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| About the Book |
Book Title: Brushstrokes from the Past
Series: Soli Hansen Mysteries
Author: Heidi Eljarbo
Publication Date: 20 September 2022
Page Length: 260 pages
Genre: Historical fiction – dual timeline, a bit of mystery and sweet romance
WWII and the mid-seventeenth century are entwined in this fourth dual timeline novel about Nazi art theft, bravery, friendship, and romance.
April 1945. Art historian Soli Hansen and her friend Heddy arrive at an excavation site only to find Soli’s old archeology professor deeply engrossed in an extraordinary find in a marsh. The remains of a man have lain undisturbed for three centuries, but there’s more to this discovery…
As Soli tries to understand who the baroque man was and discovers what he carried in a sealed wooden tube, problems arise. A leak reveals the finds to the notorious Lieutenant Colonel Heinz Walter, and soon, both Nazi elite and the Gestapo are after the treasure.
When Heddy and the professor disappear along with the artwork, Soli and her resistance group must find them before it’s too late.
1641. In Amsterdam, French musketeer Claude Beaulieu has had his portrait done by his close friend and artist Rembrandt van Rijn. When a band of thieves steal the precious painting, Claude and his wife Annarosa Ruber pick up their swords and a few belongings and go after the culprits.
Set in Norway during the tumultuous last days of the second world war, as well as the peak of the glorious baroque art period, these two stories are a must for readers who love historical fiction with adventure, suspense, and true love that conquers all.
Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley, Kathleen McGurl, Rhys Bowen, and Katherine Neville.
Buy Links:
Available on #KindleUnlimited
Universal Link:
https://books2read.com/u/47g8Ej
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09ZBBRH84/
Amazon US:
https://www.amzn.com/B09ZBBRH84/
Amazon CA:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09ZBBRH84/
Amazon AU:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09ZBBRH84/
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.
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Social Media Links:
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Book Bub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heidi-eljarbo
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https://www.amzn.com/Heidi-Eljarbo/e/B073D852VG/
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16984270.Heidi_Eljarbo
Follow the Tour
Twitter Handles: @HeidiEljarbo @cathiedunn
Hashtags: #solihansenmysteries #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub
Tour Schedule:
https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2022/07/blog-tour-brushstrokes-from-past-by.html
You might also like ... books written by Helen Hollick
Website: https://helenhollick.net/
Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
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Thank you for hosting Heidi Eljarbo today, with such an interesting post. Much appreciated. x
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure
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