{"product_id":"pretty-as-a-picture-isbn-9780143110552","title":"Pretty as a Picture","description":"\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSeattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eCrimeReads\u003c\/i\u003e Best Mystery Book of 2020 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Funny, fast-paced, and a pleasure to read.\"\u003ci\u003e --The Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn egomaniacal movie director, an isolated island, and a decades-old murder--the addictive new novel from the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eDear Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMarissa Dahl, an up-and-coming film editor with a flair for faux pas, travels to a small island off the coast of Delaware to work with the legendary--and legendarily demanding--director Tony Rees on a feature film with a familiar logline. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSome girl dies. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's not much to go on, but the specifics don't concern Marissa. Whatever the script is, her job is the same. She'll spend her days in the editing room, doing what she does best: turning pictures into stories.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut she soon discovers that on this set, nothing is as it's supposed to be--or as it seems. There are rumors of accidents and indiscretions, of burgeoning scandals and perilous schemes. Half the crew has been fired. The other half wants to quit. Even the actors have figured out something is wrong. And no one seems to know what happened to the editor she was hired to replace. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen she meets the intrepid and incorrigible teenage girls who are determined to solve the real-life murder that is the movie's central subject, and before long, Marissa is drawn into the investigation herself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe only problem is, the killer may still be on the loose. And he might not be finished.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA wickedly funny exploration of our cultural addiction to tales of murder and mayhem and a thrilling, behind-the-scenes whodunit, \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e is a captivating page-turner from one of the most distinctive voices in crime fiction.\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eSeattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e 10 Best Crime Novel of 2020 | A \u003ci\u003eCrimeReads \u003c\/i\u003eMost Anticipated Book of 2020\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"A film editor who can’t much tell where stories end and life begins, Marissa is also prickly, hyperarticulate, suspicious, neurotic, surprisingly tough and very funny — the ideal narrator for a book that pays homage to Hollywood and classic detective fiction. . . . The book celebrates women who have each other’s backs and put their friends ahead of their men. It is also a valentine to the intoxications of filmmaking and film-viewing.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eSarah Lyall, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Ms. Little’s witty book deftly skewers the movie-making world and the types who inhabit it. . . . \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e, with its mix of satire and action, is funny, fast-paced, and a pleasure to read.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"An exciting locked-room mystery that touches on domineering personalities, art and the #MeToo movement, helmed by an unconventional heroine. . . . Little’s cinematic eye and affinity for strong plotting guide the fascinating \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e as the author smoothly goes behind the scenes of moviemaking while delving into characters’ psyches. . . . Little’s debut novel, \u003ci\u003eDear Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e, was a standout of 2014. \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e seals her as an author to watch.\"\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eOline H. Cogdill,\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eAssociated Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"In Elizabeth Little’s nimble \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e, part of the fun is figuring out L.A. film editor Marissa Dahl. . . . Despite (or maybe because of) her quirks, Marissa Dahl is an engaging narrator who’s up for the challenge [of solving the crime], her encyclopedic knowledge of cinema serving as her north star.\" \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Los Angeles Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"An unconventional crime novel with an unconventional heroine and an uncommonly high dose of humor.\"\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e —Chicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Elizabeth Little’s fantastic new book is part parable of the film industry, part feminist thriller, and part ode to the rise of the true crime podcast.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—CrimeReads\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"One of the year's most anticipated thrillers.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Bustle\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Both a captivating thriller and a snarkily funny send-up of Hollywood pretensions, the book glories in movie references — film fans will be especially rewarded.\" \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Seattle Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"The California writer’s prose style is so nimble and engaging, her dialogue so smart and quippy, you’d follow her anywhere. . . . A sharply detailed satire of movie-set misbehavior and Hollywood’s absurd sense of entitlement, filtered through the cynical eye of an under-appreciated editor. . . . She’s hilariously good company on the page.\"\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e —Air Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Pre-order this one now. Go ahead, put it in your basket. . . . Little has an extraordinary gift for capturing voice. . . . [She] depicts perfectly what it feels like to be a little different and on the outside. . . . Startling plot twists. I can’t recommend this one highly enough.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eCrimespree Magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Hugely entertaining. . . . Like \u003ci\u003eDear Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e, Little's well-received debut novel, \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e is propelled by a sharp, sardonic voice and an engaging protagonist. . . . The novel includes many film references to delight cinephiles, and the mystery will keep readers guessing, but the main attractions are Marissa and her vivid inner life.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eShelf Awareness for Readers\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\"A fun, slightly eerie, definitely scary look at real murder in a make-believe world.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—New York Journal of Books\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"The standout feature of \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e is its idiosyncratic heroine, whose observational skills and deductive reasoning make her a true twenty-first century rival of Sherlock Holmes.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEllery Queen Mystery Magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Half the fun in \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e—Elizabeth Little’s follow-up to the excellent \u003ci\u003eDear Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e—lies in its narrator’s singular, knowledgeable, and savagely funny voice. . . . A suspenseful thriller with an entertaining play on the locked-room mystery trope, \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e more than cements Little’s reputation as a spectacularly sharp and captivating writer.