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.

About the Author
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.

Reviews
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 *
Wonderful... delicate... delightful * Sunday Times *
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 *
Sleek, assured writing, ice-pick sharp commentary on the L.A. art world and the media's relationship with female crime victims, plus an up-all-night brain-teaser of a murder mystery. I loved it * Louise Candlish, author of Our House *
[A] smart, opinionated thriller * The Pool *
Sophisticated. An intriguing read * Grazia *
A deeply affecting examination of how our culture fetishizes female victims of crime -it will also have readers feverishly turning pages... a stunning achievement * LA Times *
The fast-paced feminist thriller about the L.A. art world you don't want to miss... An electrifying mystery * Bustle *

Gripping... the smartest, most original page-turner I've read in a long time

* Maggie Shipstead, author of Seating Arrangements *
A taut thriller with a delectable final 100 pages. It reaches an addictive pitch that all books of this ilk aspire to... and she writes a hell of an ending * Los Angeles Review of Books *
Sucks you into a compelling story, before forcing you to contemplate the big, uncomfortable ideas it's considering. It's a fresh choice for Reese's Book Club, to be sure * Entertainment Weekly *
Moody and restless, propelled by a gradually intensifying sense of unease * Buzzfeed *
A whip-smart mystery and a moving meditation on the consumption of female bodies all rolled into one * Kirkus *
A mysterious page turner * Time Magazine *



Book Information
ISBN 9781787479586
Author Maria Hummel
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Quercus Publishing
Publisher Quercus Publishing
Weight(grams) 272g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 25mm