Genre Fiction
![Lisa Barr - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B007Y74TEK.jpg)
Woman on Fire: A Novel
Now with Sharon Stone signed on to produce and star in the movie
From the author of the award-winning Fugitive Colors and The Unbreakables, a gripping tale of a young, ambitious journalist embroiled in an international art scandal centered around a Nazi-looted masterpiece-forcing the ultimate showdown between passion and possession, lovers and liars, history and truth.
After talking her way into a job with Dan Mansfield, the leading investigative reporter in Chicago, rising young journalist Jules Roth is given an unusual-and very secret-assignment. Dan needs her to locate a painting stolen by the Nazis more than 75 years earlier: legendary Expressionist artist Ernst Engel's most famous work, Woman on Fire. World-renowned shoe designer Ellis Baum wants this portrait of a beautiful, mysterious woman for deeply personal reasons, and has enlisted Dan's help to find it. But Jules doesn't have much time; the famous designer is dying.
Meanwhile, in Europe, provocative and powerful Margaux de Laurent also searches for the painting. Heir to her art collector family's millions, Margaux is a cunning gallerist who gets everything she wants. The only thing standing in her way is Jules. Yet the passionate and determined Jules has unexpected resources of her own, including Adam Baum, Ellis's grandson. A recovering addict and brilliant artist in his own right, Adam was once in Margaux's clutches. He knows how ruthless she is, and he'll do anything to help Jules locate the painting before Margaux gets to it first.
A thrilling tale of secrets, love, and sacrifice that illuminates the destructive cruelty of war and greed and the triumphant power of beauty and love, Woman on Fire tells the story of a remarkable woman and an exquisite work of art that burns bright, moving through hands, hearts, and history.
From the author of the award-winning Fugitive Colors and The Unbreakables, a gripping tale of a young, ambitious journalist embroiled in an international art scandal centered around a Nazi-looted masterpiece-forcing the ultimate showdown between passion and possession, lovers and liars, history and truth.
After talking her way into a job with Dan Mansfield, the leading investigative reporter in Chicago, rising young journalist Jules Roth is given an unusual-and very secret-assignment. Dan needs her to locate a painting stolen by the Nazis more than 75 years earlier: legendary Expressionist artist Ernst Engel's most famous work, Woman on Fire. World-renowned shoe designer Ellis Baum wants this portrait of a beautiful, mysterious woman for deeply personal reasons, and has enlisted Dan's help to find it. But Jules doesn't have much time; the famous designer is dying.
Meanwhile, in Europe, provocative and powerful Margaux de Laurent also searches for the painting. Heir to her art collector family's millions, Margaux is a cunning gallerist who gets everything she wants. The only thing standing in her way is Jules. Yet the passionate and determined Jules has unexpected resources of her own, including Adam Baum, Ellis's grandson. A recovering addict and brilliant artist in his own right, Adam was once in Margaux's clutches. He knows how ruthless she is, and he'll do anything to help Jules locate the painting before Margaux gets to it first.
A thrilling tale of secrets, love, and sacrifice that illuminates the destructive cruelty of war and greed and the triumphant power of beauty and love, Woman on Fire tells the story of a remarkable woman and an exquisite work of art that burns bright, moving through hands, hearts, and history.
Editorial Reviews
"Barr's vigorous prose complements her fully realized characters. Readers will be gripped from start to finish." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Woman on Fire is a sharp, propulsive page-turner that will keep readers in suspense." -- Booklist
"An exuberant and propulsive thriller laced with sex, art, and history. Lisa Barr has created an unforgettable story that forces readers to question where the line should be drawn between the pursuit of justice and the hunt for revenge." -- Alyson Richman, bestselling author of The Secret of Clouds
"Woman on Fire is an exquisite, fascinating read that hooks you with its intensity and captures your heart with emotional depth. A brilliant, seamless tale of art, atrocity, love, family, and courage, this stunning novel, both with the words and the paintings described on the pages, comes alive so vividly it's as if you are right there, seeing every remarkable moment with your own eyes. A truly astonishing novel that builds tension sentence by gorgeous sentence then crescendos to a scorching, utterly satisfying ending." -- Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 national bestselling author of Woman on the Edge
"Incredibly fast-paced and savvy, Lisa Barr takes readers into the high stakes world of art theft through the eyes of a young, gutsy journalist. Thick with history, scandal, romance and deceit, Woman on Fire is a truly compulsive read." -- Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing
"Barr's riveting dive into the dark side of the international art world, led by an intrepid young journalist, had me on the edge of my seat. A deliciously addictive page turner filled with twists and an unforgettable villain." -- Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue
"Addictively propulsive and laced with rapid-fire twists and turns, this sizzling tale of deception, lust, Nazi-looted art, and murder crackles with tension and comes vividly, strikingly alive in Lisa Barr's skilled hands. Part thriller, part World War II epic, part journey through the pain of loss, Woman on Fire is as vibrant as the searing work of art it revolves around, with characters so richly drawn you'll feel as if you've known them--or, in some cases, been terrified by them--forever. Woman in Gold meets Spotlight meets Basic Instinct in this extraordinary novel, which is certain to be snapped up by Hollywood just as surely as it will be devoured in one sitting by captivated readers who can...