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Seattle Review of Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"The perfect murder mystery. . . . If you’re looking for an intriguing yet ultimately heartwarming murder mystery novel that you will absolutely read in only one or two sittings, ignoring your responsibilities (it’s that gripping!), \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e is the book for you.\" \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eHypable\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"I failed to guess how much I would love this book. . . . Little’s style of writing in this book was perfect. . . . Any cinephile will enjoy this book. . . . Add in a colorful cast of characters and murder, and you’ve got something irresistible.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e—City Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Murder and mayhem plague a film set on a secluded island. . . . Readers fascinated with the behind-the-scenes machinations of a movie set will be enthralled, plus there’s a frisson of romantic tension. . . . A quirky and distinctive heroine headlines this fun and fast-paced thriller loaded with cinematic flourishes.\"\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\"[A] smart, cinematically steeped page-turner. . . . 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.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Little once again delivers a dark, witty thriller. Movie fans will be delighted with the behind-the-scenes setting and the numerous cinematic references. . . . This character-driven whodunit is mainly propelled by Marissa, an intelligent, charming protagonist whose neurodiversity is well portrayed.\" \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Elizabeth Little is part of an exciting new generation of crime writers who have been bending this sturdy genre into new, unexpected shapes. \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e is a glorious buffet—a twisty story, a cinephile's delight, a knockout of a heroine. I loved it.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eLaura Lippman, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eLady in the Lake\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSunburn\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I am a sucker for a tough yet vulnerable heroine, and in \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e, Elizabeth Little gives the reader an excellent one, and sets her against a brilliantly toxic backdrop of glitz and entitlement.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eRuth Ware, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Turn of the Key\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Woman in Cabin 10\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Engaging and irresistible from the very first page, \u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e is a smart and compelling thriller filled with surprises. Little writes with such a clear, confident, and witty voice, I found myself smiling as I read.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eAlafair Burke, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Better Sister\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture\u003c\/i\u003e is a remarkable thriller that succeeds on almost too many levels. It’s sharp and stylish, witty and fierce, not to mention extremely intelligent. Little perfectly and expertly conjures the unglamorous side of filmmaking—the gruesome grind of a movie shoot—in meticulous detail. This is no mere crime novel, but a must read for anyone with a passion for movies or the industry.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e —Ivy Pochoda, author of \u003ci\u003eWonder Valley\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003ePretty as a Picture \u003c\/i\u003eis an atmospheric thriller that sparkles with intelligence and irrepressible wit, anchored by the singular voice of Marissa Dahl, a mega-competent female film editor plagued by anxiety. Elizabeth Little has an impeccable ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for detail, and she's created a page-turner that is as well written as it is captivating. I enjoyed every scene and sentence of this glorious book.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eSteph Cha, author of \u003ci\u003eYour House Will Pay\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eDear Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Quick-witted and fast-paced, this debut mystery should be a hit with \u003ci\u003eGone Girl \u003c\/i\u003efans.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"When former It Girl Janie Jenkins is released from prison, she embarks on a mission to discover if it was really she who murdered her mother. The debut novel's twists will easily hook you, but it's the narrator's dark wit and sharp observations that make this a truly fun read.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Little keeps you guessing until the end—and then closes her book with a final, twisted flourish.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eDaneet Steffens, \u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Compelling. . . . This novel's engrossing suspense comes from its unreliable (and not especially likable) narrator who pursues answers with relentless fervor, regardless of the painful truths she turns up about herself. . . . Excellent.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eStephanie Klose, Oprah.com\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Engrossing. . . . The unlikable protagonist with a biting personality and outrageous actions, but who is fascinating at the same time, has never been more popular. Just think of \u003ci\u003eGone Girl\u003c\/i\u003e. In her confident fiction debut, Elizabeth Little puts a fresh spin on this character in the form of Jane Jenkins, a young woman famous for being famous until she was sent to prison for the murder of her wealthy socialite mother. Little also makes \u003ci\u003eDear Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e a parable about the cult of the celebrity stoked by a relentless press and a ruthless public's thirst for details of a woman it loves to hate.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eAssociated Press \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This is not your mother's mystery. The clever, prickly and profane heroine is, after all, a former It Girl whose aim as a teen was to be the next Paris Hilton, only better. . . . Sassy and lively. . . . The book's satisfying conclusion somehow manages to tie things up while also providing a cliffhanger, a pretty neat trick for a debut novel.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eColleen Kelly,\u003ci\u003e Minneapolis Star Tribune \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The best debut crime novel of 2014, a spiky, voicey, jolting, surprising story of a celebutante convicted of murdering her mother. . . . Little also produces one of the best endings of 2014.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eSarah Weinman,\u003ci\u003e National Post \u003c\/i\u003e(Canada)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A former It Girl hunts down her mom's murderer in this can't-put-down thriller.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCosmopolitan\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In prison for her mother's murder, L.A. socialite Jane Jenkins is released on a technicality. To track down the real killer Jane gets plain, goes underground and stirs up dangerous amounts of dirt in her mom's South Dakota hometown.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGood Housekeeping \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[A] fun and riveting debut mystery.