The Silent Muse(2026)

Liane Moriarty

An artist discovers the deadly consequences of ambition and secrets in a gripping short story by Lauren Ling Brown, national bestselling author of Society of Lies.

Struggling artist Hannah Brennan finds her muse in a gorgeous unfinished painting of a reclining woman at an amateur artist’s estate sale. It’s exactly the mix of classic and avant-garde that she’s aiming for. But inspiration crosses the line when, with just a few polishing touches, she passes off the dead man’s art as her own. Suddenly, Hannah is the one to watch in the New York art scene. And someone is watching. Someone who knows the truth about Hannah’s mysterious muse.

Lauren Ling Brown’s The Silent Muse is part of the Deadly Ambition collection, stories about greed, control, and the sinister side of making dreams come true. They can be read or listened to in one bingeable sitting.