Derville Murphy

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.

Sylvie Vasseur father was an art collector in 1940's France. He also happens to Jewish. As the German's advance through France, he sends his young daughter to stay with the Courtney family in Ireland where he intends to meet up with her after laying out the groundwork to try and save his paintings. However he never rejoins his daughter and his collection is lost.

Sylvie did not lead an easy life, she show more is seduced by Nicholas Courtney only to be abandoned when he discovers she is pregnant. She agrees to marry his brother Peter in order to protect herself and her unborn child. Several years later she becomes involved in the Irish art scene and becomes a successful painter. But Nicholas isn't done with her when secrets from her father’s past emerge, leading her to question everything she knew. Only to be found drowned shortly after that under mysterious circumstances.

Seventeen years later, Claire Howard is hired by Nicholas Courtney to inventory the works of his former sister-in-law, Sylvie (Vasseur) Courtney. With the help of Sylvie's son Sam, discovers a series of lies that may have lead to Sylvie's death. Ones that may lead to her own demise...

I really enjoyed this story. It switched between Sylvie's perspective and Claire's as well as a few other minor characters. It was well researched and engaging. That being said I did find all the characters to be rather unlikeable. However that did not take away from my enjoyment of the story. The mystery sucked me in and I could not wait to find out what happened next. show less

I read and reviewed Derville’s first book, an historical fiction novel in September 2020 and indicated that I looked forward to reading her next book. I was not disappointed. I like books I read to flow chronologically and if they don’t they usually put me off after a few chapters but NOT on this occasion. This is a novel about two generations, nearly two centuries apart with their life stories cleverly woven into one book. What a delightful story of two Jewesses in the nineteenth show more century and the ancestral implications on the 21st century descendants. I must confess that I was somewhat captivated by the Russian characters, also the writings establishing the provenance of the two paintings. An easy read; not so much ‘gripping’ but most certainly an ‘historical mystery’ as described in the sub-title. This is the third book by Derville that I have read, enjoyed and reviewed and I look forward to her next work. I highly recommend ‘A Perfect Copy’ and gladly award it 4 stars. I received this review copy for an honest review as a LibraryThing reviewer. - Kintra show less

When Catherine Howard is hired to organize and catalogue the belongings of a long dead artist, she stumbles upon a mystery dating back to the 1940’s when a young Jewish girl, Sylvia Vassuer, is sent to England as a way to keep her safe. It is slowly uncovered that several paintings her Father’s vast collection are also sent to her for safe keeping. But these paintings are unaccounted for when it comes time to inventory her belongings. The mystery deepens when it appears the Sylvia might show more not have died from an accident but rather, she might have been murdered and that murder has been covered up for decades. Now Catherine has to decide who she can trust with this knowledge.
Wonderfully written, the flashbacks provide so much depth to the story and the world during that tragic period. I found myself engrossed with the story and wanting to ‘read just on more chapter’. show less

The Art Collector's Daughter was a fascinating read. Set in the 1940's it is the tale of a French art collector's daughter, Sylvie Vasseur, who is sent to Ireland to live with family friends during the war years. Sylvie's father, the art collector, is Jewish. He and his wife flee Paris in the hopes of hiding out in Spain. Unfortunately they are met with the gestapo upon arriving in Spain and that is the last we hear of them. Sylvie grows up with two step-brothers. Her life becomes entangled show more with both. She becomes pregnant with one of the brother's child and marries the other. She becomes a successful artist under the mentorship of a husband and wife duo. When they die in an accident, they bequeath their home to Sylvie. All along Sylvie cannot understand her parents' lack of communication and financial support. It turns out her parents did make plans to provide for her, but the family she was entrusted to betrays her. I found the unraveling of the mystery in this novel very well timed and executed. The author has done a fabulous job crafting the story and creating extremely flawed characters that somehow remain sympathetic. I definitely recommend this book for lovers of european and art history. show less