Kate Wilhelm

Death of an Artist Kate Wilhelm

Silver Bay, Oregon, a small coastal resort town, is home to three generations of women: Marnie, the widowed owner of a gift shop; Van, her granddaughter who is about to graduate from medical school; and Stef, mercurial and difficult, a brilliant artist who refuses to sell her work. When Stef discovers that Dale Oliver-the latest husband/paramour-is trying to sell her work behind her back, she puts a stop to it and threatens to do the same to him. Then Stef dies in an accident in her studio, and Dale shows up with a signed contract granting him the right to sell her work. Convinced Stef was murdered to steal her work, Marie and Van decide to do whatever is necessary to see that Dale doesn't get away with it. They enlist the help of the new guy in town, Tony, a former New York City cop who might be the only one who can prove it was murder and bring the killer to justice.