Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Tell-Tale Art (Tri-Star Investigations) by Lawrence E. Rothstein. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
The Tell-Tale Art (Tri-Star Investigations) by Lawrence E. Rothstein
The Tell-Tale Art (Tri-Star Investigations)
Mystery – Thriller
3rd in Series
Setting – Chicago, Provence
Publisher : Wild Rose Press
Publication date : April 13, 2026
Print length : 304 pages
Paperback
After a Chicago gallery owner’s apparent suicide is unmasked as murder, brilliant Marko Korb, intrepid Kelan Su, and dauntless Desmond St. Clair of Tri-Star Investigations hunt a killer. A tense stakeout, twin break-ins, and two brutal murders propel them into deciphering an artistic code, battling an international gang, rescuing a kidnapped colleague, and uncovering a cache of Nazi-looted art. With help from an old ally of Korb, the chase hurtles from Chicago’s mean streets through the countryside, culture, and cuisine of Provence—and back again. Every clue is a brushstroke; every step could be their last.
Author Guest Post
The Tell-Tale Art is really my favorite of the three Tri-Star Investigations mysteries published so far for three reasons. As I lived and worked in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, I want to convey the lushness of the cuisine, culture and countryside of Provence. The French intellectual property insurance investigator, Jean-Jacques Eyraud, shares many of the endearing traits and professional competence of friends and colleagues I met while working in France. Finally, the novel allows the further development of Desmond St. Clair, the third star of the Tri-Star investigative trio.
The idea for The Tell-Tale Art comes from the many newspaper articles about art stolen by the Nazis. Interestingly, one of the best articles that captures the theme of the book is a recent one in the NY Times discussing an exhibit at the Musee d’Orsay of pieces stolen from France by the Nazis. It also raises the issue that some were thought to be forgeries – another aspect of the case in the novel.
I have been asked how I came up with the title? The title The Tell-Tale Art captures the essence of the puzzle solving aspect of the mystery. I love puns so the title, refers obliquely to the Poe story, and mirrors his first-person account of the murder in the voice of the perp.
My interest in writing has been an important part of my careers. I call writing mysteries my third career. I take pleasure in the creative process of finding the right words to effectively and forcefully make a point. Both as a lawyer and an academic, I enjoyed looking at legal cases as stories and writing fictional scenarios for my students to analyze.
I have always loved to read mysteries. Particular favorites are the novels by Rex Stout. It is easy to see that the massive, brilliant, sedentary detective, Marko Korb, is modeled after Stout’s Nero Wolfe. I also enjoy the active, street-wise, intrepid female private investigators, Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski , Linda Barnes’ Carlotta Carlyle, and Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone. Korb’s associate, Kelan Su, shares those traits.
My characters seem to talk to me and suggest the direction an investigation should take. Many of the scenes I write answer the question: What would Korb, Su, or Des say to do or be likely to do next?
I hope that readers enjoy reading my book as much as I enjoy writing them. I hope they find in the novel a good story with an intriguing puzzle; well-drawn characters: a cerebral detective assisted by an active, street wise, intrepid leg person; humorous incidents; an intriguing locale; and culinary delights.
A word for authors: Sharing work with a group of other writers on a frequent and regular basis is very helpful. I have a writing group with four other insightful authors which requires that I have a chapter to discuss on a weekly basis. The consistent schedule and their trenchant comments encourage productivity and sharpen the content.
And finally a word for retirees and those contemplating retirement: I highly recommend developing interests and activities to fill your days before you retire. In addition to writing the Tri-Star Investigations mysteries, I started the activities I have cultivated further in retirement before I fully retired. I came back to the clarinet after 50 years to play in the Wakefield Concert Band and in retirement I’ve added two other musical groups. Of course, I should practice more. Athletic activities take up a lot of my time. I play tennis at least twice a week and in good weather love to ride my bike. I have also been active with government and NGO committees dealing with privacy issues that I researched during my academic career. I greatly enjoy my French language discussion group. Being busier in retirement than I was during my worklife has been essential to my well-being.
About Lawrence E. Rothstein
Writing mysteries is my third career. In all of my careers as a lawyer, a university professor, and now as an author of novels, finding the right words to present an idea was always important and enjoyable. As an academic, I wrote many published scholarly pieces, including a book and book chapters. I started writing mystery/legal scenarios as hypothetical cases for law courses I taught. I get my ideas from the news, particularly legal news, my previous legal work, areas of academic research, and other detective stories. With regard to The Tell-Tale Art, I used my experiences living and working in Aix-en-Provence. My detectives are based in Chicago, where I was born and raised.
Website: rothsteinsmysteries.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rothsteinsmysteries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lrothstein3/; https://www.instagram.com/rothsteinsmysteries
Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/tristarmysteries.bsky.social
Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble
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The Tell-Tale Art TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 29 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
July 29 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
July 30 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 31 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
July 31 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
August 2 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
August 3 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 3 – Book Hookup – REVIEW
August 4 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 5 – deal sharing aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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