Northampton author launches debut mystery thriller featuring £40 million painting and town landmarks
The novel follows young lawyer Emma Harding, who travels to Northampton to investigate the ownership of a valuable painting by Italian artist Canaletto
A Northampton author has celebrated the launch of his debut novel, which turns familiar town landmarks into the setting for a mystery involving a £40 million painting and family secrets stretching back decades.
Mark Coady, aged 63, launched Lying Beneath at 78 Derngate on Saturday, October 17, marking the publication of the first book in a planned trilogy.
The Weston Favell resident has used his knowledge of the museum sector and experiences living across Europe to create a story combining legal intrigue, archaeology and long-buried secrets.
The novel follows young lawyer Emma Harding, who travels to Northampton to investigate the ownership of a valuable painting by Italian artist Canaletto.
In Mark's fictional world, the former fire station on Upper Mounts has been transformed into a museum displaying the artwork.
But Emma's investigation takes an unexpected direction when she discovers the painting has connections to her mother's archaeological work in Italy three decades earlier.
The mystery unfolds across Northampton, London and Avezzano in central Italy, gradually revealing events from the 1990s.
Mark, who lives with his wife Sabine, was born in Lancashire and has previously lived in London and Rome, as well as working in several European countries.
He has worked as a risk manager in the museum sector since 2017.
Published by Northamptonshire-based Hickathrift Press, Lying Beneath is the beginning of a planned series following Emma Harding.
A second novel, What Belongs, is already in production and will once again feature Northampton, alongside Leipzig in Germany.
Lying Beneath is available online in hardback, paperback and digital editions.