Man with a Squirrel

Praise for Man with a Squirrel... "Chock-full of fascinating hints for readers interested in collecting fine art, and-unlike many experts-turned-writers-Kilmer knows how to construct a plot." -Booklist Fred Taylor, Cambridge art expert consultant to a rich and omnivorous Beacon Hill collector, is disturbed when he discovers that the harmless old gent who'd been haunting Fred's strongminded lover, librarian Molly Riley, lies dead on the banks of the Charles. But it's the painting fragment Fred ¬ finds on dealer Oona Imry's piques his interest. Fred feels in his gut that the piece of canvas, handsomely portraying a squirrel at a man's feet, might be by John Singleton Copley. Fred's boss, charms Oona into selling him the squirrel, then sends legman Fred out to look for the rest of the painting. A new fragment shortly arrives from the hands of Oonas nephew, gratis, after Oona dies under a train. Are these murders related to each other or to these mysterious canvases? Art dealer and painter Kilmer delights in mirroring contemporary crimes with well-researched and compelling use of history. Nicholas Kilmer, formerly dean of the Swain School of Design in New Bedford, Massachusetts, presently makes his living in the art business. A Paradise for Fools is eighth in his Fred Taylor art mystery series.