"Woman on Fire is a sharp, propulsive page-turner that will keep readers in suspense." -- Booklist
"An exuberant and propulsive thriller laced with sex, art, and history. Lisa Barr has created an unforgettable story that forces readers to question where the line should be drawn between the pursuit of justice and the hunt for revenge." -- Alyson Richman, bestselling author of The Secret of Clouds
"Woman on Fire is an exquisite, fascinating read that hooks you with its intensity and captures your heart with emotional depth. A brilliant, seamless tale of art, atrocity, love, family, and courage, this stunning novel, both with the words and the paintings described on the pages, comes alive so vividly it's as if you are right there, seeing every remarkable moment with your own eyes. A truly astonishing novel that builds tension sentence by gorgeous sentence then crescendos to a scorching, utterly satisfying ending." -- Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 national bestselling author of Woman on the Edge
"Incredibly fast-paced and savvy, Lisa Barr takes readers into the high stakes world of art theft through the eyes of a young, gutsy journalist. Thick with history, scandal, romance and deceit, Woman on Fire is a truly compulsive read." -- Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing
"Barr's riveting dive into the dark side of the international art world, led by an intrepid young journalist, had me on the edge of my seat. A deliciously addictive page turner filled with twists and an unforgettable villain." -- Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue
"Addictively propulsive and laced with rapid-fire twists and turns, this sizzling tale of deception, lust, Nazi-looted art, and murder crackles with tension and comes vividly, strikingly alive in Lisa Barr's skilled hands. Part thriller, part World War II epic, part journey through the pain of loss, Woman on Fire is as vibrant as the searing work of art it revolves around, with characters so richly drawn you'll feel as if you've known them--or, in some cases, been terrified by them--forever. Woman in Gold meets Spotlight meets Basic Instinct in this extraordinary novel, which is certain to be snapped up by Hollywood just as surely as it will be devoured in one sitting by captivated readers who can...
Readers Top Reviews
Susan Roberts
Woman on Fire was the last book that I read in 2021 and was one my favorite books of the year. I have a warning for you before you start this book - clear your calendar because you won't want to put it down until the end and have tissues at hand because you'll probably need them for not just the sadness but I also cried happy tears. Jules just graduated from college and her goal in life is to work for Dan Mansfield, the leading investigative reporter in Chicago. He has ignored all of her attempts to talk to him so she barges into his office. He's impressed with her and asks her to work on a new project with him. Ellis, a rich shoe designer and a friend of Dan's, has asked him to recover a painting that was taken by the Nazis in 1939 and has significant personal value to him. The painting has been in the collections of several people over the years but no one knows where it is now - it hasn't been seen in decades and there are very few clues to guide them but along with Jules, Dan, Ellis and Adam (Ellis's grandson), they start trying to find out more information about where the painting has been since it was stolen by the Nazis in hopes that the clues will lead them to the painting. Soon they find out that someone else is also searching for the painting. Margaux de Laurent is the heir to her art collector family's millions, she owns prestigious galleries all over the world and gets everything she wants. She wants Woman on Fire for personal reasons and will stop at nothing to succeed in her search. As the story travels from Chicago to Paris to Germany and back again and travels from 1939 to the present time, all parties are desperate to find the painting no matter what danger it puts them in. It is very apparent that the author did significant research on art that was stolen by the Nazis and never recovered. During WWII, the Nazis seized more than 600,000 works of art. Some pieces of art were destroyed but some ended up in the homes of the leaders of the party. She also presented lots of information about the art world of today and the way that some of the galleries operate. This book has it all - exquisite writing, well written characters and a plot that keeps readers turning pages with an ending that was perfect and I didn't see coming. It's full of love, mystery, ambition, art and sex - what more could you ask for? Plus it has the meanest psychopath villain of any book that I've read in a long time. Don't miss this book!
