THE FINE ART OF LYING
“Alexandra Andrews is monied Manhattan’s very own Agatha Christie.”—Ada Calhoun
From the critically acclaimed author of Who is Maud Dixon? comes a riveting new novel about a young wife and mother thrust into a world of wealth and privilege, whose rash mistake sets off a domino effect of murder and betrayal.
In the beginning, there was art.
It was Clare Bast’s love of art that saved her from a bleak, predictable life in upstate New York, and drew her to the cultured world of Manhattan’s Upper East Side where she met Jed,
“Alexandra Andrews is monied Manhattan’s very own Agatha Christie.”—Ada Calhoun
From the critically acclaimed author of Who is Maud Dixon? comes a riveting new novel about a young wife and mother thrust into a world of wealth and privilege, whose rash mistake sets off a domino effect of murder and betrayal.
In the beginning, there was art.
It was Clare Bast’s love of art that saved her from a bleak, predictable life in upstate New York, and drew her to the cultured world of Manhattan’s Upper East Side where she met Jed, her doting, affluent husband.
Despite her best efforts—including a half-finished PhD, abandoned when her daughter Sadie was born—Clare secretly can’t help but feel like an imposter in Jed’s one-percent, Park-Avenue life.
When the well-connected wife of Jed’s new boss introduces her to influential friends—a curator here, a gallerist there, an aficionado abroad—Clare feels an essential part of herself coming alive again. And when she discovers that an important work painted by the subject of her unfinished dissertation is hanging in the brownstone of a seductively attractive dealer, she believes fate is leading her where she belongs . . . until she finds herself at the scene of a gruesome murder and a stolen masterpiece. Caught in the perfectly wrong place at the perfectly wrong time, every clue the investigation uncovers points back to her.
Suddenly, Clare is trapped inside a dark and treacherous art world filled with unscrupulous dealers and international criminals. What, exactly, has she gotten herself into . . . and how is she going to get herself, and her family, out?
- Harper
- Hardcover
- May 2026
- 320 Pages
- 9780063472075
Buy the Book
$30.00
About Alexandra Andrews
Alexandra Andrews has worked as a journalist, editor, and copywriter in New York and Paris. Her novel Who Is Maud Dixon? was published in 28 languages around the world, and was named a best book/mystery of the year by the New York Times, NPR, Time, the New York Post, and Entertainment Weekly. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and children.
Praise
“The Fine Art of Lying is propulsive from start to finish. Set against the backdrop of the New York art world, a love affair leads to a mysterious murder and a twist you won’t see coming. Alexandra Andrews delivers with this riveting mystery.” – Laura Dave, author of The Night We Lost Him
“Ruthless socialites, international intrigue, a torrid affair, a shocking murder, and a baffling art heist? Yes, please. With her playful, lightning-paced new mystery, Alexandra Andrews is monied Manhattan’s very own Agatha Christie.” – Ada Calhoun, author of Crush
“A wildly entertaining novel about art and ambition, money and greed, love and sex and betrayal and loyalty, plus for good measure theft and forgery and murder, with a fantastic finale.” – Chris Pavone, author of The Doorman
“Andrews entwines the language and imagery of color, texture, and art throughout this taut and well-written thriller. . . . A mystery bound up in astute social satire.”— Kirkus (starred review)
“. . . gripping . . . . Andrews turns her gimlet eye on the lives and lies of New York’s ultrawealthy to riotously entertaining effect. Readers won’t be able to put this down.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Discussion Questions
- How would you describe Clare as a character in the opening chapters? Did your perception of her change as the story unfolded?
- How would you describe Clare and Jed’s marriage? In what ways do family expectations and power dynamics influence their relationship?
- Early in the book, Tasha Wolfe claims that “desire is what makes the world go round” and she proudly admits she built her success on exploiting it in others. How does this idea shape the relationships and choices within the novel?
- What do you think draws Clare into her affair with Gabriel?
- The novel explores different forms of deception. In what ways does Clare deceive others, beyond the obvious in her affair with Gabriel? In what ways is she deceived throughout the story, both by other characters and by herself?
- How does the world of art—its questions of authenticity, value, and interpretation—mirror the themes of the novel? What might the stolen painting, Longfin, represent?
- How does the story portray wealth and privilege? In what ways do these factors shape the characters’ choices and consequences?
- As suspicion shifts throughout the novel, how did your perception of Clare—and other characters—evolve? Did your sympathies and suspicions change over time?
- Clare often believes she can control the situation. At what point do things begin to feel beyond her control? What does this suggest about the limits of control?
- How does motherhood influence Clare’s decisions and priorities? Do you see her as fulfilled, constrained, or both?
- Many of the characters operate in morally gray areas. Did you find yourself judging Clare’s actions, or understanding them? Why?
- What lingering questions or ideas stayed with you after finishing the book?