Painted Truth

The second in the Alix Thorssen series.

Painted Truth, the second in the new series featuring art gallery owner Alix Thorssen closely behind the first, The Bluejay Shaman, published in 1994. I’m glad to note this because McClendon is one of those authors whose work makes readers moan “Can’t she write any faster?” But even though it will be hardship, I’m willing to wait a year for the next book because I’m convinced the wait will be well worth it.

The author has created in Alix a very human, vivid and enormously appealing character. She is someone I both like and admire, and, because of her Norwegian ancestry, I’m convinced I do know her – or at least many like her (having been the lone Swede to graduate from a largely Norwegian college in Minnesota.)

Set in beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the story is fast-paced: Alix and her friend Eden return from a kayaking lesson just in time to see Eden’s art gallery burning to the ground and a body bag being carried out. The body is that of Ray Tantro, an artist whose work Eden was showing.

The autopsy reveals Ray committed suicide and the fire investigator declares it a bizarre coincidence that the gallery is torched at the same time. When Alix is hired to do an appraisal of the gallery’s inventory for the insurance company, she learns that the police believe Eden hired the arsonist herself in order to collect on the insurance. Alix, knowing the gallery had not been a profitable venture, nonetheless refuse to believe this and she launches her own investigation.

Intriguing subplots are intermingled with Alix’s probe for the truth. Paolo, Alix’s former lover and business partner, is intending to sell his share in their gallery and move back to New York. Although their affair ended some time ago, Alix regards him as her best friend and is none too happy about his decision or the fact that Eden, with whom Paolo has been sharing his bed, is designated her new partner. In addition, Alix’s boyfriend, Missoula cop, Carl Mendez, is in town vacationing and he is convinced she should leave the inquiry to the professionals.

But Alix suspects too much to leave it alone. Who can prove “Joe Crisp” is really Tantro? What a way to revive a moribund career. After all, an artist’s prices escalate after his death. Alix pursues clues, and narrowly surviving numerous attempts to her life, she closes in on a suspect, although not without tragic results.

McClendon has written an extremely satisfying mystery whose intricate plot kept me guessing. Every time I had it figured out, another twist cropped up. Female sleuths are popular now, and Painted Truth and Alix Thorssen deserve to be ranked near the top in this market. It’s a rare book that can keep me riveted to its pages and have me reaching for tissues at the end. This one did. I give it my highest recommendation.
- Lisa
-- Mystery News: November/December 1995

There was a time when mysteries were primarily written by men. The pendulum now seems to have swung to women. Marcia Mueller, Sue Grafton and Sarah Paretsky were in the vanguard in the 70s and 80s. Now in the 90s, more and more good women mystery writer are being published. Among these is Lise McClendon of Billings, Montana, creator of Alix Thorssen. Painted Truth is her second mystery.

Alix is of Norwegian background, single and in her early 30s. She’s a gutsy, strong, independent woman, but she’s also sensitive and occasionally even in need of a shoulder to cry on. For the past eight years she and her partner ands one time lover, Paolo Segundo, have owned the Second sun Gallery, an art gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She is also on call as an art authentication expert for insurance companies and law enforcement agencies. That expertise brought Alix to Missoula, Montana, in McClendon’s first book, The Bluejay Shaman (1994). Soon after her arrival her brother-in-law was arrested for the alleged murder of a young woman on an Indian Reservation. Alix involved herself in investigating the events surrounding the death of the woman; a second murder occurs and Alix herself becomes a suspect. On the lighter side, she meets and becomes romantically involved with Missoula Police Officer, Carl Mendez who reminds her of Paolo Segundo.

In Painted Truth, Alix is back in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It’s midsummer and the town is filled with tourists from all over the country. In preparation for a planned river run vacation with Carl Mendez, Alix has taken a day off from the gallery to take a kayaking lesson on the Snake River from instructor Pete Rotondi. Her friend, Eden Chaffee, owner of the Timberwolf Arts Gallery had come along for the ride. On their return approach to Jackson Hole they see thick, billowing, black smoke coming from the center of town. They make their way to the square only to find that Eden’s gallery is the source of the fire. Not only is the gallery gutted, but the dead body of Ray Tantro whose work was on exhibit in the gallery is found in the ruins. The official verdict is arson and suicide. Since two insurance policies had been taken out on the gallery and the Tantro exhibit, the police chief ask Alix to do an appraisal.

And so her involvement in the case begins. Alix is a caring person and above all she cares about art and artists. She had studied arts herself and had long been an admirer of Tantro’s work of the 70s. He had been big in the 70s and was now trying to make a comeback. While she did not like the large abstracts of his Timberwolf show, his death weighed heavily on her. “It mattered to me what happened to Ray Tantro. He was on the way back from the wasteland. He had a new show of his artwork. Why kill yourself when things are finally looking up?”

