Praise for Die a Little 'Finally, here is a modern noir that perfectly depicts Raymond Chandler's 1950s L.A. in all its seamy, sexy corruption. In a thrilling portrayal of rival femme fatales -- one a denizen of L.A.'s demi monde, the other seemingly immune to its dark pull -- Megan Abbott's Die a Little mixes a potent cocktail of jealousy, obsession, and danger' Lisa Scottoline, author of Killer Smile 'Megan Abbott: Superb storyteller ... Poised to ascend to the top rung of crime writing and quite possibly something beyond' James Ellroy '[Abbott's Die a Little] gives us the true dark heart of the city in sharply contrasted blacks and whites, dense with heartache ... In these tasty noir stylings, you can almost smell the smoke and hear the clinking of ice cubes' -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 'Die a Little sets the bar high for everything that follows this year. This one is already at the top of my list for best of the year' -Thomas McNulty, Mystery News 'Megan Abbott's spectacular first novel Die a Little is the kind of book that should make devotees of Cain and Chandler fall down and beg for mercy' -Hollywood Reporter 'Abbott, author of a nonfiction study of hard-boiled literature and film, crafts a stylish, sensuous tale with picture-perfect period trappings' -Publishers Weekly '... a tale that smolders like the night's last, forgotten cigarette' -Booklist, American Library Association 'Few psychological thrillers, by writers of either sex, offer such material, sensual, delicious catalogs of food, clothing, hairstyles, and especially kitchenware. In Abbott's hands, casserole dishes, folding chairs, and a 'Cornwall Thermo Tray with gold finish and wooden handles for serving hot artichoke hors d'oeuvres and tuna squares' have never seemed so sexy' -Alexis Soloski, The Village Voice 'Abbott has fashioned a noir thriller that may remind readers of James M. Cain's brooding melodramas. She need not fear the comparison. Her story, rendered in a captivatingly off-beat style, crackles with suspense, and her portrait of L.A. in the 1950s, a seductive mixture of sleaze and sophistication, rings all-too-sadly true' -Robert Wade, San Diego Union-Tribune 'Die a Little is a first novel, but you'll assume Megan Abbott is a seasoned vet. Her book is that good-reminiscent of the hard-edged naturalism of James M. Cain. ... The year 2005 is still new, but Abbott is already Rookie of the Year' -Les Roberts, Cleveland Plain Dealer '[O]ld-school noir at its finest, but with a nifty gender switch that gives the story extra oomph. ... Die a Little packs a mean little punch. And, like the best work in this genre, it lingers long after the last page' -David Lazarus, San Francisco Chronicle 'Sexy, suspenseful, and effortlessly evocative of Hollywood's sleazy underbelly, [Die a Little] delivers all the smoky atmospherics a good noir should ...' -Elle 'Die a Little takes us back to more innocent days, in which a smear of lipstick on a bed sheet still has the power to shock, men in sharkskin warn you that, honest, you don't know what you're getting yourself into, and a femme fatale with a mouth 'like one gorgeous scar across her face' dabbles in the darkest treachery without spilling her drink or smudging her makeup' -Mary Harrison, Philadelphia Inquirer 'a chilling tale of how quickly the line between good and bad blurs. ... Die A Little is too smart to tell simple stories. Instead, Abbott layers in subtext and menace, murder and blackmail to demonstrate [her main character's] descent into blackness, and her secret welcoming of this shady world that engulfs her ... Abbott's debut is a welcome treat' -Sarah Weinman, Baltimore Sun 'Written in the style of the hard-boiled detective genre, Abbott gives her noir a big shot of estrogen. ... like an L.A. Confidential told from a distinctly feminine point-of-view. But in Abbott's noir not all sexually active women are femme fatales, and the innocent aren't always all that innocent after all' -Sarah Vance, Bookslut "A delicious slice of American noir fiction, set in 1950s Hollywood with a strong plot and period detail. Gorgeous cover style, too, recalling film posters of the time..." -Sue Baker, Publishing News 16/5/08, picked as a Personal Choice 'What Abbott has given us, and this seems even more impressive considering it's a debut novel, is a tantalising glimpse into a world we can never hope to know but, like Lora King, cannot resist delving into to find out more, regardless of the cost to ourselves. In my case, this cost was a couple of nights without sleep. A hugely impressive debut novel that borrows from the cool of Raymond Chandler, the Hollywood noir of Ellroy's Black Dahlia and the excitement of a rollercoaster.' Iain Wear, thebookbag.co.uk 'The publisher of Die A Little describes the novel as 'a gem of the darkest hue'. It's difficult to improve