Isabella’s Painting (A Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 1) by Ellen Butler

The first book in the Karina Cardinal Mystery series, Isabella’s Painting introduces a highly entertaining protagonist who navigates this mystery thriller with wit and gritty determination.

Karina Cardinal is smart, hardworking and, to her dismay, a good girlfriend, who instead of spending quality time with her boyfriend, is putting on airs at her in-laws annual holiday party. It is her attendance at this party that sets the story into motion when she catches a glimpse of a Vermeer painting in her father-in-law’s possession. Caught between contacting the police, which would inevitably lead to her boyfriend’s family’s demise, Cardinal makes the decision to solve the mystery herself, with the help of an old FBI friend, which reveals a bigger crime than a stolen painting.

Ellen Butler has created a compelling leading lady for her mystery series – both strong and vulnerable. The men, however, take on stereotypical roles and at times act quite mechanically. The sexual tension that is quite palpable between Cardinal and Finnegan feels like a role reversal of old school mystery romances – only now it’s the woman’s turn to be in control. This could be a clever way to flip the cliché on its head, but instead feels more like a continuation of old tropes.

This is a small misstep in what is overall a fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable read. The fact that the story has a tangential connection to the actual art heist of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, in 1990, gives the book another enticing layer of interest and intrigue. The larger-than-life moments have a gripping sense of reality, and combined with the book’s sense of whimsy and engrossing mystery, the novel is an excellent start to a new mystery series.