The Forgotten Muse

When life-changing events send anthropologist Daisy Carruthers into a tailspin, she flees Washington, DC, for the calm of her late aunt's New York City apartment. But what she finds there is about to make her problems much worse.

New York City, 1928. Young, beautiful, Josephine Northrup leaves her drab life behind when she falls for an up-and-coming artist who convinces her to become his creative muse.

Before long, she's trapped in a cycle of violence and dependence with a baby on the way.

When several of the artist's paintings go missing, Josephine swiftly becomes the prime suspect. Separated from her daughter, trapped in a notorious women's prison, Josephine's hopes are quickly fading … then the unthinkable happens.

Washington, DC, present day. Already in an alcohol-fueled spiral of anxiety and depression, Daisy Carruthers hits bottom when she learns of her favorite aunt's death in New York. Hoping to find solace in her memories, she takes refuge in her aunt's apartment, only to find herself drawn into a maelstrom of suspicion about the death.

Daisy's queries lead her to the old mystery of the artist's muse from the 1920s. Are the two stories related?

The Jefferson Market Library, a former women's prison, may hold the key to solving both.