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    Woman on Fire: A Novel
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    Woman on Fire: A Novel
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    Woman on Fire: A Novel
    Ebook390 pages6 hours

    Woman on Fire: A Novel

    By Lisa Barr

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    “An exuberant and propulsive thriller laced with sex, art, and history. Lisa Barr has created an unforgettable story that forces readers to question where the line should be drawn between the pursuit of justice and the hunt for revenge.”—Alyson Richman, bestselling author of The Secret of Clouds

    From the author of the award-winning Fugitive Colors and The Unbreakables, a gripping tale of a young, ambitious journalist embroiled in an international art scandal centered around a Nazi-looted masterpiece—forcing the ultimate showdown between passion and possession, lovers and liars, history and truth.

    After talking her way into a job with Dan Mansfield, the leading investigative reporter in Chicago, rising young journalist Jules Roth is given an unusual—and very secret—assignment. Dan needs her to locate a painting stolen by the Nazis more than 75 years earlier: legendary Expressionist artist Ernst Engel’s most famous work, Woman on Fire. World-renowned shoe designer Ellis Baum wants this portrait of a beautiful, mysterious woman for deeply personal reasons, and has enlisted Dan’s help to find it. But Jules doesn’t have much time; the famous designer is dying.

    Meanwhile, in Europe, provocative and powerful Margaux de Laurent also searches for the painting. Heir to her art collector family’s millions, Margaux is a cunning gallerist who gets everything she wants. The only thing standing in her way is Jules. Yet the passionate and determined Jules has unexpected resources of her own, including Adam Baum, Ellis’s grandson. A recovering addict and brilliant artist in his own right, Adam was once in Margaux’s clutches. He knows how ruthless she is, and he’ll do anything to help Jules locate the painting before Margaux gets to it first.

    A thrilling tale of secrets, love, and sacrifice that illuminates the destructive cruelty of war and greed and the triumphant power of beauty and love, Woman on Fire tells the story of a remarkable woman and an exquisite work of art that burns bright, moving through hands, hearts, and history.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 1, 2022
    ISBN9780063040892
    Author

    Lisa Barr

    Lisa Barr is the New York Times bestselling author of Woman on Fire, The Unbreakables, and the award-winning historical thriller Fugitive Colors. She has served as an editor for The Jerusalem Post, managing editor of Today's Chicago Woman and Moment magazine, and as an editor and reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. She has appeared on Good Morning America and Today for her work as an author, journalist, and blogger. Actress Sharon Stone is set to produce and star in the film adaptation of Woman on Fire. 

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    Reviews for Woman on Fire

    4/5

    47 ratings7 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This went back and forth between really good and really amateurish. I liked the premise, with different people hunting for a lost painting that the Nazis had stolen. One person is an unbelievable villain... meaning I really couldn't believe her or her motives and how those aligned with her actions. One person is a very new journalist, and an untimely death leads to her taking over the project. It was all just a bit too bizarre for what could have been a believable art thriller.
    • 3/5
      Woman on Fire, Lisa Barr, author; Carlotta Brentan, narratorJules Roth is an impetuous 24-year-old wannabe investigative journalist. She scores a coveted position with Dan Mansfield, a legend in the field. He likes her spirit and takes her on to deal with a private matter concerning stolen art, stolen during the time of The Holocaust. Mansfield wants to find and recover the painting that gives the book its title. Many fabulous pieces were illegally stolen from Jewish people who were forced, under duress, to sign them away, or they were simply confiscated, stolen, and given to the Third Reich, even from museums and such. He entrusts this unseasoned, but beautiful, young woman with the job of helping him to find its whereabouts. Is that a smart decision?Dan Mansfield met Ellis Baum, the owner of the company Anika Baum Shoes, while both were secretly recovering from addiction, in a private rehab. Baum’s company makes shoes for the rich and famous, one of a kind pairs that cost thousands. They became fast, close friends. As many secrets were revealed, the mystery of the missing art work intensified. Woman on Fire is a painting by a famous artist, and the model was Baum’s mother. She was the mistress of his Jewish father, Arno Baum. His mother was not Jewish. They were never married. He is an illegitimate Mischling. He witnessed the humiliating, brutal murder of his mother as a youngster. Her crime was consorting with a Jew. He wants this painting returned to him to honor her memory. Why did Ellis find it necessary to hide his true identity? What is his real past?Baum has a grandson, Adam, who is also an artist and a recovering addict. He had been involved with a famous, prominent art dealer, Margaux de Laurent, a very dangerous and manipulative psychopath. She encouraged his Heroin addiction because his art work was more amazing while under the influence. He was quite well known too, at one time, before he became so addicted to the drug. He is now only 27 and is trying to resurrect himself. His grandfather enlists his help to find the missing piece of art. The ownership of the missing and stolen Woman On Fire is secretly contested. Margaux believed it belonged to her father and is legally hers. She did not know, at first, that Adam’s grandfather also claimed ownership of the painting, but she is ruthless and guilty of many previous criminal behaviors, and she will stop at nothing to obtain that piece and others. Because of her fame, she has influence and power and the ability to manipulate others. She deals with merciless tyrants to achieve her goals, and will even consider murder.The novel is another typical story with fluid sexuality, erotic scenes with bisexuals, homosexuals and lesbians, scenes that do not enhance, but rather distract from the story. Sex and romance are used as tools to move the narrative forward, though at times, the reader will have to suspend disbelief. While the story is loosely based on reality, since art was stolen by the Nazis and their co-conspirators, using brutal means, the underworld of stolen art continues to flourish, and the plausibility of a seasoned investigative reporter engaging a young, inexperienced intern in so difficult an effort to find a piece of stolen art seemed incredible. She is often impetuous because of her lack of experience and immaturity, bringing grave danger to herself and others. Sometimes it feels a bit like Chick Lit or a young adult romance novel with intrigue thrown in for effect.
    • 5/5
      This was an insightful glimpse into the art world (something I know nothing of) and although I'd heard of the Nazi stolen art during WWII, this gave a better insight into that part of history.
      There were many players in the story, and I even felt sorry (a tiny bit) for the villian, Margaux, at times. If you enjoy historical fiction like I do, and enjoy a good suspense thriller of cat and mouse placed in the art world, this is the book for you. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this interesting story.
    • 4/5
      Woman on Fire is a painting that was stolen from a Jewish family during WWII, and hidden for years. When Ellis Baum, an elderly shoe designer and the son of the woman in the painting, is dying, he asks his grandson, the famous painter Adam Baum, for help in recovering the painting. Unfortunately, Margaux de Laurent, a ruthless art dealer and heir to the painter Ernst Engel, also has her sights on the painting, and she will stop at nothing to own it. Meanwhile, an ambitious young reporter, Jules Roth, is assigned by her boss/mentor, Dan Mansfield, to follow the story about this painting. Dan is friends with Ellis, and owes him this favor. However, neither realizes the danger they are in as they follow this secret mission. An interesting story of art and intrigue, danger and lies. Ultimately, it leads to a satisfying conclusion.
    • 5/5
      What a rush!Jules Roth, a recent journalism graduate, is desperate to work with Dan Mansfield, Pulitzer winning journalist. First step is meeting him—and that’s no walk in the park. Not to be deterred, Jules strong arms her way into his office declaring to his secretary that Dan’s her uncle. In the middle of talking to Dan an armed siege is reported in progress. Dan rushes out, Jules tags along. Demonstrating initiative Jules seizes the moment, takes a different line to the story, and scoops other journalists. She’s hired!Dan’s friend Ellis Baum, a high end shoe designer, comes to him with a request to help track down a painting by Ernst Engle. The last painting he did, Woman on Fire, was of Ellis’ mother. It was stolen by the Nazis, and based on a newspaper report from Paris, may be part of a recent recovery of stolen Nazi art.Jules joins Dan in the search. One that will lead from Paris to Switzerland, including investigations of an art dealer Margaux de Laurent, an approach to Bram Bakker, renowned art detective, and Baum’s son Adam Chase, a talented artist who had once been the protégée of the pathological Margaux, until drugs had nearly killed him. Besides playing a dangerous detecting game, Jules has to negotiate her own damaged past. and the bright light that is Adam.Strong characters, deadly situations, the taste of the hunt, all combine for an explosive read! “Monuments Men” with killer twists, madness disguised as beauty, and a relentlessness that never falters. HoweverI must admit to being won over by the idea of the shoes—“four-inch-high Anika Baum stilettos—no surprise. Because Art Basel is not about the art; it’s about the shoes.”A Harper Perennial ARC via NetGalley Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
    • 4/5
      This stunning novel tells a beautiful story of love, family, mystery, art & courage! The vivid writing brings not only the settings & characters but also the art to life as if you were standing right in front of it! With exquisite writing, well written characters & a plot that has enough suspense & a villain that will satisfy every mystery lover! Well written, loveable characters & a satisfying ending!

      Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours, Harper Paperbacks & Lisa Barr for sharing this absolutely stunning novel with me!
    • 5/5
      Woman on Fire was the last book that I read in 2021 and was one my favorite books of the year. I have a warning for you before you start this book - clear your calendar because you won't want to put it down until the end and have tissues at hand because you'll probably need them for not just the sadness but I also cried happy tears.Jules just graduated from college and her goal in life is to work for Dan Mansfield, the leading investigative reporter in Chicago. He has ignored all of her attempts to talk to him so she barges into his office. He's impressed with her and asks her to work on a new project with him. Ellis, a rich shoe designer and a friend of Dan's, has asked him to recover a painting that was taken by the Nazis in 1939 and has significant personal value to him. The painting has been in the collections of several people over the years but no one knows where it is now - it hasn't been seen in decades and there are very few clues to guide them but along with Jules, Dan, Ellis and Adam (Ellis's grandson), they start trying to find out more information about where the painting has been since it was stolen by the Nazis in 1939 in hopes that the clues will lead them to the painting. Soon they find out that someone else is also searching for the painting. Margaux de Laurent is the heir to her art collector family's millions, she owns prestigious galleries all over the world and gets everything she wants. She wants Woman on Fire for personal reasons and will stop at nothing to succeed in her search. As the story travels from Chicago to Paris to Germany and back again and travels from 1939 to the present time, all parties are desperate to find the painting no matter what danger it puts them in.It is very apparent that the author did significant research on art that was stolen by the Nazis and never recovered. During WWII, the Nazis seized more than 600,000 works of art. Some pieces of art were destroyed but some ended up in the homes of the leaders of the party. She also presented lots of information about the art world of today and the way that some of the galleries operate.This book has it all - exquisite writing, well written characters and a plot that keeps readers turning pages with an ending that was perfect and I didn't see coming. It's full of love, mystery, ambition, art and sex - what more could you ask for? Plus it has the meanest psychopath villain of any book that I've read in a long time. Don't miss this book!I won this book in a Facebook contest on Lisa Barr's author page and want to thank her for the opportunity to read and review her fantastic book.