Helen A. Harrison Reimagines the Art World with Deadly Precision in Acclaimed 'Art of Murder' Series

Helen A. Harrison. Credit: Steve Joyce

Art of Murder author Helen A. Harrison with forensic art analyst Nicholas Petraco at Hamptons Whodunit, East Hampton's mystery and true crime writers' festival, April 2025. Credit: Hamptons Whodunit / East 27 Creative

Harrison's latest release, published by Level Best Books, April 2025.

Where Creativity Turns Criminal: Helen A. Harrison Paints Murder Into Art History.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, June 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Acclaimed author and art historian Helen A. Harrison continues to defy convention and captivate readers with her genre-blending Art of Murder mystery series. Drawing on a rich career as a New York Times art critic, museum curator, and director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, Harrison writes murder mysteries where history meets invention, and where the art world becomes a stage for lethal motives.

To purchase copies of Harrison’s tantalizing tales, click here: https://helenharrison.net/fiction-books/

“There’s a thin line between fact and fiction,” says Harrison. “Using my vivid imagination, I delve into the fascinating lives and personalities of the art world to craft compelling stories. All of my victims meet ends very different from their actual deaths, but that’s where the fun begins.”

Harrison’s books in the Art of Murder series are connected, both thematically and through recurring characters and evolving storylines.

The series opens in 1943 New York with An Exquisite Corpse, centered on Surrealist artist Wifredo Lam. In reality, Lam died in 1982, but he becomes an ideal fictional victim in Harrison’s reimagining. Her central investigators, NYPD officers Brian Fitzgerald and Juanita Diaz, unravel the mystery amid a vivid wartime cultural landscape, sparking a partnership that blossoms into marriage and anchors the series across decades.

“An Exquisite Corpse, and all my books, are not just for art lovers,” Harrison says. “They’re for anyone who craves intrigue, suspense, and a great story. By reimagining the past, I aim to create narratives that resonate with readers of all backgrounds and ages. The art world provides the setting, but the emotions, motives, and mysteries are universally human.”

In her later novels, the focus shifts to the couple’s son, Timothy Juan “TJ” Fitzgerald, who matures from a precocious child in 1956 to a seasoned private investigator by 1986. From the car crash that killed Jackson Pollock to the fictional stabbing of Thomas Hart Benton at the actual Manhattan art school where he once taught, TJ investigates murders that are intimately tied to the real figures and movements of 20th-century American art.

“Through it all, I strive to maintain a delicate dance between authenticity and imagination. My books reward art lovers with historical facts while inviting all readers into a gripping world where creativity and crime collide. Writing the Art of Murder series as a continuing saga felt natural because the characters, like the art world itself, evolve with the times. Their stories didn’t end with one book,” Harrison concludes.

Fiction books by Harrison:

1. An Exquisite Corpse
In 1943, in Manhattan, Cuban artist Wifredo Lam is found dead under suspicious circumstances, pulling wartime Surrealists into a dangerous game of greed and betrayal.

2. An Accidental Corpse
Set in 1956 East Hampton, the car crash that kills Jackson Pollock claims a second victim, Edith Metzger, whose death points to deeper jealousies.

3. An Artful Corpse
During the turbulent 1960s, as Pop art and anti-war protests collide, a murder at a New York art school exposes simmering tensions and long-held grudges.

4. An Elegant Corpse
In 1976, TJ—now a private investigator—uncovers deadly secrets behind the mysterious early death of artist Alfonso Ossorio in his East Hampton estate.

5. A Willful Corpse
In 1986, when a trove of missing Pollock paintings surfaces, the leading expert believes they’re fakes, but he’s killed before he can name the forger. Was his death an accident or murder?

6. A Fair Corpse (Forthcoming, 2026)
In this prequel to An Exquisite Corpse, we meet rookie cop Brian Fitzgerald patrolling the 1939 New York World’s Fair, where artistic rivalry has deadly consequences, continuing Harrison’s unique blend of fact, fiction, and forensic intrigue.

Celebrate the Art of Murder with Harrison this June at a series of exciting appearances and book events across Long Island:

June 21, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Meet the Author Book Fair
Springs Community Library, Parsons Place, East Hampton, NY

June 26, 5–7 p.m.
A Willful Corpse reading and book signing
Maju Gallery, North Ferry Road, Shelter Island, NY

About the Author

Helen A. Harrison is the acclaimed author of the Art of Murder mystery series and a widely respected authority on modern American art. A former art critic for The New York Times and the longtime director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in East Hampton, NY, she combines deep knowledge of the art world with a vivid imagination to craft compelling, historically rich mysteries. Helen continues to write, research, and uncover new fictional bodies in her picturesque Sag Harbor home.

Her distinguished career has earned her numerous honors, including the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service from Stony Brook University, the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for Fiction/Mystery & Suspense from the Independent Book Publishers Association, and multiple Press Club of Long Island awards for arts broadcasting, art criticism, and arts reporting, as well as election to the Adelphi University Alumni Association Academy of Distinction.

Website: https://helenharrison.net/

FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/artworldmysteries

Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_A._Harrison

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-a-harrison-58aa33364/

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Boundless Media USA
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