The Art Flogger by C. Edgar North is the story of a woman who tries to get back on her feet, but fate has other plans for her. Lynda DuPont enjoyed her career as a Fine Art auctioneer, but she didn’t hesitate to quit her job and move to a new place when she married Dan. Life with Dan was perfect and they adored their three children. But when Dan died, her world turned upside down. Moving to Bellingham seemed like the best option where she could rebuild her life and provide for her children. Getting back on her feet was not easy, but she made it. She thought it was a good opportunity when a billionaire asked her to sell his art collection. However, soon she realized that she had embroiled herself in things she should have avoided. Now she is stuck in the middle of something and has no idea how she can get out of it. Not only is her life in danger, but she has put the security of her children at risk. How is Lynda going to make sure her family stays safe?

Lynda is a strong character; she is smart, strong and very clever. The author divided the book into 9 parts and each part focuses on Lynda’s life as she goes through it with a lion’s heart. C. Edgar North made sure that the reader stays engrossed in Lynda’s story from the very beginning. We see Lynda as she works as an auctioneer on cruise ships, as a wife, as a mother, as a widow and a fighter. Her story is very up close and personal. I made a connection with her and felt her emotions. Her story is layered, it’s complicated and it demands your full attention. The pace of the story was just right, Lynda’s development was phenomenal and her fighting spirit was very well portrayed. She is a relatable character, one that remains in the minds and hearts of readers for a long time.

The Art Flogger by C. Edgar North is an art world mystery that follows the wildly successful auctioneer Linda DuPont. Despite her professional successes, Linda seems to be constantly trailed by tragedy. She works hard and she plays hard, ultimately settling down to raise a family with a husband she adores and to dive (literally) into a new career. Art remains her passion and when her husband dies unexpectedly, she returns to the embrace of the Pacific Northwest and her other true love...art. Hardly skipping a beat, her skills at the auction block resume with a fervor, attracting the attention of clients who are not all they seem, once more putting herself and those around her in danger.

The Art Flogger is a deeply engrossing novel that encompasses and combines two wonderfully niche sub-genres: the art world and criminal drug trafficking. There has long been an underbelly to the art world that most readers may be unfamiliar with, and C. Edgar North is able to bring to life art's unintentional connection to money laundering and the drug cartels. North makes the connection in a different way and takes another, more direct angle, but still wiggles a toe in the same pool. I really, really connected with Linda, who is lively and well developed as a character, and I felt her highs and her lows equally. I admit that I was a little caught off-guard by her naivete at her gallery owner and patron Alex Garcia's motives, which doesn't feel natural in a woman who has been so strong and secure throughout the main part of the story, but this is quickly pushed aside with a shock ending that still has me reeling.