After her artist lover is killed, Lieutenant Sigrid Harald is surprised when she inherits his multi-million-dollar artwork, and she becomes determined to track down the murderer and outrun greedy gallery owners
Born and raised in central North Carolina, Margaret Maron lived in Italy before returning to the USA. In addition to a collection of short stories she also authored numerous mystery novels.
Her works have been translated into seven languages her Bootlegger's Daughter, a Washington Post Bestseller won Edgar Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity awards.
She was a past president of Sisters in Crime and of the American Crime writers' league, and a director on the national board for Mystery Writers of America.
The setting is New York City. The characters range from people in the international art scene to those on the edge of poverty to the lives of the detectives. The story builds slowly to the crime(s) but the resolution comes too quickly.
This is the 8th in the Sigrid Harald mystery series and until recently had been the last. After purchasing the most recent book, I realized that I had not read Fugitive Colors. I had thought that it was going to be too emotional a read at the time that I laid it aside, but have found that not to be true. It is a warm portrayal of the woman Sigrid as opposed to the lieutenant Sigrid. She finds a way to be both and to be more than herself. I love this series.
This is an interesting mystery involving the art world, particularly elite galleries in Manhattan. A famous artist dies inexplicably leaving his entire fortune to Sigrid Harald, a police detective who has been his lover for only a few months. She is a rather drab person who doesn't even like his art but she takes on the duty of working on a previously contracted show of his art in a series of Manhattan galleries. When a normally meticulous art dealer and gallery owner begins to make very expensive errors and then is found is found dead in the artist's apartment, Sigrid's two worlds come together as the murder is investigated. I find it worth remarking on that the most interesting characters are not the glitterati of the art world but the every day people working in the galleries and on the murder case. They are the best characters.
BOTTOM LINE: The last, the best, and the most painful in this series, and an amazingly effective tie-up of most of the long-running threads. Sigrid's life changes drastically, as she works on a convoluted case while mourning the loss of her beloved Oscar. Highly recommended, but NOT if this is your first exposure to Sigrid.
WARNING: Don't begin reading this if you're at all "down" or depressed! The initial pages are quite sad and heart-tugging.
When her lover Oscar Naumann is killed in a car accident, Sigrid Harald's grieving is long and strong. But he's left her his enormous estate, filled with his highly-valuable artworks, and many things need managing, not the least of which is arranging for a retrospective of his work. Sigrid slowly comes to grips with the changes in her life - that she is now loverless, a rich and somewhat famous woman, and that she has influence in the art world of NYC. She's become more comfortable in her skin since meeting Oscar, and his death helps propel her forward, with more personal confidence than she ever exhibited before. This enables her to go back to work and begin to pick up the pieces of her life.
When one of the curators involved in Oscar's retrospective is found murdered in Oscar's apartment, she is called in to work the case, and finds much skullduggery and incestuous turmoil ongoing in the art world. Many subplots concur in this plot, and all are wrapped up nicely by the end, but it's Sigrid's state of mind and interactions with others that provide the motive power in this novel.
IMO many of the reviewers here don't quite get the main point of this book - the central theme is of Oscar's death and its many - and varied - repercussions, with the murder mysteries being secondary. That's not to say that the mystery plot isn't good (it definitely is at least par for the series, and that's high praise), it's just that the novel doesn't really "work" for the reader unless you have invested in Sigrid's growth as both a human being and a detective over the previous books. Yes, I know most long-running series authors tell you (or maybe it's their publisher's "line", not theirs...) that each book in a series can stand alone, on its own, but that's often not true due to poor or disconnected, or incomplete information/writing. That's not the case here, though.
Maron is an excellent writer, and for a devoted fan like me, this novel was superb. Heart-breaking, but superb. And for me it simply does NOT "stand alone", and must be read in the context of Sigrid's entire life. Your mileage may differ...
