The Library of Light and Shadow

Set in 1925 New York City, bestseller Rose’s engaging third paranormal novel featuring the Duplessi family (after 2016’s The Secret Language of Stones) focuses on artist Delphine Duplessi, who was blinded as a child but had her sight restored by “magick.” That magick enables Delphine to paint portraits of people while wearing a blindfold. It also gives her the “ability not just to see people for who they were but also to see the secrets they harbored.” During a party at a Manhattan penthouse, Delphine paints Clara Schiff, the wife of wealthy bootlegger Nick Schiff, but the completed picture is scandalous, depicting a naked Clara, “half woman, half beast,” being worshipped by a creature, “half man, half beast,” whose face resembles that of Nick’s brother, Monty. Since Monty had an affair with Nick’s first wife, Delphine’s reveal of Clara’s secret naturally inflames her husband and results in a death. Rose makes the guilt Delphine suffers palpable, and the supernatural blends smoothly with the realistic action. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House. (July)