Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr

Synopsis: After talking her way into a job with Dan Mansfield, the leading investigative reporter in Chicago, rising young journalist Jules Roth is given an unusual–and very secret–assignment. Dan needs her to locate a painting stolen by the Nazis more than 75 years earlier: legendary Expressionist artist Ernst Engel’s most famous work, Woman on Fire. World-renowned shoe designer Ellis Baum wants this portrait of a beautiful, mysterious woman for deeply personal reasons, and has enlisted Dan’s help to find it. But Jules doesn’t have much time; the famous designer is dying.

Meanwhile, in Europe, provocative and powerful Margaux de Laurent also searches for the painting. Heir to her art collector family’s millions, Margaux is a cunning gallerist who gets everything she wants. The only thing standing in her way is Jules. Yet the passionate and determined Jules has unexpected resources of her own, including Adam Baum, Ellis’s grandson. A recovering addict and brilliant artist in his own right, Adam was once in Margaux’s clutches. He knows how ruthless she is, and he’ll do anything to help Jules locate the painting before Margaux gets to it first.

Review: I was immediately intrigued by the synopsis while seeing that the novel was about a painting stolen by the Nazis.

June has a dream: to work as a journalist with the very famous Dan. Her first case: a story about a painting stolen by the Nazis that has recently resurfaced. It doesn’t sound like too much of a story and yet… Because those who want the painting back are willing to kill to achieve their end.

We follow various characters in this novel, all of whom have one goal: The Woman on Fire. I enjoyed getting to know them one by one. June is a determined woman, determined to find out what happened to that painting. It will be far from easy, but she knows she can succeed.

An interesting novel that I enjoyed reading!