FUGITIVE COLORS (Pol. Proc-Sigrid Harald-NYC-Cont) – G Maron, Margaret – 8th in series Mysterious Press, 1995, US Paperback – ISBN:0446403938
First Sentence: She lay motionless beneath the blanket and stared at the ceiling dry-eyed, fighting against doing this to herself again, yet unable to resist.
Lt. Sigrid Harald is still recovering from the sudden death of her lover, artist Oscar Nauman. His leaving her his complete estate forces her into the world art; its egos and jealousies. One of the dealers involved in a four gallery show of Nauman’s work has been murdered in the late artist’s apartment. Sigrid’s team has its own challenges when what was thought to be a suicide may have actually been a murder.
It’s interesting to read a non-Deborah Knott book. Her trademark powers of description of very much in evidence whether it be describing Sigrid’s grief, or New York City.
There was a good balance of the two cases. Had the book only focused on the art world, some readers might have found the story tedious. Having the second case gave a balance to the story and also showed the diversity of the City.
Although written as recently as 1995, it was interesting to realize that personal computers were still relative new for home use. The book also did reflect the still sexist attitudes of the time in the constant focus by fellow officers on Sigrid’s appearance.
It was an enjoyable read, but I do prefer her Deborah Knott books more.
Ah, so satisfying reading Margaret Maron's FUGITIVE COLORS! The twisty plot and interesting characters are enhanced by wisdom, recovery from grief to go on living and loving, and letting go of vengefulness to avoid poisoning one’s life. Speaking of poison, the quotes on art techniques, which made me think of artist/storyteller Mel Davenport, were lovely glimpses of centuries-old art techniques, but I’d pass on mending broken dishes with a mixture containing white lead. I grimaced a bit at advice to use rose water for plaster casts of very important persons, but any water is “good enough” for other people. There is much of the atmosphere and contrasts of New York City and insights into the art world* to savor, as well as clever turns of phrase. I hadn’t though of Union Maid as a pun, but now I do, and when Roman has a “bottle in front of him” my mind conjured up Alan Alda quoting Groucho Marx’s preference for that rather “than a frontal lobotomy.” There is soon to be another in this remarkable series. I can hardly wait!
* “. . . art . . . mattered enough to make almost any sacrifice worthwhile.”
I was totally blind-sided by the start of this book with Nauman dead in a car crash (apparently right after the events of the previous book, but without any hint!) and Sigrid trying to get back on her feet after having been drowning under the weight of depression for the previous two months. And it's not at all a spoiler as it was in the jacket blurb! I seriously had to go back and confirm that I hadn't missed a book in between.
So that character element of the book was front and center, and the main mystery felt almost like an afterthought. Or, more accurately, I kept reading because I wanted to know what was going through Sigrid's head about her personal life and not because I was in any way drawn on by the mystery. And I felt kind of short-changed by that interpersonal element, tbh. To be smacked in the face with such a bombshell before the book even starts and then to have basically a "life goes on" approach to the rest of the book? Sure it's more realistic, but not very satisfying.
I love this series and just wish it included more than 9 books. A few years ago, I read one of the books in the series without realizing it was part of a series. I loved the characters, especially Lt. Sigrid Harald of the NYPD and artist Oscar Nauman. Then I discovered it was part of a series. So I went back to book 1 and have steadily worked through the series, in order. I've loved every one of the books some of which I found in used book stores; others I purchased online. I've lived in NYC on a couple occasions and am somewhat familiar with the territory of the books which always helps. The copyright for this 8th in the series book is 1995, so the age of long mysteries had not started. I recently finished reading a 700-page book which was wonderful; still it was also great to read a book of just 206 pages. Interestingly, all of the books in this series are around 200 pages.
The author, Margaret Maron, has a more popular series, the Deborah Knott mystery series, but I've found the Lt. Sigrid Harald to be my favorite.
