Still Lives

'A thrilling mystery... still keeps us up at night, it's THAT good' REESE WITHERSPOON A REESE WITHERSPOON HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK 1 OF 22 NEW BOOKS TO READ THIS SUMMER ( TIME ) 1 OF 20 NEW BOOKS TO READ THIS SUMMER ( ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY ) Kim Lord's face looked back at me, disguised in paint and the features of a murdered woman. Revered artist Kim Lord is about to unveil her most shocking show yet: Still Lives , a series of self-portraits in which she impersonates the female victims of America's most famous homicides, from Nicole Brown Simpson to the Black Dahlia. As celebrities and rich patrons pour into L.A.'s Rocque Museum for the opening night, the attendees wait eagerly for Kim's arrival. All except Maggie Richter, museum editor and ex-girlfriend of Greg Shaw Ferguson, Kim's new boyfriend. But Kim never shows up to her party and the crowd's impatience slowly turns to unease. When Greg is arrested on suspicion of murder, it seems that life is imitating art. Has Kim suffered the same fate as the women in her paintings? As Maggie is drawn into an investigation of her own, she uncovers dark and deadly truths that will change her life forever... Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Emma Cline's The Girls . PRAISE FOR STILL LIVES : 'Reese Witherspoon's new Book Club pick may be her boldest choice yet' Entertainment Weekly 'A gripping and entertaining mystery, and a biting cultural critique that seeks to understand our obsession with the violent deaths of beautiful women' Bustle 'A taut thriller... she writes a hell of an ending' LA Review of Books 'Will have readers feverishly turning pages... It's a stunning achievement' LA Times 'A mysterious page turner' TIME

A mysterious page turner

Préface
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

Auteur
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.

Résumé

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.