The Painted Scream

Three months after escaping the supernatural horrors of Hawthorne Hall, Clara Hawthorne thought the nightmares were finally over. But when she returns to settle her grandmother's estate, she discovers that some portraits are meant to stay unfinished-and some screams echo across centuries.

Hidden beneath the groundskeeper's cottage lies an underground gallery containing her grandmother Evelyn's darkest secret: dozens of paintings depicting hollow-eyed children, all trapped between life and death. At the center stands the massive portrait of Lillian Hawthorne, a young girl whose unfinished scream has been calling Clara's name through the darkness.

But Clara isn't the only one interested in the Hawthorne legacy. Victoria Ashford, a mysterious collector with connections to powerful institutions, believes supernatural abilities should serve profitable purposes rather than gathering dust in family estates. As Clara struggles to understand her inherited gift, she must choose between commercial exploitation and something far more dangerous-learning to transform artistic power from a tool of binding into a force for liberation.

With the help of Detective Marcus Leland and empathic artist Emma Morrison, Clara embarks on a journey that will take her from haunted lighthouses to prestigious museums, from abandoned amusement parks to university theaters. Each case teaches her more about the true nature of the Hawthorne gift: not a curse to be feared, but a bridge between worlds that can heal rather than harm.

Yet as Clara develops her abilities, she discovers that supernatural collaboration comes with a price. Every spirit she helps creates new opportunities-and new dangers. Because in a world where the dead can teach the living, someone will always try to turn wisdom into profit, and turn gift into weapon.

The Painted Scream is a haunting tale of inherited power, chosen family, and the courage required to transform fear into hope. Perfect for readers who loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.