Alix’s suspicions are aroused and she plunges into the investigation. Her car is tampered with, she discovers a second body and, because her gun is found nearby, herself becomes a suspect. Alix is so preoccupied with the case that when Carl comes to Jackson Hole, not only doesn’t she go on the river run with him, but their relationship becomes so strained that he goes back to Missoula.

One of the satisfying things about a mystery is that in the end the case is solved and life goes on. Painted Truth certainly is no exception to that rule. The plot McClendon devised is multi-faceted. Unlike some other mysteries I have read, it is not a page turner until after the first 70 or so pages, but after that it certainly kept me reading.

Of course the most important character in any mystery is the sleuth, whether amateur or professional. As all good sleuths do, Alix Thorssen works hard to make the world right, but she is also a living. Loving, vulnerable character who develops and grows. And that’s what makes her interesting.

Another aspect of both of McClendon’s books that I liked is her strong sense of place. The way she paints the landscape with words brought back vivid memories for me of my Montana vacation trip last summer. I’ve never been to Jackson Hole, but I suspect that her descriptions of that area and the people there are as precise as those of the Missoula area.

I liked both The Bluejay Shaman and Painted Truth. My only minor reservation is that in both books there are cliffhangers which are resolved in a way that for me was implausible. That said, I am looking forward to reading more books by Lise McClendon featuring Alix Thorssen.
-- Portlandia Review of Books: #3 Spring 1996 - Reviewed by Ingrid Reti

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is a gorgeous place, and the tourists know it. They jam the square, crowd the rivers and mountains and woods, and haunt the tourist shops and art galleries. Alix Thorssen runs the Second Sun Gallery in downtown Jackson Hole, and evaluates artwork for insurance companies and the police. When the Timberwolf Gallery goes up in flames with artist Ray Tantro inside, Alix is asked to compose an appraisal and artist bio for the insurance company. The fire is called arson, but the death is called a suicide.

But, of course, things don’t add up. The fire was set in a particularly elaborate way. The artist seemed to have a hole in his life, a fifteen-year blank period, and evidence suggests that someone else died in the fire.

The police wish Alix would butt out. The last thing they want is a closed case to be reopened. Then someone makes an attempt on Alix’s life, and corpses turn up in odd places. Soon the police and the FBI are investigating her for murder.

Meanwhile, it seems as if Alix’s life is falling apart. Her ex-lover and business partner, Paolo Segundo, wants to sell his half of the business, which is suffering bad economic times. Her boyfriend, Carl Mendez, is suffering his own career crisis, and their relationship seems on the rocks. Alix has broken her nose and has two black-and blue eyes from kayaking.

Writing in a lyrical, often humorus style, McClendon brings the surrounding Wyoming territories to life, and her insight into the art world is intriguing. Alix Thorssen is a charming, grouchy, quirky, and even harder on herself than she is on the people around her. “A snapping turtle with a brain and a bra.”

The plot is a treat, full of legitimate twists and turns involving art forgery, the bizarre and often morbid ways art appreciates upon the artist’s death, and changes of identity. Two-thirds of the way through, the identity of the murderer – or for that matter, the victim – seems obvious, only to be spun on its head by the end. Painted Truth is Alix Thorssen’s second outing, and it’s a good one, worthy of a long-running series.
-- The Armchair Detective: - Mark Terry

Highly Recommended
It has been a year since Alix has returned from her vacation back home, but her life has none of the stability it had before she left. Her art gallery in

Jackson Hole, Wyoming is in financial difficulty. Her partner (and former lover) is talking about selling his share of the business. Her protÈgÈ Eden Chaffee has had her own gallery torched with the artist that she was showcasing killed in the fire. As an art expert, Alix is asked to appraise the paintings that were ruined by the fire. She accepts to help her friend.

As the appraisal and her research concerning the deceased artist continue, Alix becomes suspicious that there is more to the fire incident than meets the eye. The evidence begins to point towards Eden having insurance on a failing business. Even more shocking is that Alix starts to intuitively believe that the artist is not the person who died in the fire. Alix follows the trail of evidence to a backwoods cabin where she locates the corpse of the artist, killed by gun fire. Ballistics tests prove that Alix'ís gun is the murder weapon, leaving her in the precarious situation of having to locate the murderer before she is arrested.

The magic in a Lise McClendon mystery lies in the character of the heroine, an outwardly stoic and reserved Norwegian-American, who has a big heart. It is that special trait that leads her into risking her neck to resolve a murder and to obtain the truth, even if it places her in danger.The supporting cast of PAINTED TRUTH is fabulous, an eclectic and interesting mixture of people who shed light on the protagonist's persona, while serving as a vehicle to many fascinating sub-plots. It will be very difficult to wait for the next Alix Thorssen novel.
-- Under the Covers: December 21, 1996 - Reviewed by Harriet Klausner