on this description. Megan Abbott's debut has the hardness, the sharpness and the lustre of a well-cut diamond. The moral - about the heart of darkness within all of us - may be bleak, but Abbott conveys it in an elegant and effortless style all the more exceptional in a debut.'Damien Seaman, Shots 'James Ellroy meets Nancy Drew in a wonderfully atmospheric tale of ugly secrets in 1950s LA... The period detail is authentic and the dialogue spot on. Best of all, classic American noir recast from a woman's viewpoint means that the female characters really come alive -- about time, too' Laura Wilson, Guardian 19/7 'Here's a real treat for fans of the likes of Raymond Chandler, a new writer exploring the darker side of 1950s LA... Abbott's writing perfectly evokes the era, Hollywood and the contrast between clean-cut, model all-American citizens and the post-war underworld. She maintains the Chandleresque mood, while the truth about her characters remains elusive to the end. A very stylish debut indeed' Bolton Evening News (circ. 29,000) 19/7/08 'If you like your thrillers -- and your femmes fatale -- dark, you'll love this noir recreation of '50s LA with its sharp suits and sharper dialogue, which was deservedly shortlisted for an Edgar in the States' Tribune 15/8 "This cracking novel is as enjoyable as a racy ramble through the mean streets of LA with Philip Marlowe" Birmingham Sunday Mercury, Aug 08 Praise for The Song is You: "Megan Abbott: Superb storyteller, film noir scholar, deconstructionist suffused with a true artist's passion. Poised to ascend to the top rung of crime writing and quite possibly something beyond." --James Ellroy "Few novels break your heart, and even fewer mystery ones. This one broke me heart ... in smithereens. Such a wrenching poetic noir vision of loss and regret I've rarely encountered. Written in a style of such conversational elan, you nearly miss the absolute artistry. Superb evocation of the era and the legendary characters live and breathe in glorious dark reality. Megan Abbott is the song and a song of such yearning, such granite tenderness ... This is the most poignant novel you'll ever come across." --Ken Bruen "Megan Abbott continues to be my absolute favorite new author, and her second novel, The Song Is You, is even better than her first--super-sexy, superbly written, richly atmospheric, and with an ending you'll never see coming!" --Lisa Scottoline "A chilling second novel from Edgar-nominated Abbott spins the conventions of noir fiction into something fast, fierce and fresh ... a whiz-bang adventure through Tinseltown's underbelly...With abundant style and a tight convincing story, Abbott provides a retro thrill ride. ... Cain and Chandler are evoked in the rough-and-tumble period language ... but Abbott has her own voice, avoiding the genre's macho conventions, to evoke the young women who live 'in a gasp of tension.'" -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "From its absolutely gorgeous, period-perfect cover to its evocative portrait of the 1940s Hollywood studio system in action, Megan Abbott's new novel is a sensual feast." -Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune "The book leaves no doubt that Abbott is an artful practitioner of fem noir. This one will heat up a winter night at International Falls." -Jay Waggoner, Deadly Pleasures "I thought I was an ace student when it came to Hollywood Babylon-type stories, but [with The Song Is You] Megan leaves me in the dust. Leaves me in the dust, throws her Lucky in my face and grinds it out with a dainty twist of her stiletto." -Laura Lippman (TO THE POWER OF THREE, EVERY SECRET THING Praise for Queenpin: "Noir's reigning crown princess delivers a royally entertaining rumination on toxic female friendships set in the harsh neon underbelly of early-1960s Las Vegas. The tale of an avaricious assistant to a Virginia Hill-style Mob courier unfolds so cinematically it's difficult not to picture it onscreen-perhaps pitched as The Grifters meets Casino, with Sharon Stone and Scarlett Johansson under the leering direction of Quentin Tarantino." -Frank Sennett, Booklist "Faster than a blue-haired octogenarian losing her retirement money on the Vegas slots and as calloused as a gravedigger's hands, Queenpin is pure pulp noir; a gloriously brutal and seductive story that-like the dysfunctional relationship between the novel's young female protagonist and her grifter lover- roughs you up a little and not only makes you like it but leaves you wanting more." -Paul Goat Allen, Chicago Tribune "Edgar-finalist Abbott delivers a sharp, slender, hardboiled tale of a protege's schooling by a notorious, been-there-done-that moll... Abbott is pitch-perfect throughout: Gloria Denton, still turning heads in her 40s, is as hard a moll as any, and the kid is a beautiful combination of foil and tool a
