A Clean Canvas

Lena Szarka Mysteries #2

by Elizabeth Mundy

Crime always leaves a stain . . .

Lena Szarka, a Hungarian cleaner, dusts off her detective skills when a masterpiece is stolen from a gallery she cleans with her cousin Sarika. But when Sarika goes missing too, accusations start to fly.

Convinced her cousin is innocent, Lena sweeps her way through the secrets of the London art scene. With the evidence mounting against Sarika and the police on her trail, Lena needs to track down the missing painting if she is to clear her cousin.

Embroiling herself in the sketchy world of thwarted talents, unpaid debts and elegant fraudsters, Lena finds that there's more to this gallery than meets the eye.

Praise for Elizabeth Mundy

'Terrific and heartwarming; a charming debut' Daisy Waugh

'A warmly-crafted crime debut, perfect for our multicultural age' Vaseem Khan

'I loved In Strangers' Houses - poignant, funny and races effortlessly along. Lena is a wonderfully unusual heroine and I can't wait for her next adventure' Elodie Harper

'Lena's tenacity and common sense illuminate this engaging story' Daily Mail

'Beautiful writing, a fine debut' The Sun

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

Unknown Binding

First published January 3, 2019

About the author

Elizabeth Mundy’s grandmother was a Hungarian immigrant to America who raised five children on a chicken farm in Indiana. An English Literature graduate from Edinburgh University, Elizabeth is a marketing director for an investment firm and lives in London with her messy husband and baby son. In Strangers’ Houses is her debut novel and the first in the Lena Szarka mystery series.

Reviews

[DJ Sakata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes:

Her face was pale with a glistening sheen of sweat. She blinked like a mole in a sunbeam.

The decor was as Lena expected: the ubiquitous chintz of a house decorated in the seventies. It smelt of mothballs and loneliness.

I wish I’d never borrowed from those scoundrels! … I should have known not to get involved with them as soon as I went to their office. It was above a Turkish barbershop, you know. Men getting their ear hairs singed off with matches while they drink coffee sludge and home-brewed liquor and chain-smoke.

The sun had made Islington like an oven. As she’d walked through Islington Green, she’d seen usually conservative Londoners rolling up their trousers and removing their shirts, lying prostrated around the tiny stretch of grass as if victims of battle. Tomorrow they’d be an assortment of shades of angry pink, bad-tempered and painful to the touch as they crowded themselves into humid tube carriages.

A pity such a heavenly face has been installed on an empty brain. Like painting the Sistine Chapel with crayons.


My Review:

I was pleasantly entertained by this amusing cozy mystery, I certainly didn’t guess the outcome and I liked that I couldn’t. A Clean Canvas was the second in a series, and while I would most likely enjoy reading the first book, it was not necessary as this volume had strong legs and could stand, walk, and run well enough on its own. I always find it interesting to be given the view of an outsider and Lena was a hard-working and ambitious Hungarian immigrant who struggled with the nuances of the English language as well as the customs and idioms. She endeavored to keep herself contained but her malapropisms and keen observations were clever, colorful, and humorous. Lena was proud, and I was proud of and for her to have established her own cleaning company, and she always had her “eyeball open” looking for sidelines to incorporate and expand her business. I enjoyed Ms. Mundy’s style and characters enough to continue on with the next in the series with A Messy Affair.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book in the series, In Strangers’ Houses, and Elizabeth Mundy has repeated the same winning formula in this second outing for Hungarian cleaner, Lena Szarka, now running her own fledgling cleaning business. Although A Clean Canvas works perfectly as a standalone, there are some references to events in the first book.

A cleaner is a great premise for an amateur detective because of course they have unparalleled access to the homes of their clients (no search warrant needed) and can learn all sorts of things about them from the way they fold their socks to what they keep in the cupboard beneath their sink. As Lena confides, ‘Their houses speak… If you learn how to listen.’

I loved how cleaning is never far from Lena’s mind, whether as a means of relaxation or concentration (‘Polishing shoes always helped her think’), a spur to activity (‘She saw a dirty teacup and fought the urge to wash it up’) or as a way of judging character.  ‘She knew his type.  Ignore you unless they wanted something.  The kind of person you would clean for for years, dusting his television, washing his socks, wiping the dried up szar from his toilet bowl.  He wouldn’t even know your name and would never think to leave a tip at Christmas.’ [Even if you don’t speak Hungarian, I think you can probably work out the meaning of the word szar!]

Lena is smart, observant and has a logical mind; all useful attributes for a detective. Combine that with a strong sense of natural justice and loyalty to friends and relatives, and it’s no surprise Lena can’t help but get involved when her cousin is suspected of the theft of a valuable painting. And she’s thrilled when she’s able to team up with an old ally unexpectedly back on the scene…and perhaps not just for this case?

