Lesson in Red

A savvy Los Angeles thriller about art, power, and gender, set in the world of Still Lives, a Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine selection



Brenae Brasil is a rising star at the most prestigious art school in the country, and her path to celebrity is all but assured. Until she is found dead on campus, just after completing a provocative documentary about female bodies, coercion, and self-defense.



Maggie Richter's return to LA and her job at the Rocque Museum was supposed to be about restarting her career and reconnecting with old friends. With mounting pressure to keep the museum open, the last thing she needs is to find herself at the center of another art world mystery. But when she uncovers a number of cryptic clues in Brasil's video work and investigates the artist's final days, Maggie begins playing a very dangerous game with some very influential people. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more lies she threatens to expose.



Maria Hummel, praised for her "genius for layering levels of meaning" (BBC), has brought us back to her provocative noir Los Angeles with this haunting investigation into power and the art world.