Publisher Description

In 1964, the eccentric American novelist Patricia Highsmith is hiding out in a cottage in Suffolk, to concentrate on her writing and escape her fans. She has another motive too - a secret romance with a married lover based in London. Unfortunately it soon becomes clear that all her demons have come with her. Prowlers, sexual obsessives, frauds, imposters, suicides and murderers: the tropes of her fictions clamour for her attention, rudely intruding on her peaceful Suffolk retreat. After the arrival of Ginny, an enigmatic young journalist bent on interviewing her, events take a catastrophic turn. Except, as always in Highsmith's troubled life, matters are not quite as they first appear . . .Masterfully recreating Highsmith's much exercised fantasies of murder and madness, Jill Dawson probes the darkest reaches of the imagination in this novel - at once a brilliant portrait of a writer and an atmospheric, emotionally charged, riveting tale.

Notes

By the Orange Prize-shortlisted Jill Dawson, this is a riveting novel that folds a brilliant portrait of Patricia Highsmith into a tale of duplicity, madness and murder.

Author Biography

Jill Dawson is the author of Trick of the Light, Magpie, Fred and Edie, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel Award and the Orange Prize, Wild Boy, Watch Me Disappear, which was longlisted for the Orange Prize, The Great Lover, a Richard and Judy Summer Read in 2009, Lucky Bunny and The Tell-Tale Heart. In addition she has edited six anthologies of short stories and poetry.Born in Durham, Jill Dawson grew up in Yorkshire. She has held many Fellowships, including the Creative Writing Fellowship at the University of East Anglia, where she taught on the MA in Creative Writing course. In 2006 she received an honorary doctorate in recognition of her work. She lives in the Fens with her husband, two sons and foster daughter.

Review

THE CRIME WRITER represents an astonishing act of literary ventriloquism, easily on a par with THE MASTER, Colm Toibin's fine novel about Henry James. - Mail on SundayVentriloquy is Dawson's forte . . . this fascinating, skilfully constructed novel builds a convincing picture of Patricia Highsmith - SpectatorYou do not need to be a passionate Highsmith fan to admire this beautifully written and elegant novel, but I think it will particularly appeal to those who have read her books and know something about her life; they should recognise many of the allusions and ideas - Literary ReviewAn ingenious concept . . . Dawson can be applauded for her passionate immersion in her subject, and for creating a novel as dark and odd as the subject herself. - GuardianA beautifully crafted and utterly riveting blend of fact and fiction about a fascinating 20th-century figure. - Daily MailA dark tale of madness and murder, of obsession and delusion, that's worthy of Highsmith herself - Red magazine[An] impeccable portrait . . . a hugely compelling read, jam-packed full of tensions and psychological insight, all beautifully observed. - Sunday ExpressAn assured and visceral page-turner, as convincing as it is bold - Lady

Long Description

In 1964, the eccentric American novelist Patricia Highsmith is hiding out in a cottage in Suffolk, to concentrate on her writing and escape her fans. She has another motive too - a secret romance with a married lover based in London. Unfortunately it soon becomes clear that all her demons have come with her. Prowlers, sexual obsessives, frauds, imposters, suicides and murderers: the tropes of her fictions clamour for her attention, rudely intruding on her peaceful Suffolk retreat. After the arrival of Ginny, an enigmatic young journalist bent on interviewing her, events take a catastrophic turn. Except, as always in Highsmith's troubled life, matters are not quite as they first appear . . .Masterfully recreating Highsmith's much exercised fantasies of murder and madness, Jill Dawson probes the darkest reaches of the imagination in this novel - at once a brilliant portrait of a writer and an atmospheric, emotionally charged, riveting tale.

Review Quote

This novel is the real deal. Beautifully written and a must for all Highsmith fans.

Promotional "Headline"

By the Orange Prize-shortlisted Jill Dawson, a riveting novel that folds a brilliant portrait of Patricia Highsmith into a tale of duplicity, madness and murder - 'a creepy cracker' Mail on Sunday

Description for Sales People

Superb reviews and praise from Highsmith aficionados.

Description for Press or Other Media

In 1964, the eccentric American novelist Patricia Highsmith is hiding out in a cottage in Suffolk in order to concentrate on her writing. She has other motives too - a secret romance with a married woman based in London and her dislike of the fame and attention that has followed her since her first novel was made into a Hitchcock film and her fourth, The Talented Mr Ripley, was published to such acclaim. Unfortunately it soon becomes clear that Pat is not alone: all her demons have come with her. Prowlers, sexual obsessives, frauds, imposters, suicides and murderers: the tropes of her fictions clamour for her attention, rudely intruding on her peaceful Suffolk retreat. After the arrival of Ginny, an enigmatic young journalist who would like to interview her, events begin to turn catastrophically dark, ending in a fatal accident. Except, as always in Pat's troubled and eventful life, perhaps things are not as they seem..... Jill Dawson is renowned for her novels revisiting known stories and famous figures, such as the wildboy of Aveyron, the poet Rupert Brooke or, in her Orange Prize-shorlisted novel Fred and Edie , the hanged murderess Edith Thompson. Here she fuses biographical facts about Highsmith's life with audacious recreations of Highsmith's much exercised fantasies of murder, madness and revenge. The result is a sexy, dazzling tale that touches the darkest reaches of the human imagination.

Details