Artist's Proof: A Mystery(1997)

Gordon Cotler

Ex-cop Sid Shale took early retirement from the NYPD and now relishes the peace and quiet of home--a beach-front bungalow in a small Long Island village where the latest "crime spree" is a rash of bicycle thefts. Sid now has two to follow his dream of being a full-time artist and, with the help of his agent/ex-wife, to sell enough of his paintings to pay his daughter's college tuition bills.Then a sixteen-year-old girl is murdered a few houses down the shore from Sid. In just a few short hours everyone, from the inexperienced village cops to the girl's mother, knows that she'd once modeled for Sid--in the nude. Whether he likes it or not, he's back in the crime-solving business, this time to save his own skin.With a superb story, an eminently likable sleuth, and the hard-to-put-down prose that has continually characterized Gordon Cotler's work, Artist's Proof is another exceptional read from an exceptional writer. "Sturdy prose, pointed observation, subtle wit, and a fine sense of place." - Library Journal