This is the latest in the Sigrid Harald mystery series, but my first one to read so I was a bit lost at the beginning meeting all the characters and getting into the situations. This didn't prove to be much of a problem as the backstory is brought in enough to bring the new reader up to date. Sigrid is a police detective recovering from a police situation that left one of her detectives dead and the same day death of her best friend and lover. The book begins as she starts to reclaim her old life complicated by being dropped into a new life in the arts with lots of money tossed in. Another case is keeping her detectives busy. Originally thought to be a suicide, there are serious doubts. And Sigrid stumbles on the murder of an important art dealer in her lover's apartment. There are several twists leading in different directions. The writing is low key, drifting along relentlessly toward the conclusion. The book is enjoyable, a good mystery.
Set in the art world of NYC in 1981, the eighth installment of the Lt. Sigrid Harald mystery series is a cleverly crafted murder mystery. Desktop computers are new, cell phones are non-existent, and life is somewhat less hectic. The complexity of the murder and clues nested in this slim volume surprised me. Then again, Margaret Maron was a talented writer whose writing is spare and whose death in 2021 meant the end to two mystery series.
Lt. Harald, still reeling from the death of her lover Oscar Nauman, becomes embroiled in investigating not only the murder of one of Nauman's colleagues but untangling the threads of old and new relationships between gallery owners who represent Nauman's work.
While the characters take a while to sort out, the mystery plows ahead as Harald regains her footing and her passion for life.
I'm off to find book one in this series and savour Maron's work.
I haven't read any of the other books in this series, so I'm not sure why I would buy a copy of this book for my bookshelf. But there it sat - answering a need for a certain title in a challenge I thought I'd enter but never got around to. And once this made it into my short stack, I decided to have a go.
And I was pleasantly surprised. Sigrid is a real woman, not a superwoman. A woman of a certain age. A woman whose private life isn't rosily romantic. And the mystery was good. I enjoyed the NYC setting which surprised me, I guess because of the cover art.
This may well be a series that I continue - but from #1.
After surviving being taken hostage by a bent cop from her squad, Sigrid Harald finds out that her lover, the artist, Oscar Naumann is dead. When she discovers he left everything to her, she is even more upset. Deciding to do the retrospective show of his paintings that he agreed to before he died brings her into contact with some people in the art world that she is wary of. When one of those people, Gallery owner, Hal DiPietro is killed she and her team attempt to find the killer. This was an emotional read because of how Naumann's death affected Sigrid, but its a good mystery with a surprising ending.
I stumbled on this older book when I saw a newer one of this author's books on the new books shelf. Before Goodreads it was easier to miss an author or series that one might enjoy which is why I must have missed these when they came out. The mystery piece was done well, I liked the characters and the art world setting was interesting so all in all a satisfying read and I will likely read more by the author.
Sigrid Herald is dealing with grief over the death of her love, Oscar Nauman. He has left her in charge of all his estate so she's also dealing with the art world people. She gradually starts to come out of the fog and goes back to work. Then a body of an art gallery owner is discovered in one of Oscar's apartments by Sigrid herself. She puts her second in charge of the case but follows it closely.
Everything is not pretty in the art world nor in the life of police Lt. Sigrid Harald who has just recently lost her partner in a shootout and now her love Victor Naumann, a famous artist, has been killed inn an auto accident. As she slowly returns to work, she discovers that there are many secrets, scandals, and jealousies amongst those people who run the art galleries and the artists.
Enjoyed the book. Wish the library system had all the books in this series. Have read three, own the last one, so guess I'll read it sometime. Do have to admit that I enjoyed the Deborah Knott series better than this series. Like Sigrid, but art world / names are not "my thing". Good mystery. Did not have the culprit pegged.
Interesting combination of a murder mystery, the art world, and the plunder of World War II. Once again Maron leads the pack and discovers interesting areas to explore for the setting of a murder before they become a trend.
A book with heavy overtones. This story covers a lot of less than straightforward dealings in the art world. I loved the information about art, and I enjoy the characters but the overall emotion was of darkness.
I am not a big fan of taking 130 out of 244 pages before the mystery is introduced. The myriad of characters, both peripheral and co-workers makes a lot of mental work for the reader. As a non-art connoisseur, the works mentioned were lost on me.
