Come to Light

by Paul Madonna

Overview

From award-winning artist and author Paul Madonna comes an electrifying mystery novel full of unexpected plot twists, lively characters, and over one hundred lush drawings. Presented in an innovative three-volume boxed set, Come to Light is a gripping page-turner that weaves an intoxicating tale of love, murder, books and art.

Featured as a CrimeReads "Daily Thrill"

"Almost any book is sure to please the bookish, but a book that can pique the interest of bibliophiles is as precious as a padparadscha sapphire. Here are some such gems. . . Artist and author Paul Madonna pens a mystery novel full of unexpected plot twists and lively characters accompanied by more than 100 strikingly rendered drawings that bring this novel to life. This tale of love, murder, books, and art is presented in a three-volume box set."
--Publishers Weekly, Holiday Gift Guide (Illustrated Books)

"Blown away by Paul Madonna's new book Come to Light. [Madonna] blends a mystery novel with his usual stunning artwork--highly recommended."
--Mike Krieger, co-founder and former CTO of Instagram

Come to Light is a fresh and original mystery with an unusual detective: Emit Hopper, a former rock star turned author and artist. Six years ago, Emit's wife, Julia, went missing. Now the remains of her two hiking companions have been found buried in the California wilderness. But the discovery raises more questions than answers, so with his love for classic detective books and rye whiskey, Emit sets out across Europe chasing down clues, sketchbook in hand.

Quickly, Emit finds himself embroiled in a plot far larger than he could have imagined: he becomes a target of a State Department investigation, gets entangled in an international ring of art thefts, and discovers his own artwork stolen. He meets an exuberant French nobleman, a murderous five-year-old, and a bohemian Roman heiress. From the Venice Biennale to the flooding of Piazza Navona, you'll find yourself laughing, gasping, and drawing right alongside Emit as he travels through some of the most beautiful regions of Europe, unraveling a suspense-filled and surprisingly tangled mystery.

Replete with strikingly rendered drawings that bring this exquisite and intriguing novel to life, Come to Light is the thrilling follow-up to the adventures of Emit Hopper, which debuted in Close Enough for the Angels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781513264271
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Series:	Emit Hopper Mystery Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	51 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Paul Madonna is an award-winning artist and writer whose unique blend of drawing and storytelling has been heralded as an “all new art form.” He is the creator of the series All Over Coffee, which ran in the San Francisco Chronicle for twelve years, and the author of five books, including Everything is its own reward (winner of the 2011 NCBA for best book) and the Emit Hopper Mystery Series. Paul’s work ranges from novels to cartoons to large-scale public murals, and can be found internationally in print as well as in galleries and museums, including the Oakland Museum of California and the William Blake Association in France. Paul was a founding editor for therumpus.net, has taught drawing at the University of San Francisco, and frequently lectures on creative practice. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and was the first (ever!) art intern at MAD magazine.

Interviews

"I was inspired to write this book because, of all the detectives in the ranks of great mystery fiction, I’d never come across one who was an artist.

Detective stories have always been my favorite genre and we all know that in a detective story the protagonist wants to solve the mystery—sometimes it’s for personal reasons, sometimes professional—and I loved the idea of having two stories play out at once: a mystery, and the story of an artist making work.

For myself, and for many creative people, life is inspiration. Be it natural beauty, events, or emotions, the experience of being alive informs the stories we tell, the music we compose, and the drawings we make. I loved the idea of an artist finding themselves in a complicated mystery, then having their art reflect their experience. This is the premise for Emit’s character. The art we see is not the art he set out to make, but the art the story events inspired—or more appropriately, provoked—him to make.

I created the book as a set of three volumes for a few reasons:

1. I wanted the reader to have small, easy to handle objects to hold.
2. Emit has a love for noir fiction. As he travels, Emit is consistently buying and reading paperbacks. I wanted the reader to feel that they were doing the same. By having several paperbacks, they too might take it with them to some foreign destination, and be able to have the same joy of reading on the road as Emit.
3. And finally, I wanted each book to have its own visual aesthetic. One of the stories in Come to Light is the story of Emit’s drawings. In each volume he makes different work. Most notably in volume two, where all his drawings are of unique sculptures he finds in the posh Roman villa where he is being given refuge."

