Book Review - Painting by Numbers by Tom Gillespie

Day after day, Jacob Boyce – faltering academic and failing husband – visits a 17th century allegorical painting which hangs in a Glasgow art gallery. By using a series of measurements and calculations, he attempts to create a mathematical theory that will decipher the code locked into its canvas.

As more of the painting’s hidden secrets are revealed, and he meets a mysterious young woman, Jacob’s life spirals into chaos.

The object of his obsession has begun to move.

Painting by Numbers is a dark, surreal thriller that follows one man’s relentless pursuit into an old truth buried deep within.

Publication Date:  6th September 2012
Publisher:  Crooked Cat Publishing
Source:  Review Copy from Author/Publisher
Links:   Goodreads 


My Review    7 out of 10

This was a very interesting read for me.  You have the main character Jacob Boyce who is borderline obsessive about a particular painting in a Glasgow Art Gallery completely forgetting about the life around him.  There are some really great descriptions in this book, which definitely helped me picture what is going on at the time.

I really enjoyed the suspense in this story and also the little bits of information about art history.  I have to admit that I do not really know a lot about art history so the extra bits of information in the story definitely helped me to understand more about the story.

This is a very enjoyable book, especially with the suspense side of things and trying to figure out things at the same time as the main character although as maths was not my best subject, I did struggle at times to keep up to the mathematical side of things. 

Best wishes

Debs :-)