Kindle Edition Amazon Category:  Horror Publisher: Squabbling Sparrows Press Type: Fiction Pages: 294 ISBN-13: 9780473398460 Price: $0.99 (eBook) If art can capture a soul, what happens when one of those souls escapes? When art appraiser Anita Cassatt is sent to catalogue the extensive collection of reclusive artist Leo Kubin, it isn’t only the chilly atmosphere of the secluded house making her shiver. Upon entering the house, Anita stands before a silent audience of portraits clustered on every wall. Every painted eye is watching her, including those of the unfinished portrait on the artist’s easel. A portrait with an eerie familiarity. Kubin’s lawyer didn’t share the detailed instructions regarding the handling of the art, and Anita and her team start work in ignorance of the very instructions designed to keep them safe. Disturbed, a man eases himself out of his portrait and stretches. Free at last from the confines of his canvas, he has no intention of ever returning. He has a painting to finish… Perfect for horror lovers of early Stephen King, and Willow Rose. What readers are saying about PAINTED: “Caravaggio meets Poltergeist.” “The chapters where she is alone in the house are so unbelievably spooky.” “I've finished! OMG it got so tense towards the end.”        Excerpt He stood over the unfinished portrait on the easel. It had been an ill-defined outline of a woman’s face, the eyes still empty. Just the almond outline and eyebrows done, waiting for the artist to capture the hardest part of any woman. He pondered the direction he should take. Sleeping or awake. The calmness of sleep or the terror he’d seen swathing her face. This was the point of no return, he could always paint over if his viewpoint changed but he wanted to record her essence, if he could define what that was. He needed more time. His shadow watched him prepare his brushes, her tiny feet curled underneath her as she perched on the window seat, the howling storm framing her young face. His sable brush danced over the canvas, creating cheeks flushed with youth, lips open. Wisps of hair appearing like magic, blown by an unseen wind. Strand after strand appeared on the stretched canvas, his brush mixing an auburn hint in the hair as it peaked on her brow. Selecting a finer brush he dabbed it into a darker hue — an indescribable grey and worked on the neck, before defining the shoulders. With a damp cloth he smudged the oil — giving the illusion of the subject being caught mid turn, casting a glance backwards. The smudged paint ethereal in the twilight of the room. The little girl reached out and swirled one of her fingers through the mass on the palette. With her finger she smeared the paint across the canvas, the colours in stark contrast to the grey tones of the artist’s deft strokes. Together they admired their efforts. “Not long, two nights,” he said, stroking her hair. Loosed from its white ribbon it spilled past her shoulders like the fairy ferns in the hallway, vibrant and alive. His own smile fading as a familiar pain pulsed in his knuckles. Her smile played around her mouth, never quite making it to her mirthless eyes. Her gaze returned to the painting. Two nights were two nights too long and she didn’t want to wait.

Gripping Novel
I am not usually a reader of horror novels. I came to know McKenzie's writing through her historical fiction novels which display her love and knowledge of antiques. Painted continues her love of antiques with descriptions of the amazing rooms in this novel. Room by room, character by character and painting by painting the author delivers a page turning, gripping novel of a house that is haunted - if only they had listened to the owner who left specific instructions in his will.

Twists and Turns
When I saw that fellow New Zealand author, Kirsten McKenzie had written a horror, I jumped at the chance to read it! I’m a sucker for anything that will have me on the edge of my seat, and this book did that.

First of all, I’d just like to touch on the wonderful writing style of Kirsten. This book was so beautifully written, with such attention to detail, you couldn’t help but feel as though you were right there with the characters. She painted such an eerie picture of the house and its surroundings, and don’t get me started on the creepy artwork.

What I loved about this book was how it played out almost like a movie, where small things would happen but go unnoticed by the characters in the beginning. The fleeting shadows behind them, the objects shifting, the paintings… well, you’ll just have to read to see what happens with the paintings.

There seem to be twists and turns everywhere in this book, and I love that! The ending was something I didn’t see coming either, which doesn’t often happen for me, but this was not predictable at all. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this before, and it makes such a nice change. I will definitely be looking out for more books by Kirsten McKenzie!

Sent Shivers Down My Spine
Leo Kubin is dead and he has left the law firm headed by Alan Gates, some very specific instructions on how to dispose of his art collection. All paintings must be taken from the wall and immediately crated. Under no circumstances must they be leant against the wall or left on a table or crated with other items. Alan has no patience with such frivolities and arranges for a team from Nickleby's to visit the house and assess the artwork and other treasures in the hope that there might be a valuable asset hidden there.

Anita Cassett, junior assessor, and hiding a secret, is hoping to make a good name for herself by properly assessing the artwork. She arrives at the house ahead of the team to make a start with the paintings and totally unaware of the instructions for the crating of the paintings. She ignores the spookiness of the house but when Alan Gates arrives at the house to check on her progress, her uneasiness grows.

Kirstin McKenzie has done a fantastic job with this book. Her first step into the supernatural she has created some very strong characters and her descriptions of the house and its contents are beautifully described and sent shivers down my spine. Painted is the spookiest book I have read in years. The chapters when Anita is alone in the house freaked me out in a way that I haven't been since the early novels of Stephen King. I really hope that Kirstin continues writing books in this genre as I think the has a real talent for it.