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The Haunted Artist by Larry Witham.
2025-Release: Julian Peale Art-Crime Mystery, No. 4.
The death of Sam Mason, a young painter, shakes a small New England town. Police say suicide. But his sister can’t believe he would do such a thing. She enlists the help of Castelli and Associates, which specializes in art crime, and Julian Peale is on the case. With Sam gone, his paintings-seemingly lost, hidden, or even a mirage–now stir a race to find out what happened, if not to cash in on his legacy. Art dealers see Sam as a “late, great artist” in the making. They’re all after whatever of Sam’s mysterious works they can find. Delving into the artist’s past, Peale traces the threads of Sam’s life across middle America, from Pittsburgh and Savannah to St. Louis and Atlanta. As a struggling artist, it seems Sam had fallen into bad company, beginning with a shady art dealer and then a small-time duo of Albanian crooks. Sam had also been dabbling in the dark arts. Peale’s investigation takes him to art schools, urban scenes, the high-end art market, and a migrant community trying to do good-except for a few gone bad. The missing paintings remain a puzzle until the end, a time when bigger mysteries-and darker forces-unfold when least expected.
Awarded 5 Stars by Editor at Book Marketing Global Network: This is the fourth book in the Julian Peale Art Crime Mystery Series by Larry Witham. This author’s work is new to me, but I can say with certainty that his mystery series will become as sought after as his character Sam Mason’s artwork has impacted the art world. I give 5 Stars for this book and entire mystery series.
The book opens unexpectedly as Colleen Mason is looking down into the open casket at an old Methodist Church in Lynn, MA (just north of Boston). She is now the sole survivor of the Mason family and is responsible for the funeral, memorial and burial of her older brother Samuel (Sam). In recent years, as an aspiring artist, Sam had little time for the family. Colleen had her head in another world as well. She was finishing her college degree at the very demanding Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.
Questions started swirling in Collen’s mind at Pine Grove Cemetery where she expected a small gathering of local people. Complete strangers to Collen arrived to pay respect and offer condolences. First, there was a man with the Boston Art gallery, a woman named Monica Smithton and others. Their sentiments were similar in nature “we’ve lost a rising new star in the art world. Sam was a rare talent” What puzzled her more, they wanted to know if she had any of Sam’s painting.
Collen knows absolutely nothing about the art world and even less about the rushed police investigation that concluded that Sam’s death was ruled a suicide. She knew that Sam would never kill himself and this begins the first of many mysteries that will be revealed as you read ‘The Haunted Artist’.
It is at MIT; Collen gets the ear of twenty-two-year-old Nathan Peale. Nathan is also finishing his degree in computer science. Collen had heard that Nathan’s father was a former (now retired) navy intelligence officer that had worked for Castelli and Associates in Washington, DC. They are well known for their investigations into art crimes, like theft or smuggling or forgery.
The threads of Sam’s life will take many unexpected turns across middle America, from Pittsburgh and Savannah to St. Louis and Atlanta. With so many people looking for Sam’s artwork, had Sam fallen into bad company or did he get sucked up into dark under belly of the art world.
I invite you to follow Julian Peale’s crime investigation as he searches for the missing paintings, unravels deeper mysteries and is haunted by darker forces. I encourage you to read all of Julian Peale Art Crime Mystery Novels. Larry Witham is the author of nineteen books, an award-winning journalist and by avocation, a fine art painter. He lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington D.C.
Editorial Review and Endorsement by Book Marketing Global Network.
Kirkus Reviews: “An exceedingly intelligent private-eye tale that offers a peek into the darker corners of art-world commerce.”
BookLife/Publishers Weekly Review: “Smart, swift mystery of an art-world where painters are more profitable dead.”
BestThrilers.com Review: “. . . a taut, refreshing and fascinating work of detective fiction.”
SPR Review: “A captivating combination of art world intrigue, familial devotion, and the sinister price tag of fame.”
