LoveReading Says
Longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2017.
A thoroughly perturbing, provocative, yet riveting read. Single parent Ruth wakes one morning to find her two children missing, almost immediately she is surrounding by judgement and condemnation. The first few pages set you in a time, a situation that allows understanding to settle, before you are thrust into 1965 and Ruth’s life just before her children disappear. Emma Flint allows us to see beyond the obvious, gradually peeling away layer after layer, slowly encouraging truth to creep out from where it is hidden. I wanted to throw preconception out of the window, to stamp and howl at assumptions, and yet questions hovered at the back of my mind. ‘Little Deaths’ isn't an easy comfortable read, it jolts and jars at your senses as it takes hold and doesn't let go. Poignant and immensely sad, this well written novel is a truly captivating read. ~ Liz Robinson
Liz Robinson
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Little Deaths Synopsis
It's the summer of 1965, and the streets of Queens, New York shimmer in a heatwave. One July morning, Ruth Malone wakes to find a bedroom window wide open and her two young children missing. After a desperate search, the police make a horrifying discovery.
It's every mother's worst nightmare. But Ruth Malone is not like other mothers . . .
Noting Ruth's perfectly made-up face and provocative clothing, the empty liquor bottles and love letters that litter her apartment, the detectives leap to convenient conclusions, fuelled by neighbourhood gossip and speculation. Sent to cover the case on his first major assignment, tabloid reporter Pete Wonicke at first can't help but do the same. But the longer he spends watching Ruth, the more he learns about the darker workings of the police and the press. Soon, Pete begins to doubt everything he thought he knew.
Ruth Malone is enthralling, challenging and secretive - is she really capable of murder?
Haunting, intoxicating and heart-poundingly suspenseful, Little Deaths by Emma Flint is a gripping debut novel about love, morality and obsession, exploring the capacity for good and evil within us all.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781509826599 |
| Publication date: |
12th January 2017 |
| Author: |
Emma Flint |
| Publisher: |
Picador an imprint of Macmillan |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
368 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Crime and Mystery
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Emma Flint Press Reviews
'A phenomenal achievement. Little Deaths is one of those so-very-rare accomplishments: a lightning fast, heart-pounding, psychologically resonant crime novel that effortlessly transcends genre. If you believed that literary fiction can't be a one-sitting read, think again' -- Jeffery Deaver
'Utterly atmospheric and with style to burn, Emma Flint's Little Deaths is a novel that troubles and transfixes from its simmering first pages all the way to its searing final words' -- Megan Abbott
'Wrenching and real and deeply moving. I fell fast and hard under the spell of this lush, moody, film noir of a novel' -- Chris Bohjalian
'A stunning feat ... Ruth Malone's descent into hell is a riveting tale of bad luck, heartbreak and prejudice, written with the pace of a thriller and the rich detail of a historical novel' -- Jane Casey
'A gripping read that is at the same time deeply real. A beautifully written and realized debut. I absolutely loved it.' Kate Hamer, author of The Girl In The Red Coat
'Destined to make waves this year. In the evocative Little Deaths by Emma Flint, two young children are brutally killed in New York in 1965. Is their mother guilty of murder or simply guilty of defying society's norms? Express I absolutely believed in the setting: the sleaze, the corruption and the glamour. The dialogue is pitch perfect and Ruth Malone is a complex and fascinating character. This is a novel about sex, obsession and discrimination, but it's also a thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page' -- Ann Cleeves
'Emma Flint's debut is compelling and atmospheric. Emerald Street Her writing is by turns gutsy, involving and vivid.The story left an overwhelmingly poignant impression on me ... a wonderful book' -- Janet Ellis, author of The Butcher's Hook
'Involving and atmospheric and immensely gripping -- Sophie Hannah
'An excellent debut ... unsparing and convincing' -- The Times Book of the Month
About Emma Flint
Emma Flint grew up in Newcastle and graduated from the University of St Andrews with an MA in English Language and Literature. She later completed a novel-writing course at the Faber Academy. Since childhood, she has read true-crime stories, developing an encyclopaedic knowledge of real-life murder cases. She lives in London.
Author photo © Jonathan Ring
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