When You Go Night Calving
Available Spring 2026!
“Don’t bring up the Modigliani.”
I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Wasn’t that the main reason I called in the board members? To discuss the acquisition of a genuine Amedeo Modigliani portrait?”
“My point exactly.” She leaned into the desk as far as her rotund stature would allow.
“It’s not acquired or verified, and it could be a forgery.” She silently mouthed the next word.
“Fake.” She stood and smoothed her pleated skirt. “Regardless, Ms. Danford called earlier. She said she can meet you tomorrow at nine.”
When an anonymous collector approaches the Richard Museum in Washington, DC, with a possible Modigliani portrait, art authentication expert Olivia Danford is called in. Her talents investigating pieces for museums, universities, and private collectors provide a retreat from a past she’d rather forget. But the chemical analysis and mysterious provenance of The Girl in White reveal much more than what lies beneath the layers of paint. Olivia is drawn back into her past, where she must decide if a half-truth is still a whole lie . . . and if a lie eventually reveals the truth.
Original book cover art by Kelly Berger, www.kellbergerart.com
“Jayme Mansfield writes elegantly about art and painting in a way that only an artist can. Portrait of Deceit delves into the world of fakes and forgeries with an uncanny expertise about the topic. It’s a must read for any lover of art and great writing.”
-Anthony Amore, author of the NYT and WSJ bestsellers The Art of the Con and Stealing Rembrandts.
Modigliani and Picasso (the short one) in Paris early 1900s.
Modigliani’s Nu couché fetched a record-breaking $157.2 million in 2018 at Sotheby’s