Review by Nikitabooktiquehub: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Highly recommended. Reviewed in India on July 4, 2025. Verified Purchase. The Haunted Artist is a gripping blend of mystery, art, and the shadows that linger behind creative genius. When young painter Sam Mason is found dead and quickly ruled a suicide, his sister refuses to accept the narrative. With the help of Julian Peale and Castelli and Associates, the truth begins to unravel—one brushstroke at a time. The suspense builds as the question lingers: Was Sam haunted… by something more than his art?
The story takes us across middle America—through Pittsburgh, Savannah, St. Louis, and Atlanta—revealing the complicated life Sam led. As Peale uncovers the trail of Sam’s elusive paintings, he also steps into a tangled world of shady dealers, urban decay, and Eastern European criminals. The way Larry Witham paints these gritty scenes with words is as atmospheric as the art world he’s exposing.
Witham doesn’t just serve a crime mystery—he explores the spiritual and even supernatural, suggesting Sam may have been toying with dark forces in his quest for meaning and fame. Each twist in the plot adds texture, leading readers deeper into a world where nothing is quite what it seems, and where art can either save—or destroy—you.
The final chapters pack a powerful punch, answering questions while still leaving a haunting impression. This book isn’t just a mystery—it’s a portrait of obsession, ambition, and how beauty and darkness often walk hand-in-hand. A must-read for fans of art noir, psychological thrillers, and twisty detective fiction.
Review by Nerdybibliophilee: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Loved it. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2025. Verified Purchase. In the dark underbelly of the art world, a young painter’s suspicious death sets off a chain of events that exposes a web of beauty, tragedy, and greed, and it’s up to art crime investigator Julian Peale to unravel the truth.
With a masterful blend of mystery, art, and noir, Larry Witham crafts a captivating narrative that follows Peale on a thrilling cross-country journey. As Peale delves into the dark world of corrupt art dealers and Sam’s troubled past, the story unfolds with a cinematic flair, rich in detail and suspense, making it impossible to put down.
What makes this novel particularly compelling is its exploration of the thin line between artistic brilliance and personal suffering, as evidenced by Sam’s life, which was marked by secrets, dubious alliances, and occult dabblings, raising powerful questions about legacy, exploitation, and the art world’s tendency to mythologize the dead.
Witham skillfully weaves a tight plot, maintaining a steady suspense and a strong emotional undercurrent. The Haunted Artist is a thought-provoking thriller that not only entertains but also comments on how tragedy can be exploited and how truth, like great art, often lies beneath the surface. If you enjoy intelligent thrillers with a unique twist, this book is a must-have.
Product Details:
Paperback: 218 Pages
Publisher: Archway Publishing (February 20, 2025)
Language: English
Mysteries (Crime)
Mysteries (Suspense Thriller)
Thrillers (Suspense)
Thriller & Suspense (Action Fiction)
Thriller (Political)
About The Author: Larry Witham is the author of nineteen books, an award-winning journalist and by avocation a fine art painter. He lives with his wife in the Maryland suburbs of Washington D.C.
- Julian Peale Art-Crime Mystery Series Book 4 Released in 2025: The Haunted Artist.
- Julian Peale Art-Crime Mystery Series Book 3 Released In 2023: Incident at Devil’s Finger.
- Julian Peale Art-Crime Mystery Series Book 2 Release In 2023: The Silk Road Affair.
- Julian Peale Art-Crime Mystery Series Book 1 Release 2015: Gallery Pieces.
Larry Witham is an author, editor, journalist, and artist. His fourth novel, The Silk Road Affair was released (Sept. 2023) by Archway Publishing. Witham has written seventeen books, mainly nonfiction. He was a finalist in the 2015 Pen Literary Awards for biography. He began his writing career as a daily newspaper reporter in Washington D.C., a job he held for twenty-one years. He went on to write and edit books full-time. Witham has received several national awards for his newspaper work and books and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for a series he co-wrote on the clergy in America. He was Project Editor for the ten-volume Templeton Press science-and-religion series and was editor of Science and Spirit magazine in 2007. A painter by avocation, Witham, is currently exploring new art and writing projects. He has a bachelor’s degree in painting from San Jose State University (1974).
Amazon Author’s Page:
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Website:
https://www.larrywithamnovelist.com
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Author’s Page At Book Marketing Global Network:
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