This is book number 1 in the A Kate Martinelli Mystery series.
If you would like a copy of A Grave Talent signed by Laurie R. King, please click here.
Murder mystery in 1990’s San Francisco? Tough and capable female newbie, with no-nonsense veteran detective? Art, psychology, and a commune in the mountains? Laurie R. King paints a world you can drive right up to, with characters you feel you could have a conversation with on the street—while creating an intricate, wonderfully plotted mystery.
— Jocelyn
You know her name, and you’ve read her Mary Russell books, but have you read Laurie King’s Kate Martinelli series? If not, you’re in for such a treat! I adore Martinelli. Kate is a gay detective working in San Francisco, who is smart, dogged, and not afraid to dive into a case head on. A Grave Talent is exactly what you'd expect from King—a complex, thrilling mystery
— FlanneryTHE EDGAR AWARD-WINNING NOVEL
THE FIRST KATE MARTINELLI MYSTERY
In Laurie R. King's Grave Talent, the unthinkable has happened in a small community outside of San Francisco. A series of shocking murders has occurred, the victims far too innocent and defenseless. For lesbian Detective Kate Martinelli, just promoted to Homicide and paired with a seasoned cop who's less than thrilled to be handed a green partner, it's a difficult case that just keeps getting harder.
Then the police receive what appears to be a case-breaking lead: it seems that one of the residents of this odd colony is Vaun Adams, arguably the century's greatest woman painter and a notorious felon once convicted of a heinous crime.
But what really happened eighteen years ago? To bring a murderer to justice, Kate must delve into the artist's dark past—even if it means losing everything she holds dear.
“A Grave Talent kept me reading deep into the night.” —The Boston Globe
“[An] amazing first novel with intelligence, intrigue, and intricacy...This work exhibits strong psychological undertones, compelling urgency, and dramatic action.” —Library Journal