The Art of Dying

‘Vena Cork skilfully builds a sinister feeling of menace surrounding her attractive heroine’ - Sunday Telegraph

In London, Rosa Thorn is slowly getting her life back together.

Following the tragic death of her artist husband, Rob, in a hit and run accident, and the subsequent terrorising of her family, she is at last moving on.

So it is particularly poignant for Rosa to attend a retrospective of her late husband’s paintings, held at a cutting-edge London gallery.

The great and the good of the London art world are there, along with Rosa’s close friends and associates.
It appears to be a warm and fitting tribute to a much-admired artist, husband and father.

Yet all is not as it seems at this high art, high class event.

For beneath the sophisticated artistic veneer, a maelstrom of emotion is seething. Some of it even spills over at the show, but most of it remains hidden – for now.

Ultimately, however, years of hidden feelings will have their expression – with fatal consequences.

Meanwhile, Rosa begins to find that all is not well in her world. Somebody is following her, cracks are beginning to appear in long-term friendships and her new friends – well, they seem to have secrets all of their own.

And some of those secrets are deadly.

As her children move on with their lives, Rosa is left alone to unravel the mysteries that connect a dead artist, a fascinating but enigmatic aspiring journalist, a globe-trotting millionaire and a host of movers and shakers in London’s art world.

Blending wit and excitement in a compelling story, The Art of Dying takes Rosa from her cosy London home into the jaws of a grisly, hideous danger that seems set to destroy her. Will she be able to save herself – and her dearest friends – from evil, or will she finally meet her end?


Praise for Vena Cork

‘One of those rare and energetic books you can’t put down yet don’t want to end’ - The Times

‘A compelling, dark-hued psychological thriller that eerily captures some of London’s more sinister undercurrents and sense of menace’ - Guardian

‘In her atmospheric novel Thorn, Vena Cork skilfully builds a sinister feeling of menace surrounding her attractive heroine’ - Sunday Telegraph

‘There’s more to this psychological thriller than meets the eye. Look no further for a real sense of menace’ - Daily Mirror

‘You’ll be gripped as this persuasive thriller races to its grisly conclusion’ - Marie Claire

‘Vena Cork’s perceptions of human nature are spot-on and the suspense is tangible when the small malevolent acts turn into something much more evil and sinister. This is a great start to what is sure to be a string of successful books.' Aberdeen Press & Journal

‘A tense pace combined with a tightly woven narrative makes this a surprisingly compelling debut from novelist Vena Cork’- Buzz

‘This gripping, edgy novel is good, believe me. For a first novel, it is rather better than good. The portrayal of life is awfully well handled and shrewdly characterised…she hooks her reader from the start. Well done, Vena!’ Colin Dexter

Vena Cork is from Lancashire, but has lived in London all her adult life. She attended Homerton College, Cambridge, where she was a member of Cambridge Footlights. She is married to the art critic Richard Cork and lives in North West London. This is her second novel, following her debut called Thorn.

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