Bury Me Deep
Now in bookstores
Nominated for
the Los Angeles Times
Book Prize, the
Hammett Prize,
the
Anthony,
Macavity and
Barry Awards and
the
Edgar Award by Mystery Writers of America
Chosen as one of 2009's Top Crime Novels by the
Los Angeles Times,
Detroit Free Press,
the
Victoria Advocate/Washington
Olympian,
Barnes and Noble Review,
Book Reporter,
Detroit News
Author Rebecca Godfrey interviews Megan Abbott in the Barnes
& Noble Review.
Listen to Megan discuss the novel on Book Talk
A story of tabloid desire and
the darkest of crimes ...
"An
exquisite book, told in delicate, shimmering prose that heightens
the nightmarish quality of the story. Megan Abbott is often compared
with James Ellroy, whom she admires greatly, but her writing is far
more economical and focused, and her sensibilities are feminine to
the core. This is noir mystery writing at its very best."
—Tom and Enid Schantz, The
Denver Post
"Nobody combines historical
fact with bravura fiction the way Megan Abbott does. . . . she won
an Edgar Award for the much-praised Queenpin. She deserves another for
Bury Me Deep. And it's definitely a must-read for anyone
who wants to see one of the best crime writers around perform her
magic."
—Dick Adler, The Barnes and
Noble Review
"Abbott's giddy prose and
dialogue zigzag from flowery to slangy, but she's always in control.
While there's no real comparison to Fitzgerald, Bury Me Deep
is reminiscent of The Great Gatsby in its uncanny scenes of
drink and drugs. They were so powerful that I had the impression I
was myself intoxicated."
—Adam Woog, The
Seattle Times
"If you have never read the
work of Megan Abbott, do yourself a favor and get a copy of
Bury Me Deep right now. In this, just her fourth novel, she
has already established herself as one of the great mystery
writers working in America today and is on her way to becoming a
bestselling author. Bury Me Deep is not just a fine
mystery. It is an American novel, filled with humanity and a
thirst for justice. We are going to be enjoying the work of
Megan Abbott for decades to come."
—Tom Callahan,
Bookreporter.com
"Bury Me Deep is a
compelling, almost hypnotic piece of work, one sure to garner Abbott
even more attention. Reminiscent of the works of Raymond Chandler
and James Ellroy, Bury Me Deep is another jewel in the crown
of one of the reigning monarchs of modern noir."
—Hank Wagner, Mystery Scene
"Top-notch retro- noir."
—David Montgomery, The
Chicago Sun-Times
"Many
readers already compare Megan Abbott's virtuoso fiction to the great
James M. Cain. That comparison is sure to become more common thanks
to her brilliant new novel, Bury Me Deep. Bury Me Deep
is literary fiction that happens to include a crime. . . . [Abbott
is] an author destined to be a leading writer of her generation."
—W.E.
Reinka, Mystery News (five stars)
"In this novel based on the
true-life case of the 'Trunk Murderess,' Abbott turns the stuff of
sensational confession magazines into a rich meditation on the
unclouded depths of the soul."
—Carl
Rosen, New York Magazine (included in the list of "What
to Read This Summer")
"Working once more (as in The Song is You, 2007) from
a true crime, the infamous Brighton Trunk Murders of 1934,
Edgar-winner Abbott brings the era to life, inhabiting the
'bright-eyed and twitchy-tailed' party girls in all their enthusiasm
and desperation. Her nearly stream-of-consciousness narration is
direct and powerful, straight from Marion’s addled and passionate
brain. As such, it is full of repeated phrases: 'It was like a saber
lain before. It was a saber, a gauntlet, somehow.' But for all the
classic-noir simplicity, such as the use of repetition rather than
elaboration for emphasis, her prose carries an urgency that brings
hard-boiled crime fiction kicking and screaming into the modern age.
Abbott takes readers on a wild thrill ride with an utterly
believable and strangely sympathetic heroine."
—Starred
Kirkus Review
"Get me
Bette Davis on the blower, and make it snappy," says the old
producer. "This property by Abbott is made-to-order for her. . .
. [it has] something for everyone: true crime, plus it's a women's story
with noir embellishments. It has tough times, drugs, and
pandemics. It screams 'today!'-only retro. Done in that
rat-a-tat delivery that Bette has a lock on, it can't miss."
—Bob
Lunn, Library Journal
"Word for word, pound for
pound, Megan Abbott delivers more than any writer I know. Her
influences appear to range from Hollywood Babylon to Theodore
Dreiser, but her work transcends pastiche and homage. Bury Me Deep
extends an already jaw-dropping winning streak, showcasing
Abbott's gorgeous prose and clear-eyed empathy. She is simply one of
the most exciting and original voices of her generation."
