Contemporary/Historical Suspense set amid the art world of modern day NYC and the dawn of the Renaissance in Italy.
Bronx born and bred, Mackenzie Ferrara is both nervous and excited to begin her career as a restorer of fine art at the prestigious Cloisters in New York City. The star of the restoration team is a handsome Italian named Anthony Bataglia, world renowned for his ability to bring pre-Renaissance treasures back to life.
Despite a rocky start, the two form a close working relationship, which Mackenzie hopes will blossom into something more. But the more she works with him the more she notices peculiar patterns and unexplainable similarities in all of his restorations. Is Anthony really who he claims to be? Too many strange coincidences lead Mackenzie and her father, a retired detective, to think otherwise.
Something is clearly not what it seems to be with the dashing Mr. Bataglia, and the resourceful Mackenzie is determined to get to the bottom of it. What she finds is even more incredible — and shocking — than she could ever imagine.
Weaving its way between the dawn of the Renaissance and modern day New York, The Painter of Time deftly weaves together art, history, romance and the agony of keeping a dark secret hidden.
Watch the book trailer below to learn more about this compelling story.
Advance Praise
“An enchanting mystery, full of intrigue, romance, and time travel”
Foreword Reviews
“Matthew O’Connell has woven art history, art conservation and mystery into a fascinating multi-layered story. Reading this novel is like being taken on a tour of the Uffizi by a passionately informed docent who introduces us, not only to the paintings, but to the artists who painted them. O’Connell weaves a contemporary plot with flashbacks through time to Renaissance Italy and gives a sense of the artists as flesh and blood men and not just famous names in catalogues. Art history has never been so alive.”
Suzanne M. Wolfe, author of The Confessions of X