Lena’s mother, Greta (a personal favourite from the first book) makes a return appearance, albeit at a distance.  Greta is a woman who can fall out with someone over the matter of a burnt pan, who prides herself on making the definitive chicken paprikash and distrusts any man who doesn’t have a healthy appetite.  At one point, detecting the urge to make a goulash for the man for whom she harbours romantic feelings, Lena fears she may be turning into her mother!  On another occasion, Lena describes a girl as having ‘proportions her mother would have approved of’.

I really enjoyed getting to know Lena again and joining her on another adventure.  A Clean Canvas is a charming and entertaining read and I hope Lena’s plans for her new venture mean there will be further adventures ahead for her

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for a review copy of A Clean Canvas, the second novel to feature London based Hungarian cleaner Lena Szarka.

Lena is trying to build up her newly established cleaning business and has recently secured a contract with the Agnoletti Archer Gallery but cleaning has to take a backseat when both a valuable painting and her cousin Sarika, the last person to see the painting, go missing. With Sarika as prime suspect and her fledgling business reputation under threat Lena has no option but to find the painting and clear Sarika.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Clean Canvas which is a light, frothy read with a good mystery. Told from Lena’s point of view the reader quickly becomes involved in her thinking and thought processes. She takes a methodical approach with lists and connected links, all learned from her friend PC Cartwright and a more unorthodox one to making contact with her potential suspects, due to her unofficial status.

The novel is at the cozy end of the spectrum so there is no bad language and little explicit violence. I find the genre a bit hit and miss but this is a very pleasant read with a strong protagonist and a good plot although the motive is a bit soft, not that it really matters as the journey to get to it is fun. I like Lena’s feistiness and her ability to tell it as it is. Her accomplice in the investigation and potential love interest, PC Cartwright, hardly seems worthy of her, being a bit wet and not entirely supportive.

A Clean Canvas is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful, fun cosy mystery with Lena Szarka as the Hungarian cleaner who is the detective seeking to clear her cousin's name and discover just who stole the expensive art work from the gallery where she'd been working. It is a packed with humour, lots of clues and plenty of suspects, making it a highly entertaining and intriguing read.

The characters are diverse, well developed and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing and turning the pages! Get ready for lies, fraud, mystery and suspense as Lena discovers surprising secrets about the gallery where she'd worked and its owners and the guests at a special show. I loved the humour, great characters and surprises in the plot! After reading it, I discovered that this is the second book in a series but don't worry, it still works well as a standalone though I'll be tempted to read other books in the series in future!

This is my honest review after reading a gifted copy of this story.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to kick off 2019’s reading list with the new Lena Szarka mystery. Lena was one of my favourite characters from last year’s book pile and so I was really looking forward to seeing how she was getting on in book 2 – I was not disappointed.

*No spoilers* but Lena is still as feisty as ever, not afraid to say what she thinks, but savvy enough to know when to stay schtum. The author very cleverly continues to weave social observation into the story that is so relevant to today’s political environment, this is subtly done through both Lena’s tenacity and determination to succeed (she is no longer an employee but now has her own small business that she is already looking to expand) but also her crisp, dry wit. She doesn’t suffer fools but also doesn’t take herself too seriously either.

An art gallery as the new crime scene provides the opportunity for some tricky new characters – Sarika, Lena’s young cousin is particularly well drawn, she’s sassy, permanently attached to her smartphone and unlike Lena, see’s tipping up on time for work as optional. As well as a whole cast of new characters – and again *no spoilers* old favourites are also still in the mix.

I loved A Clean Canvas, a big thumbs up for first book of the year, with just the right mix of light and shade, and classic Lena lines we love – my absolute favourite has got to be when she walks in a room and can’t help thinking ‘I wonder if they’ll mind if I tidy up.’

The only question I have now is - when will they be making The Lena Szark Mysteries into a TV Series?

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this is quite unique, a crime thriller with no bodies, but an art theft…and Lena, a cleaner being an armature detective to solve the mystery…

Lena is Hungarian, intelligent and sharp, but still has a little difficulty understanding the quirks of the English language at times, which makers her even more endearing.

I found the story intriguing with plenty of twists to keep you engrossed. This is a well written, interesting and original mystery, a refreshing change to the usual crime thrillers.

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

[Pauline Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where the idea is more exciting than the execution. Making a Hungarian cleaner the sleuth in a cosy series is a stroke of genius, since cleaners work inside people’s houses and see all sorts of things, especially if they can get in and out undetected and snoop around. They really get to know their clients well. They also move around from place to place, allowing for lots of future plot possibilities. But somehow, this fell a little flat.

