The Portrait

For fans of Kate Morton and Daphne Du Maurier comes the tale of a woman enchanted by the past until it threatens her future. The Portrait is a captivating debut filled with new love, old secrets, and a mysterious missing woman, all set against the vibrancy of 19th-century London and the construction of the Crystal Palace.

"Atmospheric and gripping, The Portrait deftly weaves Victorian details, Brontë-esque romance, and riveting suspense." -Emily Inouye Huey, author of Beneath the Wide Silk Sky


Every work of art tells a story. And every story has its secrets.

London, 1850. Iris Sheffield has plenty of people to worry about in her life: Hope, the ailing younger sister for whom Iris feels responsible. Winston, Iris's fiancé, who is consumed with his work. And James, the handsome but arrogant artist painting Iris’s portrait, with whom she is forced to spend countless, awkward hours.

But when Iris finds the diary and photograph of a mysterious young woman, she can’t stop wondering who the woman is and what has become of her. The more questions Iris asks, the more she suspects someone does not want her to discover the answers.

Exploring themes of sisterly bonds, familial obligations, and the lengths we go to for those we love, The Portrait illustrates the surprising and frightening ways a work of art can tell a story.