Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, raised in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam (the Netherlands). Her love of travel, art, and culture inspires her ongoing mystery series, the Adventures of Zelda Richardson. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels.
The Lover’s Portrait: An Art Mystery (Adventures of Zelda Richardson Book 2)
by Jennifer S. Alderson
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense | Thrillers | Historical Fiction | Foreign Language Fiction
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Missing masterpieces, Nazi blackmailers and a pesky amateur sleuth.
When a Dutch art dealer hides the stock from his gallery – rather than turn it over to his Nazi blackmailer – he pays with his life, leaving a treasure trove of modern masterpieces buried somewhere in Amsterdam, presumably lost forever. That is, until American art history student Zelda Richardson sticks her nose in.
After studying for a year in the Netherlands, Zelda scores an internship at the prestigious Amsterdam Museum, where she works on an exhibition of paintings and sculptures once stolen by the Nazis, lying unclaimed in Dutch museum depots almost seventy years later. When two women claim the same portrait of a young girl entitled Irises, Zelda is tasked with investigating the painting’s history and soon finds evidence that one of the two women must be lying about her past. Before she can figure out which one it is and why, Zelda learns about the Dutch art dealer’s concealed collection. And that Irises is the key to finding it all.
Her discoveries make her a target of someone willing to steal – and even kill – to find the missing paintings. As the list of suspects grows, Zelda realizes she has to track down the lost collection and unmask a killer if she wants to survive.
Set in present-day and World War Two Amsterdam, this cultural heritage mystery is not just about stolen paintings, but also the lives that were stolen. This captivating novel is for readers who love fiction infused with art, history and mystery.
All of the amateur sleuth mysteries in the Adventures of Zelda Richardson series are stand-alone novels and can be read in any order.
This novel describes the plight of homosexuals and Jewish artists in Europe during World War II, as well as the complexities inherent to the restitution of artwork stolen by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s. The plot was inspired by the author’s experiences gained while studying art history in the Netherlands and working for several Dutch museums.
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Holiday Gone Wrong: An Adventures of Zelda Richardson mystery thriller series short story set in Panama and Costa Rica
by Jennifer S. Alderson
Genre: Action & Adventure | Literature & Fiction
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After a tiresome year of computer programming, Zelda Richardson is back on the road – destination Panama and Costa Rica. Learning to scuba dive, exploring Central American rainforests, and climbing a volcano sounded like the perfect antidotes to Seattle’s spring rains.
When a banana farmer tells her about the Disquís spheres he found on his property, she can’t resist going to the site. Her visit puts a deadly spin on her vacation and leaves her fighting for her life.
Despite Zelda’s best efforts to just relax and enjoy her trip, thrilling mysteries pop up at every turn. Will she ever be able to go on holiday without it turning into an international incident?
How did Zelda Richardson get from Nepal in Down and Out in Kathmandu to Amsterdam in The Lover’s Portrait? This short story will help fans better understand this unintentional amateur sleuth’s decision to study art history and give new readers a taste of her tantalizing misadventures.
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Down and Out in Kathmandu: A Backpacker Mystery (Adventures of Zelda Richardson Book 1)
by Jennifer S. Alderson
Genre: Literature & Fiction | Action & Adventure
Zelda wants to teach children English and “find herself” in Kathmandu. Ian wants to get stoned and trek the Himalayas. Tommy wants to get rich by smuggling diamonds. How their stories collide will leave you on the edge of your seat!
Travel from the dusty, tout-filled streets and holy sites of Nepal to the sultry metropolises and picture-perfect beaches of Thailand, as Zelda and Ian try to outsmart the smugglers and escape Asia alive.
This fast-paced, thrilling travel mystery set in Nepal and Thailand is sure to captivate readers thirsty for some armchair adventure. Down and Out in Kathmandu: A Backpacker Mystery is the perfect book for lovers of dark comedy, backpacker fiction and (mis)adventure novels.
This novel is a PREQUEL to the art history mysteries Zelda Richardson gets involved with later in this series. All four mysteries in the Adventures of Zelda Richardson series are stand-alone novels and can be read in any order.
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Rituals of the Dead: An Artifact Mystery (Adventures of Zelda Richardson Book 3)
by Jennifer S. Alderson
Genre: Foreign Language Fiction | Historical Fiction
Stolen artifacts, a missing anthropologist and a pesky amateur sleuth.
Art history student Zelda Richardson is working at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam on an exhibition of bis poles from the Asmat region of Papua – the same area where a famous American anthropologist disappeared in 1962. When his journal is found inside one of the bis poles, Zelda is tasked with finding out more about the man’s last days and his connection to these ritual objects.
Zelda is pulled into a world of shady anthropologists, headhunters, missionaries, art collectors, and smugglers – where the only certainty is that sins of the past are never fully erased.
Join Zelda as she grapples with the anthropologist’s mysterious disappearance fifty years earlier, and a present-day murderer who will do anything to prevent her from discovering the truth.
For readers who enjoy art, history, anthropology, travel and thrillers. All four mysteries in the Adventures of Zelda Richardson series are stand-alone novels and can be read in any order.
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Notes of a Naive Traveler: Nepal and Thailand Travelogue
by Jennifer S. Alderson
Genre: Travel
“I never thought I would have reason to say to someone, ‘Sorry I’m late, it took longer to dismember the goat than originally planned.'”
I was twenty-six years old, worked at a well-paid job, rented a fantastic apartment, and enjoyed a large circle of friends. I had everything, except I didn’t. I couldn’t shake the feeling I was missing out on the experience of living.
Part guidebook on culture and travel, part journey of self-discovery, this travelogue takes you on a backpacking adventure through Nepal and Thailand and provides a firsthand account of one volunteer’s experience teaching in a Nepali school and living with a devout Brahmin family.
Trek with me through the bamboo forests and terraced mountaintops of eastern Nepal, take a wild river-rafting ride in class IV waters, go on an elephant ride and encounter a charging rhinoceros on jungle walks in Chitwan National Park, sea-kayak the surreal waters of Krabi, and snorkel in the Gulf of Thailand. Join me on some of the scariest bus rides you could imagine, explore beautiful and intriguing temples, experience religious rituals unknown to most Westerners, and visit mind-blowing places not mentioned in your typical travel guides.
Notes of a Naive Traveler is a must-read for those interested in learning more about – or wishing to travel to – Nepal and Thailand. I hope it inspires you to see these amazing countries for yourself.
Included in this book are twenty-five photos of Nepal and Thailand, taken by the author during her journey.
This journey also inspired me to write a travel thriller, Down and Out in Kathmandu: A Backpacker Mystery.
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