The Portrait

The Portrait Girl

"An enticingly authentic flavour... a thoroughly engaging mystery" Financial Times "Clever, imaginative and very well handled... a charming debut." The Spectator "An ingenious plot, masses of fabulous detail, a compelling mystery and, at its heart, a vindication for the rights of the female artist. Brava.” Elizabeth Buchan, author of Bonjour Sophie. “A splendid, mysterious tale about Victorian art in which people are not quite what they seem.” Adam Hart-Davis, presenter of BBC TV’s What the Victorians Did for Us. Will she captivate you too? 1880 A young woman sits for the painting of a miniature portrait – a fashionable betrothal gift – while secretly contemplating a terrifying decision that will change everything. Now Freya Wetherby’s life is falling apart. Her jewellery business has failed and her boyfriend has betrayed her. Then she discovers a Victorian portrait miniature in her late mother’s belongings. Who is this intriguing young woman? Why is Freya becoming so obsessed by her? As she embarks on a quest to discover the girl’s identity, a meeting with an art historian draws her into a fascinating but sinister series of salons where the Victorian art world is uncannily brought to life. Past and present become dangerously blurred as Freya begins a perilous search for the truth about the portrait miniature – and herself. More praise for The Portrait Girl... “A fascinating, modern mystery with a distinctly Victorian flavour,” Nigel West, historian, author of numerous titles on intelligence topics, voted “The Experts’ Expert” by The Observer. “The Portrait Girl is a real treat for lovers of historical and time-slip fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this clever, complex and engaging novel. The mystery at the heart of the book is certain to draw readers in and the meticulously researched sections about art, miniatures and jewellery are an absolute joy.” Louise Douglas, author of The Sea House. “A dark, brooding and atmospheric mystery.” Emily Bell, author of This Year’s for Me and You. “Rich with historical detail and Victorian flair brought to a modern-day setting, this is a cleverly told story of one woman’s quest to learn more about the mysterious figure in a portrait miniature she inherits and getting far more than she bargained for. Fans of Kate Morton’s The Clockmaker’s Daughter will enjoy this layered mystery with fantastic art history elements deftly woven into it.” Kristen Perrin, author of How To Solve Your Own Murder. “An enchanting story laced with mystery and tension. I loved it.” NJ Barker, author of The Honesty Index. “The writing is beautifully detailed without being overbearing. The richly textured descriptions breathe life into an emotional story with great characters. My interest was held throughout and I looked forward to each reading session. Five stars.” Emily Pankhurst, book blogger. “A wonderful mystery with a brilliant Victorian historical twist. Definitely a book I would recommend and one that I think will appeal to mystery and historical fans alike.” The Strawberry Post book blogger

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The Oxford Compendium of Visual Illusions

Visual illusions are compelling phenomena that draw attention to the brain's capacity to construct our perceptual world. The Compendium is a collection of over 100 chapters on visual illusions, written by the illusion creators or by vision scientists who have investigated mechanisms underlying the phenomena. --