New York, 1893. Society portraitist Piambo receives a commission he cannot refuse. A mysterious woman offers Piambo a fortune to paint her portrait. As Piambo's masterpiece takes shape, his relationship with the woman grows more tangled and her deranged--almost certainly murderous--husband becomes bent on revenge.

A mysterious and richly evocative novel, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque tells the story of portraitist Piero Piambo, who is offered a commission unlike any other. The client is Mrs. Charbuque, a wealthy and elusive woman who asks Piambo to paint her portrait, though with one bizarre twist: he may question her at length on any topic, but he may not, under any circumstances, see her. So begins an astonishing journey into Mrs. Charbuque's world and the world of 1893 New York society in this hypnotically compelling literary thriller.