A young man questions the circumstances of his famous painter father's disappearance--at the risk of his own life. Buy your copy! Amazon Amazon.co.uk Froogle Barnes & Noble.com Borders Booksense.com Booksamillion.com Ten years ago Cosmo Bari vanished, and with him, his legendary masterpiece, The Virgin In Pastel. Since that day no one in the seaside art colony of Steeple Hill has heard from the eccentric painter. Surrounded by an extended family of Cosmo's colorful compatriots, mystery writer Kyle Bari believes he has come to terms with being abandoned by his famous father, until the day Adam MacKinnon arrives with his new lover, the beautiful but poisonous Brett. Brett has an unerring instinct for other people's weak spots. Soon the quiet colony is seething with hostility and suspicion as Brett hints he knows something about the missing artist. Kyle doesn't take Brett seriously until the long lost Virgin In Pastel is discovered hidden in an antique dresser. A few days later the painting has vanished again—and Brett is dead. Murdered... Excerpt Bad dreams. That's the worst part of living alone. You wake up, mouth dry, heart banging away like a broken shutter; and there's no one to reach for in the darkness. No comfortable snores, no warm, sleeping body to cuddle up to; nothing but queen-size 500-thread percale solitude. That June morning was like all the other times. It took a moment to remember where I was: to realize that the tangle of sheets was all that held me prisoner; that the dreamed hand knocking on my window was in reality the clack of wooden blinds in the morning breeze. I lay there, watching the photographs on the dresser slowly materialize in the gray first light, like ghosts in the gloom. First my mother's face, then my grandfather's (glowering disapproval), then my father's rare grin. It's always the same dream. That's the one thing I do remember. The same dream which starts with someone knocking on the window, a soft insistent tapping-a sound that can't be ignored, like someone whispering in your ear. In my dream, I get out of bed and cross to the window. The next thing I know, I am awake, drenched in sweat, with my heart thundering in my ears, the last terrifying images flickering through my brain: blood, a crescent moon, a woman's face painted blue...

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
Set in an isolated artist's colony on the California coast, Murder in Pastel is not one of those cookie-cutter books we see constantly. Dunne (or Browne) has gone ahead and written what he (she) wanted to write, which always works better than novels cobbled to suit corporate demand. The protagonist, mystery author Kyle Bari, remains under the powerful influence of his past. When he was a teen, sick with heart trouble, Kyle's father--the famous painter Cosmo--deserted him. He was left to the care of his father's friends. Kyle has never understood Cosmo's disappearance. He still lives in the house of his childhood and, in many ways, his life has not progressed at all. He is a gay man, with no love relationship, who uses his writing to separate himself from the intensity of others' demands. When Adam, Kyle's long-time crush, returns to the cottage next door after a prolonged absence, Kyle's emotions are finally stirred. But the little matter of Adam's handsome live-in lover, Brett, intrudes. Brett is trouble. He stirs up dissonance within the little community and soon, someone tries to do away with him. Kyle wonders if the assaults can be traced to Brett's search for information about Cosmo and a missing, valuable paining--Virgin in Pastel. Browne peppers her leisurely, thoughtful prose with wry observations that charm. She writes with a sure, commanding hand and has connected with her main character's core. The narrative voice is a highly likable one. Readers should not avoid this book based on the sexual orientation of the cast as the novel does not, anywhere, offend. The puzzle compels as does the need to know more about the story's personalities. D.L. Browne, or Colin Dunne, if you like, is an author to be sought out by all who enjoy a bit of elegance in their mystery. Hopefully, Browne, who is an established novelist, will follow up with more of the same. G. Miki Hayden

CHARLOTTE AUSTIN REVIEW, LTD.
One day, famed artist Cosmo Bari walked into the woods surrounding his seaside home in Steeple Hill, and disappeared. His son Kyle wonders why. Was it because Cosmo couldn’t deal with the onset of Kyle’s heart problems? Was he too much of a burden to his flamboyant father? Or was there a much deadlier reason? Kyle must unravel the mystery of his father’s fate as it wraps itself around his own life - with murderous consequences. The man Kyle has been in love with for years moves back to Steeple Hill, bringing with him his lover, Brett Hansen. Kyle yearns for Adam MacKinnon, but Brett stands between them, until he is murdered. Now, the local sheriff must try to figure out who the murderer is, and he’s looking in Kyle’s direction. Kyle must try to solve the murder before he is blamed yet he has no idea who he can trust, and why killing Brett was so important. Cosmo Bari’s missing masterpiece, The Virgin in Pastel, is the single thread running through all the lies and secrets that swirl through Steeple Hill’s artistic residents. No one knows if it even exists anymore, but Kyle is sure of one thing: discovering the true story behind the painting will tell him who killed Brett, and who is trying to kill him. Murder in Pastel is a great mystery, told around well-drawn characters with a smooth and near flawless writing style. It shows the author's strong storytelling abilities as they transcend the character’s sexual preferences, making this novel a very satisfying read. Nancy Mehl