Dark Star — Marcia Muller

A SPLASH OF RED

From her peaceful Sonoma Valley home, art security expert Joanna Stark can't escape the crippling fear that Antony Parducci--thief, art dealer; dreaded enemy and onetime lover--is nearby, hot on the trail of a newly discovered Van Gogh. Then a worthless but significant painting suddenly disappears from Joanna's own collection and she knows Parducci has left his calling card ... challenging her to a deadly game of cat and mouse.

But when Parducci's dead body is found splayed in her living room, Joanna becomes a pawn in a much more sinister scheme--as past secrets, a priceless painting and a desperate killer create a masterpiece of murder.