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The Black Painting
The Black Painting: A Novel | Neil Olson
10 posts | 12 read | 10 to read
An old-money East Coast family faces the suspicious death of its patriarch and the unsolved theft of a Goya painting rumored to be cursed There were four cousins in the Morse family: perfect Kenny, the preppy West Coast lawyer; James, the shy but brilliant medical student; his seductive, hard-drinking sister Audrey; and Teresa, youngest and most fragile, haunted by the fear that she has inherited the madness that possessed her father. Their grandfather summons them to his mansion at Owl's Point. None of them has visited the family estate since they were children, when a prized painting disappeared: a self-portrait by Goya, rumored to cause madness or death upon viewing. Afterward, the family split apart amid the accusations and suspicions that followed its theft. Any hope that their grandfather planned to make amends evaporates when Teresa arrives to find the old man dead, his horrified gaze pinned upon the spot where the painting once hung. As the family gathers and suspicions mount, Teresa hopes to find the reasons behind her grandfather's death and the painting's loss. But to do so she must uncover ugly family secrets and confront those who would keep them hidden.
LibraryThing
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Readaholics
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Mehso-so

A quick thriller surrounding mysterious deaths in a family that owned one of the infamous Black paintings by Goya. It‘s full of family secrets sprinkled in with some art history. I am a tough critic when it‘s comes to mysteries. I liked it, but want more....

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Jenken1998
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️ the mystery had promise but the characters were eh..an easily predictable tale surrounding a cursed painting belonging to a family with multiple secrets.

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MonicaLoves2Read
Mehso-so

This was a quick read. A family has a Goya painting and think it has caused problems for their family since their dad got it. Family secrets long hidden come out. I just thought it was so-so. Even though it was quick, I found it lacking.

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Penny_LiteraryHoarders
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Panpan

So I‘m halfway through and probably going to skim to the end. It has annoying yet one dimensional characters and not a great deal is happening. It‘s definitely not much about the painting or its curse but more about the annoying people in the family. Another bummer book club choice. 😭😭😭

BookBabe Bummer. ☹️ 7y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders @BookBabe truly. 🙁 😭 7y
27 likes2 comments
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Penny_LiteraryHoarders
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My hibernating by the fire on Sunday / Snow Emergency reading. This is also my in-person book club book.

37 likes1 stack add
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Penny_LiteraryHoarders
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A perfect self portrait for today / this weekend. A(nother) snow emergency has been called so I‘ll be hibernating by the fire again with my book!

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CourtSmall
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#16 for 2018
I finished it as I hate not finishing a book but I was underwhelmed and therefore wouldn't recommend it.

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PatriciaU
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Pickpick

Can paintings be possessed? The family at the center of this story thinks so. They‘ve been haunted by a Goya painting for years, and blame it for the horrible things that have happened in their lives. Goya‘s work *is* startling in its rawness ( Saturn devouring his son is shown here) but it‘s the evil perpetrated by the living that startles me the most. Good book....

Bookish.SAM Goya seems to always, somehow, work into my reading... had to stack this! 7y
71 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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TorieStorieS
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Pickpick

A cursed painting and plenty of family secrets, this is a fast-paced read and is one of the #BooksComingIn2018. Based on the stories surrounding Goya and his black paintings, this quick read is an interesting one with some plot twists more predictable than others! #BlackAndGold #ReindeerReads @Jess7 #CozyUpWithBooks @MyNovelOpinion

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Librarianjd
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Mehso-so

Another book that sounded good -family secrets and a creepy missing Goya painting that is rumored to cause death because of a demon living in it- but it just didn‘t do it for me. The character development was not there and pacing was off. Advance Reading Copy. 1/18 publication date.

3 likes1 stack add