Switching between the worlds of France before and during the Second World War and present day Canada and France, Missing Matisse is a gripping, whirlwind-like novel about a lost Matisse painting.

Chloe is a painter; she has always believed that her mother was the owner of a Matisse sketch of her grandmother, Sylvie, that was wrongly obtained and is in the possession of another family. Chloe steals the sketch back, in an unlikely break-in to the polished home of Adam Jensen, during a party. Chloe's theft of the sketch sets in motion a series of events culminating in the death of a local art dealer and a search for a long lost painting by Matisse.

The search moves from the north to the south of France, and involves a wide range of suitably nefarious and quirky characters. Missing Matisse moves seamlessly back and forth, from twenty first century France to the Second World War home of ailing painter Henri Matisse and his staff, which includes his muse and personal assistant Lydia Delectorskaya and Chloe's grandmother, Sylvie.

The characterisation of Lydia Delectorskaya is convincing; she is devoted to Matisse, resourceful and stoic, yet she is also passionate and sometimes secretive. Lydia Delectorskaya in fact did exist, and worked with Matisse for many years as his studio assistant. Their relationship persisted through the Second World War until Matisse passed away in 1954.

By contrast, I felt the character of Adam Jensen was almost transparent. I got very little sense of his personality, although his motivation for travelling from Canada to France with Chloe in the footsteps of his older, deceased brother Jamie's travels is clear.

Rehner achieves an intense, quickening pace with 'the chase' but with clever lulls in the action that divert attention briefly from the relentless search for the painting. For example, the time spent by Matisse and Lydia Delectorskaya at Villa Rêve in the South of France is idyllic:

I enjoyed Missing Matisse, despite it being necessary at times to suspend my disbelief regarding the seemingly coincidental sequence of events and the capricious actions of some of the characters. It was an enjoyable and light read, perfect to while away a cold evening.

Further interesting reading on Lydia Delectorskaya can be found at http://www.henri-matisse.net/models.html)