Douglas Scott Ross’ new thriller finds a young doctor in peril when she discovers her family’s connection to a lost Van Gogh painting.

The novel begins from the point of view of the painting itself, as Nazi leaders in 1942 France decide which works of looted art to preserve and which to destroy. The Van Gogh painting survives: “Pulling into the Jeu de Paume, I am impressed: a long, tall museum…part of the nearby Louvre. A new home for Moi?”

Sixty years later, Julie Tolle is graduating from medical school in Oregon. Julie’s beloved father has recently died, and before beginning her internship, she departs for Europe to scatter his ashes. There, she meets wealthy, alluring Johann, who sweeps her off her feet. To her astonishment, Julie finds a hidden art collection in Johann’s family home, including a portrait by Van Gogh that looks exactly like Julie.

Julie’s father’s family, French Jews, had much of their art collection looted during WWII, and Julie realizes the portrait is rightfully hers—but others are willing to kill to keep her from getting it.

With a smart, plucky heroine encountering family secrets and being charmed and menaced by various men, Chasing Vincent often feels like an updated gothic thriller. Ross is an adept wordsmith, as when Julie, ensconced in a fancy restaurant, feels as though “she had been miniaturized like a Lilliputian and dropped into the jewelry box of Marie Antoinette.”

Unfortunately, several issues detract from the novel’s appeal. The courtroom action toward the book’s end feels rushed, and the portrayal of Julie’s attorney — overweight, bipolar and suffering from sleep apnea—reads like a mean-spirited caricature, though it’s unclear if that’s intended. In a similar vein, the painting’s narrated sections, particularly the way it refers to itself as “Moi,” have a lighter feel that’s often jarring given the context.

Readers will find rewards in these pages, but some revision would help the story reach a wider audience.