Maestra by L.S. Hilton
Another Book Review
Maestra
Published: 08.09.2016
Publisher: Zaffre
★★★
I first heard about Maestra on my way to work. It was a normal day and I was on the bus checking my emails when I came across one of my newsletters. I guess it was the red cover what made me open the article and author interview, I don't know... but I recognised the book because I had seen adverts on the tube and it appeared to be all over the media when it first came out. I suppose I decided to read it because I wanted to know why people kept talking about it. Was it really that good? What was I missing? I thought I should give it a go. And so I did. I bought the e-book on a Thursday night and devoured it in less than a week.
The book tells the story of Judith Rashleigh, an art-lover and assistant who works in a prestigious London auction house. Her dreams of breaking into the art world have been gradually dulled by the blunt forces of snobbery and corruption. To make ends meet, she starts working as a hostess in one of the West End's less salubrious bars. Desperate to make something of herself, she learns to dress, speak and act in the interests of men. She learns to be a ‘good girl’. However, after uncovering a conspiracy at her action house, she is fired before she can expose the fraud. In desperation, she accepts an offer from one of the bar's clients to accompany him to the French Riviera. But when an ill-advised attempt to slip him sedatives has momentous consequences, Judith finds herself fleeing for her life.
Now alone and in danger, all Judith has to rely on is her consummate ability to fake it amongst the rich and famous - and the inside track on the hugely lucrative art fraud that triggered her dismissal.
I've never been an avid reader of crime fiction / thrillers, although I am getting more into this genre. I normally tend to read non-fiction titles and women's fiction so this was the first time I met a character like Judith. And I had never came across such a story before.
I felt like the book, in the very first pages, uncovers the story little by little. Judith narrates it and I felt very close to her in the first chapters: working as an assistant, trying to develop herself, describing rush hour and struggling to get the life she knows she has always wanted. Feelings of distance and fear started to grow as I kept on reading. I didn't understand Judith and her morally complex personality but her wicked intelligence made me want to keep reading and discover what was going to happen.
Her story is full of explicit sex and murders - and our main character doesn't seem to have feelings of remorse or sadness. She is a dark, dark character but that's her best quality too. She doesn't disappoint, in fact, she surprises the reader every so often that I kept asking myself: 'What on earth is she going to do now?’
L.S. Hilton sets her story in Europe and it's beautiful to travel from place to place, including London, Italy and France. Her descriptions are vivid and there's moments where you cannot wait to turn the page in order to discover what's going to happen. It is an incredibly addictive story that has many layers. However, some of those layers can feel a little bit unrealistic so be prepared to feel sceptical about what happens to our protagonist.
I must confess I don't like Judith - nor her tastes or ambitions - and that's one of the greatest things about her: she doesn't need anyone to like her, not even the reader. She has great psychological depth, though: she is vivid, unrelenting, scary and leaves destruction behind her.
And the twists, oh! the twists in the book are great. There's no way the reader can be prepared to discover what happens in the story. The world of art is fascinating, the fraud and corruption and the murders make this story a delicious dark thriller that will 'shock and please in equal measure'.
This little red book is a great thriller and I am looking forward to discover what happens next. Does Maestra live up to the expectations? In my opinion, it does. I would suggest to read the book with an open mind and you won't be disappointed.
Now, now... can someone bring me Maestra's sequel?
You can buy Maestra from your favourite indie bookshop or at Waterstones by clicking here.