The Great Houses of Pill Hill - by Diane Josefowicz (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A literary take on the locked-room mystery following a woman who makes miniatures of murder scenes, from a scintillating new voice in crime fiction

Hannah "Cookie" Cooke, an interior decorator with a sideline making miniature reproductions of crime scenes, lands her dream job when New Preston's wealthiest couple hires her to renovate their historic New England home. But things go spectacularly wrong when her client, Chuck, is murdered at the housewarming party.

The detective on the case is sure the key to the baffling murder is hiding in one of Cookie's miniatures. Complicating matters further, Cookie's mother, a retired archaeologist living in a local rehabilitation and nursing facility, knows more than she's willing or able to admit about the house and its history--in particular, why there's a hidden room decorated in 19th-century Egyptian kitsch on the premises, and what it might mean for the current owners.

This character-driven contemporary take on classic noir spins themes of possession, consumption, and development into a twisty, one-of-a-kind mystery.

Review Quotes

Praise for Diane Josefowicz

"Josefowicz finds the large truths in our smallest state, leaving an indelible mark on our broader literary landscape. A stunning debut."
--Jacob M. Appel, author of Einstein's Beach House

"Josefowicz brings humanity, warmth and disarming humor to lovable, struggling characters, exploring their affinities and conflicts."
--Hannah Pittard, author of Listen To Me

About the Author

Diane Josefowicz is the author of Guardians & Saints: Stories, L'Air du Temps (1985), and Ready, Set, Oh: A Novel. She is also the author, with Jed Z. Buchwald, of two histories of Egyptology: The Zodiac of Paris and The Riddle of the Rosetta. She serves as managing editor of the Victorian Web, the internet's oldest and largest website devoted to Victoriana. A graduate of Brown University, she holds a PhD in History of Science from MIT and an MFA in fiction from Columbia University. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island. Find her online at www.dianejosefowicz.com.