Pretty as a Picture

November 25, 2019
When film editor Marissa Dahl, the misfit narrator of this smart, cinematically steeped page-turner from Little (Dear Daughter), agrees to replace the most recent crew member canned by megalomaniacal auteur Tony Rees from the hush-hush true crime mystery he’s shooting on a tiny island off the Delaware coast, she has no idea what she’s in for. But once she arrives on location at the stately hotel where, in 1994, 19-year-old aspiring actor Caitlyn Kelly was found dead on the beach in a case that was never solved, it doesn’t take long for even someone on the autism spectrum like herself to spot alarming danger signals. Then again, it’s tough to miss the explosion of a bank of lights on that set that showers the leading lady with shards of broken glass—in what the editor learns is just the latest in a string of ostensible freak accidents that have plagued the production. The twisty plot becomes overly convoluted, but Little scores with the achingly vulnerable Marissa, whose specific set of skills enables her to see the big picture before anyone else. Psychological thriller fans will be well satisfied. Agent: Kate Garrick, Karpfinger Agency.

Narrator Juiia Whelan and author Elizabeth Little are casting perfection in this murder mystery cum witty send-up of the film industry. The mayhem, including murder, occurs while filming a movie about a real-life murder on a resort island off Delaware. Our protagonist, Marissa, a film editor hired to replace a previously fired editor, stumbles into trying to solve both murders. Whelan's choice for Marissa's voice--low, straightforward, slightly uninflected--is just right for a character who's uncomfortable with people and social nuance. The other characters, from British heartthrob to wide-eyed female staffers and self-important director, are equally revealing. And her narrative pace expertly supports the action, be it pulse-pounding, comic, measured, or romantic. Movie buffs and mystery lovers everywhere, rejoice. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine