The Girl in the Picture

Very well written! Great development of characters, plot, and suspense! I’m an avid reader and have high expectations for novels. This book satisfied all! I will recommend it to friends and read more from this author!

The stories of Ella and Violet kept the pages turning for me---especially Violet's adventures throughout the book. The characters were redeveloped, the stories kept moving. right along Anne the auction was satisfying

Engaging and readable, but predictable and cliche in its formulaic character development and plot. Has some good twists and turns in places and I'm interested in exploring the other works from this author

I love a good mystery and this book did not disappoint! The story line pulled me from the beginning. I would recommend it to all people who like to second guess where the story is going clear to its ending!

I liked Girl in the Picture, and I would more than likely enjoy reading more books by Kerry Barrett.

The story pulled me in and I found myself really wanting to find out how Violet's story ended, or continued, whichever way the story went. However, I was much more interested in hearing it from Ella's perspective than Violet's. As Ella was telling the story, I got into the mystery of it all, and the excitement of finding new clues in her search. When the story was being told from Violet's point of view, most of the time my impression of her was that of a flighty, somewhat selfish, impulsive girl. Occasionally I would find myself rooting for her as she was telling the story, such as the time that she traveled to London to find her own way into the world of art she loved (even though that part of the story seemed rushed, in my opinion). Then she would follow that with confronting Edwin, forgiving him, and shaking on an agreement that made no sense, especially after just finding out about the lies he told; lies that had everything to do with her reasons for being upset in the first place!

The one other thing I disliked about the story is the "order" in which it was told. I would have liked reading the story much better if Ella would have found things out before Violet (or anyone else) told us what had happened. I think it would have been more exciting if Ella discovered things, and Violet later explained how it had come about.

In summary, I did enjoy reading the book, though I would definitely describe it as more of a way to pass the time, and not because someone is looking for something particularly thought provoking.

Ella, a young wife and mother, moves to an old house anticipating an opportunity to finish writing her next novel. But a more pressing mystery presents itself: what happened to Violet, the young painter who lived there 150 years ago? The story switches point of view between four characters, so that the reader keeps learning key plot points before the main character does, which I think spoils some of the surprises. The book labors under many familiar tropes: an innocent girl falling in love with a cruel rogue, a convenient friend on the local police force, wind-tossed surf at the bottom of cliffs, the plucky female fighting male supremacy, a half-clothed male model and his swooning painter. Even the ending of poor Violet is so sugar-coated as to lose authenticity. The book is competently written, but not compelling.

But the art world belonged to men in the 1800’s.
She lived with her industrialist father in Sussex, her mother died when she was 5.
She was enamored by her new neighbor Edwin, thought little of his wife Frances.
Here dear fellow reader you will need to find out for yourself what happened to Violet, it is a great mystery!

even though I enjoyed the book, characters well developed and story line easily followed I was disappointed at the culmination. It just didn't ring true......for a healthy young girl like Violet there would have been options that were not allowed her. Otherwise a good, fast read.

Another book with so many 4 and 5 stars leaving many of us ardent readers wondering if we read the same book. The ides was good, I liked the chapters divided between past and present but why oh why make the ending so obvious. Even worse why give us the ending and then leave us to read another two chapters for no reason at all. A great pity as it could have been a good read.

2.5 stars rounded up. The historical fiction mystery part of this book was excellent. Unfortunately, the book flashes back to a present day character as she unravels this mystery, and she is very unlikable. It is too bad she ruins the book with her selfish and childish behavior.

You'll like this one if you enjoy dual time line mysteries. OMGosh there'a a painting in the attic! Ella, a thriller writer (how appropriate) moves into a new home and discovers there's a long unsolved mystery about the woman who lived next door. Violet was a wonderful painter who fell in with the, let's face it, evil Edwin after they meet on the beach. She was too young and impressionable and well, you know how things go when this sort of thing happens. Ella finds herself working things out. You might see where she's making wrong assumptions at times, but that's part of the charm of this well plotted novel. I really enjoyed Violet and Ella both- Barrett has created two terrific characters you'll wish could actually meet. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a very engaging and entertaining novel.

Waste of time & money. Could have been a great story based on the concept but it was full of extraneous verbiage that I had to skip over to get to the story. That unfortunately took too long to get to. Not going to waste my time.

The Girl in the Picture by Kerry Barrett
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Ella Daniels has never been a risk taker. In fact, Ella Daniels has always chosen the safe route, the path which virtually ensures safety. That is, until she sees the Cliff House and makes the decision to pack her bags and her family, leave her safe job and London, to become a full-time writer. Little does she know, her first ever risk is going to lead her straight into a 150-year-old mystery and the book of a lifetime.

Ella’s Cliff House is well-known and something of a local legend in her new small town. Some 150 years ago, a young woman, Violet Hargreaves went missing the same night her family’s gardener and the next-door neighbor were brutally killed. As a part-time, now full-time mystery writer, Ella just can’t help but be intrigued by the mystery surrounding her new home and Violet Hargreaves. With little actual information, one very pregnant police office, and a whole lot of determination, Ella sets out to solve the mystery of Violet Hargreaves.

Ella’s task isn’t an easy one as the facts she uncovers seem to only add more questions to her list of unanswered questions. What she knows, what is fact is that Violet Hargreaves was an artist of considerable talent and she lived in a time when women were largely restricted from such activities. In a dusty old cupboard in her attic, Ella has discovered a few of Violet’s works including a self-portrait and studies for a larger work. The studies create a great deal of excitement as they are, by and large sketches of an attractive and only partially clad man. Such a thing 150 years ago would have proven to be quite the scandal and as Ella digs deeper she discovers not only the identity of the man, but also his nefarious role in Violet’s life.

The Bottom Line: Yeah, I dove into this book head first and didn’t come up for air until I finished it! What a great past meets present, alternating between past and present chapters, historical fiction read! This one has a bit of everything including art and art history, an old unsolved mystery, scandal, and true redemption in the end. Ella is by far my favorite character and it is her strength and determination (along with one fierce tantrum from her young son) that brings Violet Hargreaves back into the light and the justice she deserves. As Ella uncovers Violet’s story, she evolves as both a person and a character and it is lovely to watch her come out of her self-imposed shell. In all, I absolutely loved this book and encourage you to pick this one up if you’re looking for a mixed bag of goodness.

Again, I am amazed at what the reading public accepts as a good book. Admittedly, this novel is based on an interesting idea: a mysterious window and its ties to a 150-year old mystery. And I like the back and forth between today and the mid-nineteenth century. But novels are made from more than just a good idea.
Too many characters with no real development or believable motivation make buying into the story difficult, if not impossible. Along with empty characters, the plot lacks believability at many crucial points. For example, the book emphasizes the social constraints on women in the Victorian age, yet Violet seems to have no trouble traveling to London by herself or having an affair in her father's home. Add to these critical lapses in plot the silly and trite dialogue, especially from Violet, and you may find that reading this book gives one compelling motivation for cleaning the house.
Maybe I read too many classical novels, so a vapid beach read just doesn't hit the mark of a good book. But I am concerned when the reading public doesn't ask more from its writers than a predictable, empty story.

This is definitely one of the best books I have read in quite a while. Although not usually a mystery fan, I love Kate Morton's books and this one is similar in content, if not quite as complex as Morton's books. It's an intriguing tale, well thought out and well told. I will read others by Kerry Barrett.

This mystery was written well, concise and interesting. The personal touches between family members were true to life, not contrived. You could picture the scenes in the book, and the descriptions were not overly done. While the storyline went back and forth in time, it was VERY EASY to follow. I will certainly look for more books written by this author, Kerry Barrett.

Just enough of just about everything if you are looking for a good solid mystery story that bridges past and present seamlessly. Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Ignored all my emails and tweets and grams—and even the office phone calls—to get to the end.

It's late and I've just finished Kerry Barrett's The Girl In the Picture. So this will be short. To begin...and I'm a writer too...the title was just too simple. But the woman on the cover looking cliff side or seaside was mysterious. And I liked the hook lines on the cover too. So I gave it a go. Way too simply written to begin as if writing down to an elementary school child. But eventually the characters became substantially real. The parallel stories of daughters, past and present, losing their mother's early was intriguing. Violet's and France's stories of female oppression in a male era was poignant as well. The ending was very well done except the likelihood of more than bones remaining for the one character was unlike!y. Also bodies leave odors. Unlikely that a 150 year old corpse wouldn't have been smelled out by someone long before made me shake my head. But overall, it kept me reading. The author has style. There"s my four star rating therefore. Well worth the read.

This is the best mystery that I've read in awhile. It tells a beautiful story of two or maybe I should say 3 women. It beiges the gap of pay and present and a little self discovery for each. I honestly couldn't put it down and finished it within a day and a half. I look forward to reading more from Ms Barrett.

Violet Hargreaves was a very good painter but she became involved with a very evil man. Edwin Forrester was a very selfish man. He would do anything to get what he wanted. Ella and Ben Daniels, with their two sons, had just moved in and in the attic they found the portrait of a lovely young girl. Who was she?
This was one amazing story. From the first sentence I was engrossed in this, I read it in one sitting. The way they investigated and researched the people from their house, fascinating. The interaction of the characters, the descriptions of the surroundings, wonderful. It is a complex plot, with some surprises. The author has done a great job of making sense of all the threads to this. I loved how Violet and Frances became friends and tried to help each other. I think this book is very well written and leaves no questions at the end. Well worth the time to read.
I received this ARC for free and voluntarily reviewed it