Here’s the premise: Lena Szarka is the aforementioned Hungarian cleaner, whose friend or cousin (not sure) was murdered in the first book. It’s not essential to have read the previous book, but it does get referenced quite a lot, so completists might want to start there. This book opens with Lena cleaning for a trendy London art gallery, and when the caterers for a show let the owner down, Lena and another cousin, Sarika, are roped in to serve the canapes and serve champagne. At the end of the evening, Sarika borrows the gallery’s keys to nip back and collect something she’s left behind, and when an important painting is stolen, she’s the prime suspect, which she compounds by running away.

Naturally, Lena wants to try to help her relation, and the best way to do that, she decides, is to solve the crime. And by happy chance, her possibly maybe romantic interest, PC Cartwright, is back in town, and willing to help. And so away we go, the amateur sleuth, in the best traditions of cosy mysteries, running rings round the heavy-footed plods, while also getting somewhat in the way. There’s an element of chance involved too (I wonder what could possibly be in that old phone box? Oh, look!), and a touch of deus ex machina in finding the location of the real painting (I’ll just phone a friend, Mrs Kingston says helpfully).

One of the traditions of series like this is a light touch in the writing, but I found the writing style rather pedestrian and plodding. A few words of description here and there or hints of emotion would have lifted it above the ordinary, but the only description was the heavy-handed application of colours later in the book. So much purple, presumably designed to lead us astray into red herring territory. There was some humour, mainly little chuckles but a couple of belly laughs, too. I liked the idea of porridge cocktails for a prison event!

By the time I got to the big reveal of the culprit, I found I really didn’t care that much, although the reasoning was quite clever. It isn’t a bad book, by any means, but apart from the Hungarian cleaner, there was nothing to lift it above the ordinary, and I suspect I’ll have forgotten everything about it a week from now. I find it interesting that there were three books published in the series, but the last was in 2020, and there are very few reviews, considering how popular the amateur sleuth genre is, so maybe they just didn’t sell that well. Perhaps it’s not just me that found it all a bit flat. I enjoyed it enough to finish it and it was certainly an easy read, not many brain cells required, so I’ll be generous and give it four stars.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always interesting to find an amateur sleuth mystery that does not include murder.
As the assisting constable explains, when one is investigating a theft the procedures are slightly different than when looking for a murderer.

My favorite character is the cleaner, Lena, herself, although her exactly standards would not make close friendship possible for us in real life. She has a brilliant mind and struggles with understanding and correctly using English idioms. "Smells like fish" made me smile.
Lena also has a wonderful brain for business. I enjoyed how she revealed opportunities in the obstacles she tripped over while trying to solve the puzzle of a stolen painting, and the discovery that there is more to the story.

I wanted to slap Cartwright. He really came across as being quite dim.
Dragg, on the other hand, grew on me, as he stepped up over time.

At times I was a bit frustrated with the flow of this book. I felt it could have been smoother, and there were a few details from the previous book mentioned that made me feel I was missing out on something important, but overall this book read just fine as a stand alone.

The mystery itself was intriguing and had plenty of twists. When I thought it was going to be figured out, the story would take off in another direction. It is a combination of family and loyalty and romance and greed. I liked how I got the impression that artists think in some of the same ways as writers. This will change the way I look at art in the future, just as I believe Lena has grown in her appreciation of art also.

Interesting characters, who showed some development and change, an intriguing mystery, with a different motivation, and other difficulties to overcome as real life could not be put on hold while investigating. A well rounded book.

[Isobel Blackthorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story opens in an art gallery as sleuth Lena Szarka cleans up on the eve of an important exhibition. The owner, Pietro, is keen to offload a painting he acquired and he hopes his exhibition will attract buyers. The artist has flown in and arrives in an inebriated state. Her painting, A Study in Purple, attracts three potential buyers. But before the new owner can take the painting home, it is stolen. What ensues is a thoroughly engaging tale filled with twists and turns as Lena pits her wits against a less than helpful police force and takes it upon herself to solve the crime, not least because her cousin, Sarika, is the prime suspect.The narrative voice is light and warm, and the story bounces along at a fair clip. The mystery genre contains strict criteria and Mundy adheres to them all. A Clean Canvas ticks all the boxes of a good cosy mystery, not least with her endearing and pleasingly unlikely sleuth. Peppered with wit and ironic observations to make the reader smile, Mundy crafts her characters and scenes with much affection and a healthy dollop of social observation. Satisfying descriptions provide an adequate sense of place and help control the pacing. The ending, naturally, comes as a surprise. In all, this is an entertaining page turner that provides Agatha Raisin with some strong competition.

[book club lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the second Lena Szarka mystery, our indefatigable heroine, a cleaner in the posh London borough of Islington, again becomes an amateur sleuth. The crime is the theft of a valuable painting from an exclusive Islington art gallery, where Lena cleans. Lena’s motivation to solve the crime comes about when her hapless Hungarian cousin is accused of the theft.
Lena is a worthy detective. She is methodical, and has an eye for detail as well as an understanding of human nature. In her role as a cleaner she has almost invisible access to the lives of her suspects, who populate the pretentious Islington art world.

Ms Mundy has a talent for choosing and developing characters that define a time and place, not unlike Jane Austin.

The plot is intricate and satisfying.

And, the romantic attraction of Lena and London’s most sincere cop, Cartwright, simmers on.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because I didn't guess who had stolen the painting until right near the end. The only thing was, I had no idea who it was, not even any suspicions really and I would have preferred to at least thought 'the author wants me to think it's this person which means it definitely isn't'. Often the previous book is referenced and I didn't know that existed until it was referred to in the text and it became a little irritating as though there was an in joke I wasn't part of. The writing style flowed well and it was easy to read and I wanted to get to the end. I might track down the first one now!

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm happy I requested this book because I discovered a new series that I like.
The book is entertaining, engaging and fun to read.
I liked Lena, a wonderful and well written character.
The plot was engaging, it never bores, and it keeps hooked till the last page.
The mystery was great, full of twists and turns, and it's clever and it keeps you guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for this ARC

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery that doesn’t involve a murder! Such a unique concept. I really enjoyed A Clean Canvas. Art has been stolen, and Lena, a cleaner turned amature detective has to solve the mystery.

I love Lena. She’s intelligent and sharp, but has a tough with the nuances of English, which makes her a really compelling main character.

The mystery was great, with lots of twists to keep me connected to the story. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it!

*I received a copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. All opinions are my own.*

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book- building on the characters from the first book & another cracking mystery. Really hoping there will be more from Lena!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun!

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one even more than the first as the main characters were already familiar and I really enjoyed the art world setting.

[Mala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this second installment because as much as I enjoy a good murder mystery, A Clean Canvas proved that a murder isn't required for a story to have engaging urgency. The idea of a cleaner knowing all your secrets is kept fresh as Lena branches out and starts her own company, and I like this build up of her starting to succeed in a new country. As always, one of my favourite aspects of this series is the social observation. Lena doesn't hold back with her thoughts about how weird London life can be, and I LOVE how realistic her struggles with perfecting English are. I devoured this right after the first book in the series, In Strangers' Houses, and was genuinely surprised with the ending.

[Christie72 (Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Clean Canvas by Elizabeth Mundy is an intriguing cozy mystery and a bit different. It doesn’t involve a murder but a disappearance of a valuable painting.

Lena owns her own cleaning business that really is only generates enough business for her but being the kind-hearted person she is, she hires her cousin, Sarika, to help her. Lena volunteered herself and Sarika to serve food and drinks at a gala for the art gallery she cleans, not knowing it would send her on a twisted journey that exposes many secrets!

Sarika is the suspect when a valuable painting goes missing, but Lena knows she didn’t do it. However, she faces a huge problem when Sarika goes missing too! Is her disappearance related to the theft and is she in danger?

This was a great mystery that kept me guessing. Lena is a strong, independent, loyal woman...she won’t rest until she finds her cousin and proves her innocence. There is a lot of twists and turns and plenty of suspects.

If you are looking for a different sort of mystery, I recommend this one!

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable second Lena Szarka book, book one was a little better though.
If cleaning things well is a talent Lena has it in spades. Problems arise at the gallery she works at and she must once again sort things out as her cousin is implicated in a theft.
Her ‘almost romance’ with a PC Cartwright is going nowhere fast. Both of them being reticent types and having their minds elsewhere when things could progress.
In this book I felt it was more about who dunnit not so much why dunnit (?). I think if Lena has a problem with her investigating it is because she tends to discount some obvious suspects, but, she will work it out in the end.
The bits I like best are when she dons her ‘secret disguise’ of cleaner to go snooping and I like her regulars too.

[Ria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't mind this 2nd tale of Lena the Cleaner, however I was hoping for more character development. I feel Mundy has missed an opportunity here and decided to play it safe, so it's an OK read but not one I felt particularly invested in.

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. I liked the fact it was art theft rather than murder, but it could have used a few more characters. I missed Timea and Tomek. I also felt it was a so similar to the first book. week I read the third? Probably, when I run out of other things on my to read list.

[Alfred Nobile · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd in the series. Read as a standalone. More on blog tour