Die A Little - Softcover

Abbott, Megan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847393462 ISBN 13: 9781847393463

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2008

Synopsis

Die A Littletells the story of Lora King, a schoolteacher, and her brother Bill, a junior investigator with the district attorney's office. Lora's comfortable, suburban life is jarringly disrupted when Bill falls in love and marries a glamorous yet mysterious young woman named Alice Steele, a Hollywood wardrobe assistant.

Lora soon begins to suspect that things aren't all they seem with Alice. Spurred on by inconsistencies in Alice's personal history, Lora finds herself lured into the dark alleys and mean streets of seamy Los Angeles. She uncovers a shadowy world of drugs, prostitution, and ultimately, murder. But the deeper Lora digs to uncover Alice's secrets, the more her own life begins to resemble Alice's sinister past - and present.

About this title

Review:

"Finally, here is a modern noir that perfectly depicts Raymond Chandler's 1950s L.A. in all its seamy, sexy corruption. In a thrilling portrayal of rival femme fatales -- one a denizen of L.A.'s demi monde, the other seemingly immune to its dark pull -- Megan Abbott's Die a Little mixes a potent cocktail of jealousy, obsession, and danger." Lisa Scottoline, author of Killer Smile "Megan Abbott: Superb storyteller...Poised to ascend to the top rung of crime writing and quite possibly something beyond." James Ellroy "[Abbott's Die a Little] gives us the true dark heart of the city in sharply contrasted blacks and whites, dense with heartache. ... In these tasty noir stylings, you can almost smell the smoke and hear the clinking of ice cubes." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Die a Little sets the bar high for everything that follows this year. This one is already at the top of my list for best of the year." -Thomas McNulty, Mystery News "Megan Abbott's spectacular first novel Die a Little is the kind of book that should make devotees of Cain and Chandler fall down and beg for mercy." -Hollywood Reporter "Abbott, author of a nonfiction study of hard-boiled literature and film, crafts a stylish, sensuous tale with picture-perfect period trappings." -Publishers Weekly "... a tale that smolders like the night's last, forgotten cigarette." -Booklist, American Library Association "Few psychological thrillers, by writers of either sex, offer such material, sensual, delicious catalogs of food, clothing, hairstyles, and especially kitchenware. In Abbott's hands, casserole dishes, folding chairs, and a 'Cornwall Thermo Tray with gold finish and wooden handles for serving hot artichoke hors d'oeuvres and tuna squares' have never seemed so sexy." -Alexis Soloski, The Village Voice "Abbott has fashioned a noir thriller that may remind readers of James M. Cain's brooding melodramas. She need not fear the comparison. Her story, rendered in a captivatingly off-beat style, crackles with suspense, and her portrait of L.A. in the 1950s, a seductive mixture of sleaze and sophistication, rings all-too-sadly true." -Robert Wade, San Diego Union-Tribune "Die a Little is a first novel, but you'll assume Megan Abbott is a seasoned vet. Her book is that good-reminiscent of the hard-edged naturalism of James M. Cain. ... The year 2005 is still new, but Abbott is already Rookie of the Year." -Les Roberts, Cleveland Plain Dealer "[O]ld-school noir at its finest, but with a nifty gender switch that gives the story extra oomph. ... Die a Little packs a mean little punch. And, like the best work in this genre, it lingers long after the last page." -David Lazarus, San Francisco Chronicle "Sexy, suspenseful, and effortlessly evocative of Hollywood's sleazy underbelly, [Die a Little] delivers all the smoky atmospherics a good noir should ..." -Elle "Die a Little takes us back to more innocent days, in which a smear of lipstick on a bed sheet still has the power to shock, men in sharkskin warn you that, honest, you don't know what you're getting yourself into, and a femme fatale with a mouth 'like one gorgeous scar across her face' dabbles in the darkest treachery without spilling her drink or smudging her makeup. -Mary Harrison, Philadelphia Inquirer "a chilling tale of how quickly the line between good and bad blurs. ... Die A Little is too smart to tell simple stories. Instead, Abbott layers in subtext and menace, murder and blackmail to demonstrate [her main character's] descent into blackness, and her secret welcoming of this shady world that engulfs her. ... Abbott's debut is a welcome treat." -Sarah Weinman, Baltimore Sun "Written in the style of the hard-boiled detective genre, Abbott gives her noir a big shot of estrogen. ... like an L.A. Confidential told from a distinctly feminine point-of-view. But in Abbott's noir not all sexually active women are femme fatales, and the innocent aren't always all that innocent after all." -Sarah Vance, Bookslut "A delicious slice of American noir fiction, set in 1950s Hollywood with a strong plot and period detail. Gorgeous cover style, too, recalling film posters of the time..." -Sue Baker, Publishing News 16/5/08, picked as a Personal Choice 'What Abbott has given us, and this seems even more impressive considering it's a debut novel, is a tantalising glimpse into a world we can never hope to know but, like Lora King, cannot resist delving into to find out more, regardless of the cost to ourselves. In my case, this cost was a couple of nights without sleep. A hugely impressive debut novel that borrows from the cool of Raymond Chandler, the Hollywood noir of Ellroy's Black Dahlia and the excitement of a rollercoaster.' Iain Wear, thebookbag.co.uk 'The publisher of Die A Little describes the novel as 'a gem of the darkest hue'. It's difficult to improve on this description. Megan Abbott's debut has the hardness, the sharpness and the lustre of a well-cut diamond. The moral - about the heart of darkness within all of us - may be bleak, but Abbott conveys it in an elegant and effortless style all the more exceptional in a debut.'Damien Seaman, Shots 'James Ellroy meets Nancy Drew in a wonderfully atmospheric tale of ugly secrets in 1950s LA... The period detail is authentic and the dialogue spot on. Best of all, classic American noir recast from a woman's viewpoint means that the female characters really come alive -- about time, too' Laura Wilson, Guardian 19/7 'Here's a real treat for fans of the likes of Raymond Chandler, a new writer exploring the darker side of 1950s LA... Abbott's writing perfectly evokes the era, Hollywood and the contrast between clean-cut, model all-American citizens and the post-war underworld. She maintains the Chandleresque mood, while the truth about her characters remains elusive to the end. A very stylish debut indeed' Bolton Evening News (circ. 29,000) 19/7/08 'If you like your thrillers -- and your femmes fatale -- dark, you'll love this noir recreation of '50s LA with its sharp suits and sharper dialogue, which was deservedly shortlisted for an Edgar in the States' Tribune 15/8 "This cracking novel is as enjoyable as a racy ramble through the mean streets of LA with Philip Marlowe" Birmingham Sunday Mercury, Aug 08 'ASTONISHINGLY, Die a Little was Megan Abbott's first novel. The shock is that a debutante should have managed such a difficult genre so perfectly. She writes pure American noir, circa 1950. Many authors have imita-ted the style, with some success, but you always knew that it was a copy. Abbott feels original. Lora, a teacher in Hollywood, is happy when her brother marries Alice, but she gradually discovers discrepancies in her sister-in-law's account of her past. Further inquiries drag Lora into an unfamiliar world of degradation; her own responses are frighteningly ambiguous. Controlled writing, beautifully paced, wonderful LA atmosphere' The Times, Christmas books 2008

About the Author:

Megan Abbott was born in the Detroit area, and has taught literature, writing and film at universities in New York. She lives in New York City. Visit her website at www.meganabbott.com

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1847393462
• ISBN 13: 9781847393463
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256