Palatino for the Painter (Thistlewood Star Mysteries, #2)

Out of print. Republished as C. Rysa Walker.

A total eclipse of the art?
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When the rusted-out remains of a vehicle with a unique vanity plate are hauled out of the Freedom River, journalist Ruth Townsend and her best friend, Wren Lawson, think they’ve finally learned the truth about the disappearance of their high school friend, Tanya Blackburn. The rest of Thistlewood may have believed that Tanya simply packed up and headed for the bright lights of Nashville, but the story never made sense to Ruth and Wren, and the mystery has haunted both of them for more than three decades.

Things aren’t always what they appear on the surface, however. A set of paintings left for Ruth at the estate sale of a former teacher seem to contain clues about what really happened to Tanya in the summer of 1987. But when Ruth unboxes the collection, she discovers that Wren may be keeping a few secrets of her own.
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Will Ruth uncover the identity of the painter and track down the clues? Or will the answers end up like Tanya, buried at the bottom of the river?