Art historian Edward Ellis has spent years searching for an obscure artist named Ethan Tanner, and more importantly, his rarely seen paintings. Given the scant information in his possession, he can barely make the argument that Ethan Tanner had actually existed. The majority of his colleagues think the Tanner paintings are a myth, a false but tantalizing rumor of an unknown artist and his undiscovered masterpieces. The few scraps of information Edward has managed to collect over the years suggest that not only are the paintings real, they are, by all accounts, astonishing. Edward, determined to see these incredibly rare works for himself, is about to be cast into a legal battle he is ill-prepared to fight. While Edward has spent over a decade, relentlessly searching for any lead on a Tanner painting, billionaire Jedd Blake has done everything in his power to keep the paintings hidden. The paintings are his, and he will not share them. Even in death, he won't let them go.[excerpt]When the reporter asked about the painting, Denholm replied, "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." That comment was quickly followed by this contrary statement: "It's also the most frightening thing I've ever seen." The first recorded sighting of a Tanner painting - 1948, Alexis, Illinois