The Collector by Lane Stone [Tour with Excerpt]

Art expert, Emma Kelly, must stop a world war on art, while protecting her secret.

Welcome to the June 16th stop on the blog tour for The Collector by Lane Stone with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

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About the Book

The Collector
Big Picture Book One
by Lane Stone

Published 10 May 2022
Level Best Books

Genre: Thriller
Page Count: 258
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Art expert Emma Kelly arrives at the Metropolitan Museum to meet with disgraced philanthropist Boyle York only to learn he has been murdered. His body and a nearby masterpiece are splattered with blue paint. In the following days, works of art around the world are attacked with the same paint, which Emma believes has something to do with the Virgin Mary. Emma’s husband, Elliott Baldwin, the Assistant Director in charge of the FBI’s New York City field office, isn’t convinced but appreciates her expertise.

Following a lead, Emma travels to her other home in Bath, England, and continues her search for one of the most famous Nazi-looted paintings. When a diver hired to explore a sunken Nazi submarine is murdered with the same weapon used to kill  Boyle York, Emma wonders if the art crimes on three different continents are actually an attempt to trip her up.

Emma races against the clock to countries with Virgin Mary apparition sites in an attempt to save the world’s most beloved artwork. Can she convince the Vatican to disavow the perpetrators and stop the attacks and bring justice to the mastermind behind them before it’s too late? 

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Excerpt

I would hate him forever for making me afraid. My hands trembled and I was as white as the sink I leaned against. I looked how you would expect someone who had just made a deal with the devil to look. How was I going to sit with Ali and Victoria? He’s a killer. The phrase repeated over and over in my head.

I splashed water on my face and returned to the table, knowing that not a single one of the brilliant comebacks I now thought of, guaranteed to reduce Ali to a sobbing lump, could be used in front of Valerie. As I turned the corner a waiter poured a martini from a shaker into a fresh glass and took away her empty. Ali wasn’t there. Valerie was lubed up and looked past caring about anything.

I sat and the waiter shook out my re-folded napkin and held it out to me. “Your friend isn’t staying for lunch?”

She shook her head.

“Would you care to order, Madame?”

Valerie looked at the drink. “I’m not hungry.” A text came in and she picked up her phone.

“I’ll have my salad now, please.” That ‘please’ was a signal that I intended to over tip to make up for our party of three table ordering only one meal, that wasn’t liquid. His nod was as understated as the vermouth in the Tavern on the Green’s martinis. If only interactions like what had taken place between us, and between Tabitha and her chauffer, counted as a second language I would be bi-lingual.

About the Author

Lane Stone lives in Alexandria, Virginia and Lewes, Delaware with her husband, Larry Korb, and their Standard Schnauzer, Cordy. She’s the author of THE COLLECTOR, an art thriller, which is the first book in The Big Picture trilogy. The first book in the Old Town Antiques Mystery series, DEAD MEN DON’T DECORATE, will be published in November 2022, and will be written as Cordy Abbott. She is the author of the Pet Palace Mysteries and the Tiara Investigation Mystery series.

When not writing she enjoys characteristic baby boomer pursuits:  being a dog Mom, traveling and volunteering for good causes, like AAUW and the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation. She serves on several boards.

She has a post-graduate certificate in Antiquities Theft and Art Crime.

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Giveaway Alert!

Lane Stone will be awarding $10 Starbucks gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.