A delightful epistolary novel that straddles the line between breezy and substantial, not always sure of which side of the line it's skirting, but eveA delightful epistolary novel that straddles the line between breezy and substantial, not always sure of which side of the line it's skirting, but eventually landing on the latter. The book doesn't really take off until (view spoiler)[the titular, reclusive author emerges about a third of the way in, finally agreeing to correspond with Seth (hide spoiler)], at which point Shearn is able to move past Seth's whining and raise some meaty questions about the relationship between Art and Artist.
I think the hardest aspect about writing or filming a story about a purportedly legendary artist must be that at some point, you're obligated to produce tangible evidence that justifies the reputation (see also: Daisy Jones and the Six, whose filmed version never overcame that initial hurdle). We are told that Edna Sloane is a genius-level author whose sole work won awards, defined an era, and changed a generation of readers' lives. Whether this novel works then is based largely on whether the small excerpts we're provided (view spoiler)[and her written letters to Seth (hide spoiler)] are enough to make you believe it. I don't think they do, but I decided to buy in, anyway.
A charming small-press novel worth your attention....more
My review for this book was published in March 2025 by Library Journal:
In the latest from CrimeReads editor in chief Murphy (The Stolen Coas2.5 stars.
My review for this book was published in March 2025 by Library Journal:
In the latest from CrimeReads editor in chief Murphy (The Stolen Coast), six longtime friends reunite at a Massachusetts beach house, which seems to be haunted. Jim was bequeathed the house shortly after graduating college. He uses it as a lure to keep the friendships intact, going so far as to make part of the property collectively owned. But when Jim, his wife Valentina, and their children arrive to find their house is one of several broken into during the off-season, it is the first sign that this gathering will be different. The friends (which also include Rami, a diplomat who spends most of his time abroad, and married couple Shannon and Maya) begin to experience sinister premonitions about the house and each other. After Bruce, a successful spy novelist who is the last to arrive, gets into an ugly fight with Jim, he disappears the following morning. In his place, unannounced and with seeming familiarity with the house and its guests, enters Camille, a French-speaking maybe-friend of Bruce’s. VERDICT Murphy establishes a palpable sense of foreboding as these unexplainable mysteries begin to accrue. He is less successful, or less interested, in resolving them, however, and the book’s final impact is dulled as a result.
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