A pleasant read. The art plot was a bit difficult to follow, but Margaret Maron writes in such a clear, well paced style, that the book is certainly worth reading.
Last, but not best, in the Sigrid Harald Series...
Probably most readers know Margaret Maron better for her more recently published and more contemporary stories about (Judge) Deborah Knott. The Sigrid Harald series dates from the mid-80's to this, the last of the set (the eighth), Fugitive Colors, published in 1995 after a 5-year hiatus from #7. These books remind one of almost classic Ellery Queen type stories: long on police procedures, complexity of plot, and wrapping things up cleanly at the end; somewhat shorter on interesting characters, locales, or other diversions to enhance the entertainment value. Like watching an old TV show in black and white, our leading lady Sigrid is herself kind of a plain, by-the-books supervisor without much femininity or complexity. She did take on a much older lover somewhere along the line, an Arts Professor and painter (Oscar Nauman). He suddenly turns up dead (auto accident) at the start of this story, certainly an unexpected development; and we spend much of the first part of the book with Sigrid out of work grieving, while art galleries posture over showing and selling his works, etc. The mystery doesn't really get going until one of the art scene gallery principals is found quite dead. At that point, things pretty much returned to techniques of the earlier works.
We generally liked this somewhat old-fashioned series of mysteries. We grew somewhat fond of Sigrid despite her shyness and low profile, and there were signs she was gaining more worldliness with every passing book. There was just enough continuing story with some of her colleagues, and her painter-lover, that the characters were becoming more accustomed, more familiar friends. And make no mistake, Maron is a fine writer. We would rate most if not all of the other stories as "4's". But somehow, the disjointed start to this one, the fact that it almost seemed like the last of the series (even if we had not known it), just didn't provide the expected enjoyment. It was almost like the publisher insisted Maron dust Sigrid off and give us "one more for the gipper", but that she did so reluctantly. Maybe her lack of joy translated into our own, hence the "3".
We guess we'll just have to go see what Deborah Knott is up to!
Police lieutenant, Sigrid Harald doesn’t even want to get out of bed. She has kept her heart locked for years. Then she finds Oscar Nauman who opens it and now he is dead. She has no desire to interact with her job or Oscar’s art friends.
Prior to his death Oscar committed to a combined showing of his work with four galleries. An unexpected happenstance leaves Sigrid as heir to Oscar’s millions in artwork. She reluctantly agrees to honor his commitment becomes involved with the show.
Victor Germondi, owner of the biggest gallery has just returned from Italy after accepting an award on behalf his father, who saved the d’Alagna Family’s and other artwork from the Nazis. The owner of the Di Pietro Gallery, Hall Di Pietro discovers a book about the Italian Art that sets in motion a revelation of hidden secrets, with the potential to destroy the celebrated hero’s and his son’s reputation. All the turmoil swirling around her forces Sigrid back into her role as a detective, where she again regains control of her life.
This mystery is masterfully written. My compliments to the author who never needed to invent something strange to get the story to come together. The interweaving of the story lines makes sense and does not leave the reader confused or wondering why.
I finally slogged my way to the end of this series, featuring Sigrid Harald, NYPD detective. Well, sort of. There is one more, and that one more is the only reason I read my way through these books. I don't like police procedurals, and I love cozies. Margaret Maron has done both, and she has done them very well. I enjoyed the Deborah Knott series so much that I want to finish reading the series, but there is that one book where Deborah and Sigrid meet. They are distant cousins, and Deborah is visiting New York for the first and probably only time. She is asked to deliver a family heirloom to her distant cousin Sigrid Harald while she is in the Big Apple. That's the book I want to read and then go on to the rest of the Knott books. I wanted to get a sense of who Sigrid is before I read about Deborah's meeting with her. I assume a murder case is going to mean much more contact than was planned. Deborah is a warm, caring, demonstrative Southern lady judge. Sigrid is a tightly wrapped, cold, withdrawn, 'only the facts, ma'am,' NYPD detective. I have a sense they won't like each other. Can't wait to find out.