Quercus
Quercus
Quercus
A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK: A young editor at an LA art museum finds herself pulled into the disturbing and dangerous world of a famous artist who goes missing on the opening night of her shocking new exhibition
WINNER OF STYLIST BOOK WARS
A SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB PICK
THE POOL'S BEDTIME BOOK CLUB PICK
SHORTLISTED FOR AMAZON'S BEST MYSTERY/THRILLER OF THE YEAR
A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK
'Thrilling' Reese Witherspoon
'Addictive' Stylist
'Vibrant' Observer
'Sensational' Guardian
'Elegant' Daily Mail
'Wonderful' Sunday Times
'Compelling' Entertainment Weekly
'Lyrical' Wall Street Journal
'Gripping' Bustle
'Stunning' LA Times
'Smart' Good Housekeeping
'Sophisticated' Grazia
'Ice-pick sharp' Louise Candlish
As the party of the year gets underway, celebrities and patrons pour into the Rocque Museum to see Kim Lord - L.A.'s artist of the moment - stabbed, strangled, shot, and beaten. It's the opening night of 'Still Lives', Kim's new collection of shockingly graphic self-portraits, in which she impersonates the victims of America's most famous homicides, from Nicole Brown Simpson to the Black Dahlia.
Among those gathered is Maggie Richter, a museum editor whose ex, Greg Shaw Ferguson, is in a relationship with Kim. When Kim fails to appear at the party and is declared officially missing, Greg is arrested on suspicion of murder. Suddenly, Maggie finds herself drawn into an investigation of her own, haunted by the thought that Kim has suffered the same terrible fate as the women in her paintings.
'Think a mix of Killing Eve and . . . one of those thrillers that keeps you up till 2am when you've a 6am alarm and you're close to the mark' Stylist
'An up-all-night brain-teaser of a murder mystery. I loved it' Louise Candlish, author of Our House
Perfect for fans of The Girls, Gone Girl and Big Little Lies.
A thrilling mystery... still keeps us up at night, it's THAT good - Reese Witherspoon
Vivid, vibrant and thrilling... with an ending every bit as dramatic as the deaths [Kim] Lord has painted - Observer
Unique, smart and uneasy . . . what captivates us about Still Lives is its feminist undertones, cleverly exploring the way violence against women is used as entertainment, while still providing a tight and addictive read - Stylist
Smart and sophisticated - Good Housekeeping
A high-concept literary thriller . . . not only a taut, elegant mystery, but a subtle examination of the way in which American society has become obsessed with the violent deaths of strikingly beautiful women - Daily Mail
Sensational . . . not only a satisfying mystery, but also an ambitious, intelligent and often uncomfortable study of gender, violence and art - Guardian
Frank and incredibly relatable . . . an intriguing, and often disturbing, read - Irish News
Savvy and lyrical - the perfect beach read - Wall Street Journal
MARIA HUMMEL is the author of Motherland, a San Francisco Chronicle Book of the Year. She worked as a writer/editor at MOCA in Los Angeles, then received a Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University and taught there for many years. She is currently an assistant professor at the University of Vermont, and lives in Vermont with her husband and sons.