Australian author Lisa Medved Makes Dazzling Debut with The Engraver's Secret

Australian author Lisa Medved makes a dazzling debut with The Engraver’s Secret - an art history thriller that spans centuries, weaving the richly imagined world of 17th-century Flanders with a gripping modern-day treasure hunt in Antwerp.

In the Spanish Netherlands of the 1620s, young Antonia Vorsterman grows up in the bustling world of artists and engravers under the shadow of Peter Paul Rubens. As the daughter of master engraver Lucas Vorsterman, Antonia becomes an unlikely witness to the ambition, rivalries and secrets of the Flemish Baroque. When her father entrusts her with a life-altering secret, her path is irrevocably changed.

Centuries later, Australian art historian Charlotte Hubert, grieving her mother’s death and in search of the father she never knew, relocates to Belgium to study Rubens. But when she uncovers a hidden message inside an old map folio, her quiet research life spirals into a dangerous pursuit of lost artwork, buried truths, and academic rivalries.

With its dual timelines, richly drawn characters and evocative settings, The Engraver’s Secret explores the cost of loyalty and the resilience of women across time.

Critics have praised Medved’s atmospheric and suspenseful storytelling:

“An inspired blend of history and suspense ... This wonderful debut novel will inhabit your dreams.”
— Dominic Smith, author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

“Art and history collide in this sumptuous novel of dark secrets, family, violence and treachery.”
— Karen Brooks, author of The Good Wife of Bath

Perfect for readers of art thrillers like The Miniaturist or The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, this compelling debut heralds Medved as a major new voice in historical fiction.