In this stylish, fast-paced thriller, for readers of Tana French and Stieg Larsson, a deadly heist upends art conservator Stella Da Silvera's life in New York City. Now she must restore order or lose everything. As a night owl, Stella Da Silvera appreciates that Claiborne's Auction House allows her to keep an unconventional schedule. Natural light can damage priceless works of art, and besides, Stella's concentration improves after hours. One night, while working on a seventeenth-century painting by Diego Velázquez, Stella hears screams from the office of Claiborne's curator Jack Ashby. She tries to investigate, but when the noise fades away, she heads back to her studio—where she finds a dead body and a man with a tattooed face who isn't happy to have company. After eluding the unsavory character, Stella returns with the police, only to find the corpse—and the Velázquez—gone. With no murder in evidence, the...

The keys to a historic trap are discovered in a cache of forgeries and crumbling film stock.

"With shades of Umberto Eco and Paul Auster, this brilliant, addictive adventure novel is about the search for a mythical lost city located somewhere in modern-day Iran. As a succession of explorers and shady characters dig deeper into the landscape, the ancient secret of Suolucidir is gradually revealed. This is brainy, escapist fiction at its best."—Publishers Weekly, Starred & Boxed Review"The author's prose is rich with winking allusions and sendups of modern tomb-raiding tropes, down to an explorer with 'a long stiff braid down her back.'"—The New Yorker" . . . cerebral, satirical, and entertaining archaeological thriller . . . this richly crafted and handsomely written novel rewards rereading."—David Cooper, New York Journal of Books"It's always a delight to discover a voice as original as Susan Daitch's."—Salman Rushdie"One of the most intelligent and attentive writers at work in the US...