The old axiom of "What you see is what you get" cannot be said to apply to Olivia Winters, the seemingly gracious and vivacious daytime television host whom Peter Brandon is commissioned to paint after he and his partner, Jeff Stevens, appear on her popular show. Peter quickly discovers that underneath the veneer of warmth and sophistication, is a bitter and vindictive woman-with an ego bigger than the lavish Beverly Hills penthouse she owns. Her perfect world, however, starts to unravel when she receives threatening letters from a religious fanatic, and when her blackmailing ex-boyfriend attempts to reenter her life. Jeff, hired to investigate the source of the threats, is convinced that Patricia Hastings, the mother of their close friends, Emily and Anthony, may very well be the perpetrator. Patricia is particularly incensed when her son and daughter are interviewed by Olivia on the subject of child abuse-something Patricia has long denied her children suffered. Challenged by Olivia to counter her children's stories, an enraged Patricia physically attacks Olivia in front of a studio audience. Olivia seeks to benefit from the resulting media frenzy, but a murder and a suicide deflate her plans. She turns her fury on those around her, but is silenced when confronted by a vengeful killer-with only Peter's erratic psychic ability to prevent another murder. A Portrait of Olivia, the fifth in the Portrait series, is another entertaining mix of mystery, thrills, chills and the complexity of love and friendship.