The Brutal Art

Ethan Muller is struggling to establish his reputation as a dealer in the cut-throat world of contemporary art when he is alerted to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: in a decaying New York slum, an elderly tenant has disappeared, leaving behind a staggeringly large trove of original drawings and paintings. Nobody can tell Ethan much about the old man, except that he came and went in solitude for nearly forty years, his genius hidden and unacknowledged.

Despite the fact that, strictly speaking, the artwork doesn t belong to him, Ethan takes the challenge and makes a name for the old man - and himself. Soon Ethan has to congratulate himself on his own genius: for storytelling and salesmanship. But suddenly the police are interested in talking to him. It seems that the missing artist had a nasty past, and the drawings hanging in the Muller Gallery have begun to look a lot less like art and a lot more like evidence.

Sucked into an investigation four decades cold, Ethan will uncover a secret legacy of shame and death, one that will touch horrifyingly close to home - and leave him fearing for his own life.

Short-listed for Richard & Judy Book Club 2009 (UK)

“'Literate and thought-provoking....Kellerman is a master of menace' Daily Mail'A most accomplished novel by a writer of great imagination and skill' Sunday Telegraph'An enthralling, character-driven drama' Daily Record'Kellerman has a gift for creating compelling characters as well as for crafting an ingenious plot that grabs the reader and refuses to let go.' Publishers Weekly”

Literate and thought-provoking....Kellerman is a master of menace - Daily Mail

A most accomplished novel by a writer of great imagination and skill - Sunday Telegraph

An enthralling, character-driven drama - Daily Record

Kellerman has a gift for creating compelling characters as well as for crafting an ingenious plot that grabs the reader and refuses to let go. - Publishers Weekly

Jesse Kellerman is the 28-year-old son of Faye and Jonathan Kellerman. Jesse received his BA in psychology from Harvard and his MFA in playwriting from Brandeis University. He now lives with his wife in New York City.

Ethan Muller is struggling to establish his reputation as a dealer in the cut-throat world of contemporary art when he is alerted to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: in a decaying New York slum, an elderly tenant has disappeared, leaving behind a staggeringly large trove of original drawings and paintings. Nobody can tell Ethan much about the old man, except that he came and went in solitude for nearly forty years, his genius hidden and unacknowledged.Despite the fact that, strictly speaking, the artwork doesn t belong to him, Ethan takes the challenge and makes a name for the old man - and himself. Soon Ethan has to congratulate himself on his own genius: for storytelling and salesmanship. But suddenly the police are interested in talking to him. It seems that the missing artist had a nasty past, and the drawings hanging in the Muller Gallery have begun to look a lot less like art and a lot more like evidence.Sucked into an investigation four decades cold, Ethan will uncover a secret legacy of shame and death, one that will touch horrifyingly close to home - and leave him fearing for his own life.

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