THE GIRL IN THE PAINTING

Does she hold the key to a mystery long hidden?
For readers of The True Story of Maddie Bright, The Woman in the Green Dress and The Birdman's Wife comes this atmospheric and richly detailed Australian historical mystery from a bestselling Australian author. ​

Maitland 1913 Miss Elizabeth Quinn is something of an institution in Maitland Town. For longer than anyone could remember she and her brother, businessman Michael, have lived in the impressive two-storey stone house next to the church. When she is discovered cowering in the corner of the exhibition gallery at the Technical College the entire town knows something strange has come to pass.
Was it the prehistoric remains or perhaps the taxidermy exhibition that had reduced the whale-boned encased pillar of society to a quivering mess? Or is there something odd about a striking painting on loan from the National Gallery?
Mathematical savant Jane Piper is determined to find out. Deposited on the doorstep of the local orphanage as a baby, she owes her life and education to the Quinns' philanthropic ventures and Elizabeth has no one else to turn to.
As the past and the present converge, Elizabeth's grip on reality loosens. Can Jane, with her logical brain and penchant for puzzles, unravel Elizabeth's story before it is too late?
Ranging from the gritty reality of the Australian goldfields to the grand institutions of Sydney, the bucolic English countryside to the charm of Maitland Town, this compelling historical mystery in the company of an eccentric and original heroine is rich with atmosphere and detail.

THE GIRL IN THE PAINTING is available in audio, digitally and in print from the following websites
or call into your favourite independent bookshop:

NOW AVAILABLE IN NORTH AMERICA in hardback, paperback, audio and digital

 Her best yet in my opinion! An exceptional plot, interesting, intriguing and poignant. Brenda Telford Goodreads
Tea Cooper is, in my opinion, the Master of Australian Historical Fiction. Patricia Goodreads 
Cooper gives the reader lots of historical tidbits mingled with a good dose of intrigue and a hint of romance, and wraps it all in wonderfully evocative prose. Marvellous Australian historical fiction! Goodreads review
A brilliant historical mystery, where the past and the present combine, to create a story that has so many twists and turns, you can't stop reading Karen Edelweiss & Netgalley Reviewers
I’d give it a full five stars just for the character of Jane herself! Iwasaplatypus Goodreads
I recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction, where the beauty is in the delightful characters and the lyrical detail of yesterday’s Australians #bookstagram @aplace_inthesun​
Take a journey into the heart of Australia's past, in the company of the strong and inspirational characters in Tea Cooper's latest triumph. A stunning historical timepiece ... one of Australia's leading historical fiction specialists. Mrs B's Book Reviews
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