Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Release date: 11 September 2025
Back cover blurb: Rome 1939. Arriving in Rome to work for the wealthy Montefalco family, Maddalena is homesick and alone. She finds solace – and love – in the beauty of the city, but as the war in Nazi-occupied Italy rages, she must make a devastating choice. London, 1997. After her mother Maddalena’s death, Beatrice Fremont discovers a fragment of a painting and a letter that sends her on a hunt to Rome. Helping her is art dealer Jude Adler, who’s convinced they are looking for a lost Caravaggio. For Jude, this could be the find of a lifetime; but for Beatrice their search uncovers a shocking secret and the answer to a mystery kept hidden for years.
The Seeker of Lost Paintings is a beautifully written historical fiction, set during the Second World War in Italy, and London in the 1990s.
Beatrice Fremont is trying to raise money for her elderly Mother, Maddalena who is unwell and has found herself in some financial difficulty. Beatrice, who has moved in to help care for her Mother invites art dealer Jude Adler around to see if there is any value in some of the families old paintings.
Jude, who is going through some personal issues of his own, is reluctant to commit to any specific values at first, he doesn't want Beatrice to get her hopes up for no reason. But then he unexpectedly discovers a hidden gem, in a room he wasn't supposed to be in.
The painting, seems to be part of a Caravaggio, it's origins unknown. Beatrice knows only that her parents escaped Italy in 1944, so it was most likely bought with them when they fled before the end of the War.
When Maddalena passes away, one her final wishes is to have her ashes scattered at a specific place in Italy. Not wanting to be alone, she invites Jude to come along with her. Jude jumps at the chance, sensing that he may be able to discover more about the Caravggio.
Of course, it isn't as simple as that, and Maddalena has a complicated history with her former home which Beatrice was aware of, though not the extent of, or the reasons why. In fact, as she begins to help Jude with his quest and truths are uncovered, she begins to wonder if she ever really knew her Mother at all?
The Seeker of Lost Paintings is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.
Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.