Mini Review: Northern Light by E.J. Russell

Nothing gives art fraud investigator Luke Morganstern a bigger rush than busting forgers, the low-life criminals who dare victimize true artists. But when his latest job sends him to a remote cabin in the Oregon Coast Range, he’s stunned to discover the alleged forger is his former lover, Stefan Cobbe, the most gifted painter Luke has ever known.

Stefan, left homeless and destitute after the death of his wealthy partner, doesn’t exactly deny the forgery -- he claims he doesn’t remember, an excuse Luke can’t accept.

But Luke’s elderly client suggests Stefan may be telling the truth and presents another possibility – a dark presence in the woods, a supernatural fury simmering for decades. Luke must face down his fear of the uncanny – and admit his feelings for Stefan – if either of them is to survive.

Northern Light is a very short but good story about love lost, second chances, and ghosts. It follows art investigator, Luke, on his latest assignment. A forgery of a long since dead artist has made an appearance in a gallery, and Luke has been hired to find out where it came from. An art forgery isn’t so unusual, except that no one has ever seen this painting in real life, only read descriptions. So who recreated it? His search leads Luke right to the doorstep of  his ex-lover and painter, Stefan. Stefan doesn’t exactly deny the accusations that he’s forging art, because he can’t exactly remember anything he paints. What follows is a slightly creepy ghost story with some romance thrown in as Luke and Stefan try to figure out what on Earth is going on.

I quite enjoyed Northern Light. I had never read about art investigators or forgers before, so I liked learning more about this field. I also really liked the characters. Luke and Stefan are both damaged men after losing each other, then their following lovers due to unexpected tragedies. The mystery was also interesting, even if it was predictable. It had just enough of a creepy vibe to be slightly dark, but without being scary. I always enjoy a good paranormal twist, and this story definitely has that, even if ghosts don’t tend to be my thing. I just wish there had been more romance! I need more M/M romance in my life, so that one scene between Luke and Stefan wasn’t enough! As it is though, I liked the story and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a quick mystery to pass an hour.

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