The Forger's Echo by Katrina Bauer

Isabelle “Izzy” Dufresne sees the world in a symphony of color and sound—not as others do, but through the whispers of creation emanating from the canvases she restores.  Her synesthesia, a rare neurological phenomenon, allows her to perceive the phantom pressure of an artist's hand, the ghostly scratch of charcoal, the very murmur of their intentions.  But when Izzy begins restoring a luminous Vermeer portrait, she detects a discordant echo—the insidious mimicry of a forger.  A chilling note, discovered beneath a layer of cracked varnish, confirms her suspicions: "Some echoes are best left unheard."

Suddenly, the hushed halls of London's prestigious Galerie Aubert become a stage for deception, and Izzy finds herself thrust into a world far removed from the quiet reverence of her restoration studio.  Gabriel Hill, a private investigator haunted by his own shadowy past, offers Izzy an uneasy alliance. He promises protection, understanding, but his air of old-money elegance and a gaze that speaks of unspoken tragedies leaves Izzy constantly questioning his true motives.

Their investigation plunges them into the heart of a conspiracy far grander than a single forged masterpiece. Whispers of political manipulation, a shadowy organization known as The Chiaroscuro Society, and a near-fatal "accident" in the dimly lit archives of a renowned art historian reveal the lengths to which their adversaries will go to protect their secrets.  Izzy's synesthesia, once her greatest strength, now paints a target on her back.

As Izzy and Gabriel delve deeper, the echo of her own family tragedy—the disappearance of her grandfather and a priceless Caravaggio—resonates with the unfolding conspiracy. The lines between hunter and hunted blur, and Izzy must navigate a treacherous landscape of half-truths and carefully crafted lies, where every brushstroke, every whispered secret, could be a deadly deception.  With Gabriel by her side, Izzy must unravel the mystery of the forger's echo before it silences her forever.