The End of the Vodka
Will be published approx. on 25. June 2026
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-1-917569-27-9 (ISBN)
Description
A Frida Kahlo painting, a scandal, and secrets that threaten to change the course of history
In 1938, showgirl-turned-socialite Dorothy Hale falls from a Manhattan skyscraper. Her friend Clare Boothe Luce - writer, diplomat and rising political figure - commissions Frida Kahlo to paint a memorial portrait.
Months later, reporting from Europe, Clare encounters the Duchess of Windsor in Paris and begins to question what really happened that night. In New York, Frida, estranged from Diego Rivera, wrestles with betrayal, ambition and the demands of her art. As she works on the painting that will become one of her most unsettling, she edges closer to the truth.
At the heart of this novel lies a real-life mystery: was Dorothy Hale's death an act of despair, or something far more dangerous, entangled with the power struggles shaping the modern world?
In 1938, showgirl-turned-socialite Dorothy Hale falls from a Manhattan skyscraper. Her friend Clare Boothe Luce - writer, diplomat and rising political figure - commissions Frida Kahlo to paint a memorial portrait.
Months later, reporting from Europe, Clare encounters the Duchess of Windsor in Paris and begins to question what really happened that night. In New York, Frida, estranged from Diego Rivera, wrestles with betrayal, ambition and the demands of her art. As she works on the painting that will become one of her most unsettling, she edges closer to the truth.
At the heart of this novel lies a real-life mystery: was Dorothy Hale's death an act of despair, or something far more dangerous, entangled with the power struggles shaping the modern world?
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 889 mm
Weight
750 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-917569-27-9 (9781917569279)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Oscar de Muriel
The End of the Vodka
E-Book
approx. 06/2026
Extraordinary Books
€11.99
Not yet available
Person
Oscar de Muriel is a writer, translator, historian and violinist. He is the author of a widely acclaimed series of Victorian mysteries, longlisted for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Historical Writers' Association's Gold Crown Award. He is currently collaborating with the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museums on a definitive book about Casa Azul, the home where Frida and Diego lived and worked. Born in Mexico City, he divides his time between Mexico city, Ribble Valley and Edinburgh.