—Laura Lippman
New York Times bestselling author of What the Dead Know
"Abbott is a retro
original, and her reimagining of the true story of Winnie Ruth
Judd, the Trunk Murderess, is a frothy mix of character, plot,
and period detail. As good-girl Marion finds what she is really
capable of, her psychological portrait is as carefully imagined
as the nightmarish world that lurks beneath the community’s
caring façade. . . . [Y]ou’ll want to bury yourself in Bury Me Deep."
—Keir
Graff, Booklist
"Edgar-winner Abbott explores gender inequality and its
sometimes tragic results in her well-crafted fourth crime novel,
inspired by the true story of Winnie Ruth Judd (aka the Trunk
Murderess)."
—Publisher's
Weekly
"Megan Abbott has written
three novels. All were nominated for Edgar Awards and the third,
Queenpin, won. Haven't heard of her? Read this terrific
novel and find out why you should have."
—Margaret
Cannon, The Toronto Globe and Mail
"[F]abulous
characters, delectable plotting, a unique story and a steamy yet
gossamer setting. . . . A stunning work of fiction, it is
Abbott's love for her central character that makes Bury Me
Deep so accessible and so far away at the same time. Imagine
Hammett wrote Daisy Buchanan and not Fitzgerald. And you are
Gatsby . . . so close and yet so far away. This is Bury Me
Deep."
—Ruth Jordan, Crimespree
Magazine
"Bury Me Deep is an
incredible period piece and a stunning noir novel that examines
a moment of history we all thought we knew from a different and
fascinating perspective. Abbott's pitch perfect storytelling
pulls the reader into a dark and unsettling world, and her clear
love of her source material combined with deep research shines
through, resulting in a novel that is immersive, addictive and
darkly beautiful."
—Russel D. McLean, Crime
Scene Scotland
"The twists and turns of
the plot are as clever and unexpected as anything Raymond
Chandler dreamed up. And when I came to the end, closed the last
page and glanced at the alarm clock which read 4:00 a.m.,
Marion’s story seemed completely inevitable and true. The works
of Paul Bowles came to mind. I can offer no greater praise than
that."
—Jonathan Woods, 3:AM
Magazine
"Once again, Abbott has
crafted an unforgettable story of characters who must suddenly
deal with the darkness that overcomes their lives. And Bury
Me Deep joins her other books as instant classics of
contemporary noir fiction."
—Alan
Cranis, Bookgasm
Bury
Me Deep is loosely inspired by a famous crime that
scandalized the country. In October 1931, a railroad employee at
the Southern Pacific Train Station in downtown Los Angeles
noticed something leaking from a passenger trunk. Inside, he
found the bodies of two young women. The trunk's owner was a
young doctor's wife, Winnie Ruth Judd, en route from Phoenix.
The two women were her best friends.
A media
sensation, the case captivated the country, with tabloids
dubbing Mrs. Judd the "Velvet Tigress," the "Blonde Butcher"
and, most famously, "The Trunk Murderess." To many, the case
appeared open and shut. But the truth, as always, is far more
complicated.
Below, Megan Abbott talks about Bury Me Deep and
the real-life case behind at Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, with
author Theresa Schwegel
Winnie Ruth Judd
(left), accused "Trunk Murderess"
Agnes LeRoi and Sammy Samuelson (above), her alleged victims.
For further
reading on the Judd case, there are two excellent books:
The Trunk Murderess by Jana Bommersbach (1992)
Winnie Ruth Judd: The Trunk Murders, by J. Dwight Dobkins
and Robert J. Hendricks (1973)
To learn more about the case, visit the following:
Crime Library
Phoenix New Times coverage
Murder & Mayhem: The Strange Saga of Winnie Ruth Judd (an
Arizona Historical Foundation exhibit)
A brief
documentary
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: July 2009
ISBN-10: 1-4391-0105-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-4391-0105-6
Price: $13.00
Order it or buy it in July at one of these wonderful
independent bookstores:
Square Books (Oxford,MS)--signed
copies available
Aunt Agatha's (Ann
Arbor, MI)
Murder by the Book
(Houston, TX) --signed copies available
Poisoned Pen
(Scottsdale, AZ)--signed copies available
Murder on the Beach
(Delray Beach, FL)
Dead End Books online
--signed copies available
Partners and Crime (New
York, NY)
The Mystery
Bookstore (Los Angeles, CA)--signed
copies available
Book Carnival
(Orange, CA)--signed copies available
Mystery One Bookstore
(Milwaukee, WI)
Mysterious Bookshop
(New York, NY)--signed copies available
Mysteries to Die For
(Thousand Oaks, CA)--signed copies
available
M Is for Mystery (San
Mateo, CA)--signed copies available
Seattle Mystery
Bookstore (Seattle, WA)
Book Em Mysteries
(Pasadena, CA)
Independent Mystery
Booksellers Association
and many more! (If you are a bookseller, please
send an email )
Also available on Powells and other online book retailers,
including
Amazon and Barnes
and Noble.
And available as an e-book at retailers everywhere.
