The Alabaster Gaze

When the Truth Is the Last VictimIt should have been easy for Julian Vane to die. The famed novelist, found lifeless in his study, left behind three women—each with her story of what transpired. But in this twisted tale of obsession and manipulation, every answer is a carefully built lie.Detective Byrne assumed she was looking into a murder case. Instead, she's figuring out the most complicated lie she's ever been told. Julian didn't just die; he planned his death as his final masterpiece, meant to trap the three women closest to him in a web of remorse, ambition, and self-preservation.Mary West, Julian's wife and a successful cardiologist, keeps her cool even though she is hiding evidence that may make her look guilty of planning the murder: searches for deadly quantities of medication. What is her story? The only thing that protects her good reputation is the existence of natural causes.Julian's literary agent, Sloane Porter, is about to become broke. Publishers are asking for money back, and her career is falling apart. She needs Julian's death to mean something that would help her. She promotes the suicide angle, which is the last act of a tragic artist, while deleting emails that could get her in trouble just after she finds the body.Mila Novak, Julian's talented student and secret lover, has a heavier burden. After their furious fight left Julian injured, she fled in panic, believing she had accidentally killed him. She also took his last manuscript, which was a raw confession of manipulation that could make or break her career.The investigation indicates that there are different theories: natural causes, suicide, and accident. But they're all wrong. Julian's secret voice recorder reveals the truth: a deadly neurological ailment, manufactured proof, and a carefully planned exit that would make the most persuasive story possible—one that would remain long after his mind started to deteriorate."The Alabaster Gaze" looks at the dangerous crossroads of talent, legacy, and the lies we tell ourselves. Read more