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Come to Light
From award-winning artist and author Paul Madonna comes an electrifying mystery novel full of unexpected plot twists, lively characters, and over one hundred lush drawings. Presented in an innovative three-volume boxed set, Come to Light is a gripping page-turner that weaves an intoxicating tale of love, murder, books and art. Featured as a CrimeReads "Daily Thrill" "Almost any book is sure to please the bookish, but a book that can pique the interest of bibliophiles is as precious as a padparadscha sapphire. Here are some such gems. . . Artist and author Paul Madonna pens a mystery novel full of unexpected plot twists and lively characters accompanied by more than 100 strikingly rendered drawings that bring this novel to life. This tale of love, murder, books, and art is presented in a three-volume box set.
— Publishers Weekly "Blown away by Paul Madonna's new book Come to Light . [Madonna] blends a mystery novel with his usual stunning artwork--highly recommended."
— Mike Krieger , co-founder and former CTO of Instagram Come to Light is a fresh and original mystery with an unusual Emit Hopper, a former rock star turned author and artist. Six years ago, Emit's wife, Julia, went missing. Now the remains of her two hiking companions have been found buried in the California wilderness. But the discovery raises more questions than answers, so with his love for classic detective books and rye whiskey, Emit sets out across Europe chasing down clues, sketchbook in hand. Quickly, Emit finds himself embroiled in a plot far larger than he could have he becomes a target of a State Department investigation, gets entangled in an international ring of art thefts, and discovers his own artwork stolen. He meets an exuberant French nobleman, a murderous five-year-old, and a bohemian Roman heiress. From the Venice Biennale to the flooding of Piazza Navona, you'll find yourself laughing, gasping, and drawing right alongside Emit as he travels through some of the most beautiful regions of Europe, unraveling a suspense-filled and surprisingly tangled mystery. Replete with strikingly rendered drawings that bring this exquisite and intriguing novel to life, Come to Light is the thrilling follow-up to the adventures of Emit Hopper, which debuted in Close Enough for the Angels.
— Publishers Weekly "Blown away by Paul Madonna's new book Come to Light . [Madonna] blends a mystery novel with his usual stunning artwork--highly recommended."
— Mike Krieger , co-founder and former CTO of Instagram Come to Light is a fresh and original mystery with an unusual Emit Hopper, a former rock star turned author and artist. Six years ago, Emit's wife, Julia, went missing. Now the remains of her two hiking companions have been found buried in the California wilderness. But the discovery raises more questions than answers, so with his love for classic detective books and rye whiskey, Emit sets out across Europe chasing down clues, sketchbook in hand. Quickly, Emit finds himself embroiled in a plot far larger than he could have he becomes a target of a State Department investigation, gets entangled in an international ring of art thefts, and discovers his own artwork stolen. He meets an exuberant French nobleman, a murderous five-year-old, and a bohemian Roman heiress. From the Venice Biennale to the flooding of Piazza Navona, you'll find yourself laughing, gasping, and drawing right alongside Emit as he travels through some of the most beautiful regions of Europe, unraveling a suspense-filled and surprisingly tangled mystery. Replete with strikingly rendered drawings that bring this exquisite and intriguing novel to life, Come to Light is the thrilling follow-up to the adventures of Emit Hopper, which debuted in Close Enough for the Angels.
- GenresFiction
522 pages, Hardcover
Published October 6, 2020
6 people are currently reading
1761 people want to read
About the author
Paul Madonna
17 books136 followersPaul Madonna is an award-winning artist and author whose unique blend of drawing and storytelling has been heralded as an “all new art form.” He is the creator of the series All Over Coffee, which ran in the San Francisco Chronicle for twelve years, and the author of seven books,
All Over Coffee
,
Everything is its own reward
(winner of the 2011 NCBA Award for best book),
On to the Next Dream
,
You Know Exactly
(finalist for the 2022 Golden Poppy Book Awards), and the Emit Hopper Mystery Series,
Close Enough for the Angels
,
Come to Light
, and
The Commissions
. Paul also collaborated with award-winning author Gary Kamiya on the best-selling book
Spirits of San Francisco
.
Paul's drawings and stories have appeared internationally in numerous publications such as the Believer and zyzzyva, as well as in galleries and museums, including the Oakland Museum of California, the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum, The San Francisco International airport, and the William Blake Association in France. Paul was a founding editor for therumpus.net, has taught drawing at the University of San Francisco, and frequently lectures on creative practice. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and was the first (ever!) Art Intern at MAD magazine.
Paul's drawings and stories have appeared internationally in numerous publications such as the Believer and zyzzyva, as well as in galleries and museums, including the Oakland Museum of California, the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum, The San Francisco International airport, and the William Blake Association in France. Paul was a founding editor for therumpus.net, has taught drawing at the University of San Francisco, and frequently lectures on creative practice. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and was the first (ever!) Art Intern at MAD magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 28, 2020
Well I'm clearly biased, but I think this is a great book!
:)
:)
June 28, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the 3 book collection Come to Light by Paul Madonna! Not only a fun and interesting story that takes you around the globe, but it's wondrously illustrated by the author.
As a former Bay Area resident, I came to know and love Mr. Madonna through his All Over Coffee art in the Chronicle and the book A Writers San Francisco he illustrated (written by Eric Maisel). I had no idea he was an accomplished writer until I discovered Come to Light. Learning it was a mystery that took place in cool locations all over the world and that it included his outstanding art, I immediately bought a copy (a signed one from Booksmith in SF).