I hope you enjoy Emit's adventures and his art."

Editorial Reviews

Praise for previous works by Paul Madonna:

"Paul Madonna is a pen master. His work is difficult to categorize but that he was MAD magazine's first art intern may help explain his ability to capture human experience in its odd fullness."
—Boston Globe

"Miraculously exquisite. . . dreamy and surprisingly emotional."
—Salon

"When his international images are paired with his sparse, poetic words, the effect is haunting. Though Madonna travels the globe, it's not the famous sites or wonders that catch his attention. . . and the experience of being in his world is mesmerizing."
—Oprah.com

"A deeply satisfying, ruminative meditation on life seen through the eyes of appealing, but imperfect, characters. . . highly recommended."
—Foreword Reviews

"About detail, willful eccentricity, an almost rococo approach to line, and a steadfast devotion to art for its own sake, beauty as its own reward. Paul Madonna's work gives itself fully to all of these notions."
—Dave Eggers

"Madonna captures snapshots in time as he explores the relationship between image and text. . . that's so gorgeously rendered in Madonna's precise yet fluid pen-and-ink style, it feels like it could be anywhere and everywhere."
—Publishers Weekly

"Explores the nature of the creative process and is a blend of artistic media, with more than 100 ink-on-paper illustrations of locations in China, Japan and Thailand interspersed throughout the novel."
—Shelf Awareness

From the Publisher

"When his international images are paired with his sparse, poetic words, the effect is haunting. Though Madonna travels the globe, it's not the famous sites or wonders that catch his attention... and the experience of being in his world is mesmerizing."

Oprah.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: ILLUSTRATED BOOKS. Bookish Books: Almost any book is sure to please the bookish, but a book that can pique the interest of bibliophiles is as precious as a padparadscha sapphire. Here are some such gems. . . Artist and author Paul Madonna pens a mystery novel full of unexpected plot twists and lively characters accompanied by more than 100 strikingly rendered drawings that bring this novel to life. This tale of love, murder, books, and art is presented in a three-volume box set.

Publisher’s Weekly

"Paul Madonna is a pen master. His work is difficult to categorize but that he was MAD magazine's first art intern may help explain his ability to capture human experience in its odd fullness."

The Boston Globe

". . . A deeply satisfying, ruminative meditation on life seen through the eyes of appealing, but imperfect, characters. . . highly recommended."

Foreword Reviews (previous work)

"Explores the nature of the creative process and is a blend of artistic media, with more than 100 ink-on-paper illustrations of locations in China, Japan and Thailand interspersed throughout the novel."

Shelf Awareness (previous work)

"blown away by

@paulmadonnastudio’s new

book 'Come to Light'.

blends a mystery novel with his usual stunning artwork.

highly recommended.

Co-founder and former CTO of Instagram Mike Krieger

"Miraculously exquisite... dreamy and surprisingly emotional."

Salon.com (previous work)

"About detail, willful eccentricity, an almost rococo approach to line, and a steadfast devotion to art for its own sake, beauty as its own reward. Paul Madonna's work gives itself fully to all of these notions."

Dave Eggers

"Miraculously exquisite... dreamy and surprisingly emotional."

Salon.com

"Explores the nature of the creative process and is a blend of artistic media, with more than 100 ink-on-paper illustrations of locations in China, Japan and Thailand interspersed throughout the novel."

Shelf Awareness

". . . A deeply satisfying, ruminative meditation on life seen through the eyes of appealing, but imperfect, characters. . . highly recommended."

Foreword Reviews

"When his international images are paired with his sparse, poetic words, the effect is haunting. Though Madonna travels the globe, it's not the famous sites or wonders that catch his attention... and the experience of being in his world is mesmerizing."

Oprah.com (Top 11 books of 2011)