Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Painter of Siena | 2016 | Victoria Dowd | Buy |
The Painter of Siena (2016) is Victoria Dowd’s debut novel, set in Italy. It predates her move into the mystery genre.
The novel draws on the art world and Italian culture, placing Dowd’s early writing in historical fiction rather than the crime and mystery fiction she would become known for. The Painter of Siena appeared two years before her first mystery novel and gives readers a sense of how her interests evolved.
Dowd would go on to find her audience with the Smart Women mystery series, but this debut shows a different side of her writing. Readers who enjoy her mystery work may find it interesting to see where she started.