I'm so happy I found this book, and I enjoyed every page of Emit Hopper's boozy, artistic adventures with his wonderful cast of supporting characters (my two favorites of those were Anna, the full-of-life Italian woman, and the bon vivant Frenchman Anton). Then there's the drawings! Whether a quick sketch or a detailed illustration, they are not only enjoyable, but provide another layer of subtext to the story. I know this is a book I will reread with great pleasure in the near future!
As a former Bay Area resident, I came to know and love Mr. Madonna through his All Over Coffee art in the Chronicle and the book A Writers San Francisco he illustrated (written by Eric Maisel). I had no idea he was an accomplished writer until I discovered Come to Light. Learning it was a mystery that took place in cool locations all over the world and that it included his outstanding art, I immediately bought a copy (a signed one from Booksmith in SF).
I'm so happy I found this book, and I enjoyed every page of Emit Hopper's boozy, artistic adventures with his wonderful cast of supporting characters (my two favorites of those were Anna, the full-of-life Italian woman, and the bon vivant Frenchman Anton). Then there's the drawings! Whether a quick sketch or a detailed illustration, they are not only enjoyable, but provide another layer of subtext to the story. I know this is a book I will reread with great pleasure in the near future!
November 13, 2020
AMAZING! Paul Madonna weaves a mystery as amazing as he draws! Loved how the paintings flow with the story. Riveting. Great characters. Incredible package. Don't know why this is listed as a paperback. It's a gorgeous box set.
December 31, 2020
Thailand, Europe, San Francisco. Art, suspense, love and loss. In a beautifully designed three-volume full color set.
And on to Van de Wetering now!
And on to Van de Wetering now!
October 1, 2020
I'd like to thank Edleweiss for this eBook, but I wished they had warned me that this was the continuation of a prior book about Emit Hopper. Emit is a very enviable character. As a young man he was a hit rockstar with his twin brother, and when his brother got bitten by the acting bug, Emit went on to become an acclaimed author. He has also owned/ran a laudermat, and then meets his soulmate Julie with whom he has a passionate love affair.
When Julie goes off on a camping trip with two of her friends, none of them come back and they are all missing presumed dead. Paul spends years looking for her and after a few years leaves San Francisco to wander the world and write graphic type novels. Any more than this will give away too much of the story. Needless to say it's a fun read.
When Julie goes off on a camping trip with two of her friends, none of them come back and they are all missing presumed dead. Paul spends years looking for her and after a few years leaves San Francisco to wander the world and write graphic type novels. Any more than this will give away too much of the story. Needless to say it's a fun read.
March 23, 2021
Part art, part novel, all Paul Madonna. Riveting mystery tale with great characters and references throughout. The introduction to Khruangbin was an added bonus.
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March 2, 2021This is a fast-paced, very entertaining mystery. I loved the fact that the author does little summaries of the plot so that the reader doesn't get confused by all the characters. Plus it's a lovely edition with very cool drawings.
October 7, 2020
In Come to Light, Emit’s wife, Julia, and two of her friends went missing six years ago while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. When the skull of one of the friends is found after a storm on the PCT, Emit suspects his wife’s stalker ex-boyfriend, Guillaume.
Unfortunately, Julia’s sister, Sara, has come to the same conclusion—and hired a hitman to kill Guillaume. Emit must race to prove Guillaume’s guilt before Sara’s assassin murders him.
Originally, I thought this book was a graphic novel. However, it is fiction with occasional illustrations. Since I’m reading an eARC, I can’t speak about the presentation of the physical book. Instead, I’m just reviewing the story itself.
The plot is relatively simple if you remove all of the flowery paragraphs about the setting and the narrator’s feelings about everything. Flowery writing may be good or bad depending on your point of view. This book’s “flower rating” is on par with Stephen King. But it does delay the pacing to slower than a typical thriller.
Overall, Come to Light has many twists that I, unfortunately, saw coming. Plus I typical like my thrillers to be more fast-paced. So from me personally, 3 stars. However, fans of literary fiction’s slower pacing and languorous writing style may rate it higher.
Thanks to West Margin Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately, Julia’s sister, Sara, has come to the same conclusion—and hired a hitman to kill Guillaume. Emit must race to prove Guillaume’s guilt before Sara’s assassin murders him.
Originally, I thought this book was a graphic novel. However, it is fiction with occasional illustrations. Since I’m reading an eARC, I can’t speak about the presentation of the physical book. Instead, I’m just reviewing the story itself.
The plot is relatively simple if you remove all of the flowery paragraphs about the setting and the narrator’s feelings about everything. Flowery writing may be good or bad depending on your point of view. This book’s “flower rating” is on par with Stephen King. But it does delay the pacing to slower than a typical thriller.
Overall, Come to Light has many twists that I, unfortunately, saw coming. Plus I typical like my thrillers to be more fast-paced. So from me personally, 3 stars. However, fans of literary fiction’s slower pacing and languorous writing style may rate it higher.
Thanks to West Margin Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
March 27, 2021
These books are worth reading if for no other reason than the wonderful artwork. Easy read, although sometimes just a tad too much detail but overall I found myself intrigued in the storyline and couldn't wait to read the 3rd book. It's a rare adult book that combines illustrations and story to satisfy the reader.
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October 16, 2023When a friend manages to write a book (let alone three), I eschew the star ratings and just register my awe at the accomplishment. This is good fun, though, whether you know Paul or not.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews