The world Lexi came from was safe, years and miles removed from international intrigue. That all changed when she married into European landed gentry. A Deadly Provenance captures a 1970’s snapshot of an altogether different reality, which forms the backdrop for a fast-moving redirection of Lexi’s exotic, yet ordinary, new life, until unresolved conspiracies from her in-laws’ past surface and burst in to threaten Lexi’s marriage to Jon and their life together.
Without heavy historical detail, the Cold War ambiance weaves masterfully in and out of their characters’ lives, in just the right amounts of a cultured and historical accuracy, based on experiences drawn from the author’s life in Upper Bavaria and Lower Austria during that period. Lexi, the transplanted Southern blue blood, must face down compound challenges of culture, language, new love, an accident, in-law drama, and now, espionage. Injected into this mix are shadows from her past, thought long since left behind and of no consequence.
As this mix reaches critical mass, the demure NC Magnolia produces a steely side that amazes herself and puts everyone else off guard. Lexi simply refuses to roll over and play dead, and the reader is quickly sucked into this maelstrom with her.

I had a hard time putting A Deadly Provenance down. The mystery kept me coming back for more, the artistry that was a large part of Lexi’s life helped to show how the character was feeling even when she wasn’t sure herself, and the historical aspect was absolutely thrilling from beginning to end.
Lexi was probably my favorite character in the entire thing, and while I understood her to a point, I think she has absolutely terrible taste in men. There were marked similarities between the ex-husband who she hated so much and the new husband that she loved too deeply to leave, especially in the manner in which they treated her. I felt, and was sometimes (though not always) agreed with by Lexi, that Jon was incredibly high-handed in his dealings with her, exceedingly controlling, and pulled back every time that Lexi wanted or needed comfort and help from him. It just all rang through as very unhealthy relationship to me, with a severe disconnect in their communication. There were some very romantic moments, but as a whole, the relationship would never have worked for me.
Other than that, I adored Lexi’s dedication to the WIDOW cause, and the description of the sculptures she did made me want to photograph them. I loved how dedicated she was to everything she did, whether it was her sculpture work, trying to get along with her in-laws, or figuring out who was actually trying to kill her, and who wasn’t.
Being overly fond of mystery books and cop shows, I was remarkably surprised at who was actually behind everything. However, I shan’t spoil anything for you readers! I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with a good bit of history involved, as it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read!