Killing Critics
by Carol O'Connell

“The new wave of art was first heralded by the graffiti artist who attacked the city walls—artist attacks architecture. Then it progressed to the vandal artist who scarred the art of others—artist attacks art. And now we see a further escalation in the performance-art murder of Dean Starr—artist attacks artist. This is the new wave—Art Terrorism.” So wrote Andrew Bliss, art critic, alcoholic, and serious, state of the art Bloomingdales’ shopper.

Bliss was not celebrated for his radical opinions, and no one suspected he might know something about a terrible crime committed twelve years earlier in one Avril Koozeman’s galleries. Inspector Louis Markowitz, who commanded the Special Crimes Section in New York, had worked on that original double homicide, and now his adopted daughter, Detective Sergeant Kathy Mallory, wants to reopen the old case—against the Department’s wishes. A number of people in high places are also very keen that their secrets remain buried with the dead.

Other Books by Carol O'Connell

The Chalk Girl
A Mallory Novel #10

The Judas Child

Bone by Bone

Find Me
Mallory Series #9

Winter House

Crime School

Carol O'Connell's Bio

Born in 1947, Carol O'Connell studied at the California Institute or Arts/Chouinard and the Arizona State University. For many years she survived on occasional sales of her paintings as well as freelance proof-reading and copy-editing.

At the age of 46, Carol O'Connell sent the manuscript of Mallory's Oracle to Hutchinson, because she felt that a British publisher would be sympathetic to a first time novelist and because Hutchinson also publish Ruth Rendell. Having miraculously found the book on the 'slush pile', Hutchinson immediately came back with an offer for world rights, not just for, Mallory's Oracle but for the second book featuring the same captivating heroine.

At the Frankfurt Book Fair, Hutchinson sold the rights to Dutch, French and German publishers for six figure sums. Mallory's Oracle was then taken back to the States where it was sold, at auction, to Putnam for over $800,000.

Carol O'Connell is now writing full time.