PORTRAIT OF A HAUNTING blends a thrilling murder mystery with the moody, secretive worldbuilding of Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House and the complex mother-daughter relationships of White Oleander.

Twenty-eight-year-old Tatum Alexander has the terrifying ability to see ghosts. She inherited her unwanted Sight from her mother, the infamous artist, Amarina Alexander. When Tatum was eight years old, Amarina murdered her lover, used his blood to paint her final art piece, and refused to tell anyone her motive. Tatum believes their shared ability to communicate with spirits was the catalyst for Amarina losing her mind. Being friends with Manhattan's largest Coven has given Tatum a safe place to hide her unique ability, but she can't forget where she comes from. Haunted by her mother's crime, Tatum’s fear of the Sight has made her not only reluctant to use her gift but has kept her from letting the man she loves get too close. That is, until she comes home one night to find her best friend, Mischa Volkov, murdered.

Grief-stricken and traumatized, murder isn't Tatum’s only problem to solve. After Mischa's death, spirits all over New York City start hunting Tatum, possessing and killing innocent people to send her a message: Mischa's killer is coming for her, too. To keep her remaining friends safe and find the culprit, she must tap into and rely on the one thing she's avoided since her mother's crime: her Sight. Armed with the ability to communicate with ghosts, a crew of witchy friends, and the man who refuses to give up on her, Tatum must discover the truth about her Sight, the real reason for her mother's crime, and risk it all to protect the ones she loves.