
Stolen Obsession
Debut novelist Marlene M. Bell’s first book in a series features an antiquities appraiser who is fond of sheep but lives in Manhattan, contrary to where her heart lies. Annalisse Drury is thrown into a world of murder, art theft, and 16th century curses when her closest friend disappears. Annalisse begins a search that leads to a lifeless body and a missing piece of jewelry that carries a terrible secret. STOLEN OBSESSION (Ewephoric Publishing, March 2018) beautifully weaves Bell’s extensive background in the world of sheep with her love of history and romantic suspense. Bell’s debut has already garnered comparisons to Nora Roberts and Karen Rose.
When Annalisse discovers the body of her friend and confidant, she immediately suspects foul play, as her friend is missing her signature bracelet believed to carry a 500-year-old curse. After attending a gallery opening in New York City, Annalisse sees a necklace of horse heads matching her friend’s stolen bracelet, and the hunt for the killer begins. Convinced that the necklace is part of the cursed collection and must be destroyed, Annalisse enlists the gallery owner’s womanizing son, Alec Zavos. Alec has his mother’s ear but doubts Annalisse—until a second victim brings them together in a fight against treachery, a race through exotic lands and an unimaginable future.