\"  \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe San Diego Union-Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Little makes a thrilling debut with this gripping read. Fans of Tana French and Gillian Flynn are going to enjoy the smart narrator and the twists and turns in the case.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A really gutsy, clever, energetic read, often unexpected, always entertaining. I loved Janie Jenkins's sassy voice and Elizabeth Little's too. In the world of crime novels, \u003ci\u003eDear Daughter \u003c\/i\u003eis a breath of fresh air.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eKate Atkinson, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eLife After Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eDear Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e has three of my favorite things in a book: a smart, damaged, unstoppable narrator with a slicing sense of humor; needle-sharp writing that brings characters and atmosphere leaping off the page; and a vivid, original plot full of satisfying twists. This is an all-nighter, and the best debut mystery I've read in a long time.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eTana French, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eBroken Harbor \u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e In the Woods\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eElizabeth Little\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eDear Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the Strand Critics Award for Best First Novel, and two works of nonfiction, \u003ci\u003eBiting the Wax Tadpole \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eTrip of the Tongue\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot that I manage to say any of that out loud.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf course I don't.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSometimes I think everything wrong with my life can be located in the space between what I should have said and what actually came out of my mouth. No matter how hard I try, no matter how well I prepare, the right words are, for me, forever out of reach. Not because they catch in my throat. A cat hasn't got my tongue. None of the usual phrases apply. It's a more comprehensive kind of collapse. When faced with any real conversational pressure, my personality just goes offline, AWOL, and no matter how hard I try, it doesn't respond. Catastrophic system failure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpeak, I tell myself in those moments. Speak.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike I'm Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, lying barefoot in the back of that truck, gritting my teeth and trying to force my insubordinate body to bend to my iron will.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpeak.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut I'm not Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. I didn't train with Gordon Liu. I don't know the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, and I don't have the body to pull off a yellow leather motorcycle suit. So I never get my toe to move. I never drive that truck to Vivica A. Fox's house. I never get revenge and I never find my daughter. I just starve to death in a hospital parking lot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd in real life, when asked to explain to a potential employer why I'm the best candidate for a job I desperately need, I don't deliver a rousing monologue about the exhilarating, all-encompassing, soul-shifting, life-shaking power of cinema. Instead I just comb my fingers through my ponytail for the seventeenth time while mumbling something about my work ethic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen, to top it off, I shrug-I shrug-and I say:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I just really like movies, I guess.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy agent makes a sound so pained I'm genuinely worried I might have killed her.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don't know what else Nell expected; it's been six years since I've had to look for work. Six years since Amy hit it just big enough that we could coast from feature to feature to feature without having to hustle for work we hated in the interim. It took some doing-the plumbing in the Mid-City two-bedroom we shared was more vague promise than functional reality, and six nights a week we ate rice and beans we bought in bulk-but eventually she was able to stop taking AD gigs; I was able to stop doing TV. We found a rhythm that worked for us, postproduction bleeding into preproduction and back again, and if I didn't have time for a social life, I wasnÕt particularly bothered: I got to live and work with my very best friend.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut last month I decided it was time to start thinking about getting my own place, and Amy and I put the new movie on hold so we could figure things out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt didn't take long to realize that blowing up my personal and professional lives all at once wasn't exactly the smartest thing I could have done. For about three days it felt freeing. But then I ran out of new-release movies to go see.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd so, this afternoon, I found myself pacing the inadequate length of my short-term rental in Burbank, restless, anxious, fingers fluttering at my sides. I had finally managed to work up the nerve to send a few emails to old colleagues, hoping I could pick up an episode or two of I truly didn't even care what, but either they didn't remember me or they were all out to lunch or Google was down for everyone but me.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy two p.m., my nerves-already frayed by the arrival of my credit card statement-drove me to a desperate act: I made a phone call. I left a message for my agent explaining that Amy and I were taking a break, that I needed a job, and, therefore, that I might actually be willing to take her advice for once.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI should have known something was fishy when she called me back right away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"You have a meeting,\" she said.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Who with?\" I asked.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Don't worry about that. Get here by six, I'll take care of the rest.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Today? At rush hour?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"You want a job or not?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Nell. Have they even seen my reel?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Don't worry about that, either.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The more you say that the more I worry.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe sniffed. \"Worry, don't worry, either way this is the only open assignment that isn't scraping memory cards for Transformers 7. So if you want it, be here at six.\" She paused. \"And maybe do something with your hair.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe hung up without saying good-bye, and I wished, not for the first time, that I were an agent, too.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eImagine being able to end a conversation whenever you want.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen I arrived at Nell's office-ten minutes early, despite a slowdown at Coldwater and Mulholland-I still didn't have a clue what I was walking into. Nell hadn't mentioned a script or a story or even a logline, so my best guess was that she'd arranged for a late-day meet-and-greet with a producer too green to know this was a below-the-line agency. As a strategy, it didn't make much sense: Nell knew my personality wasn't my strongest selling point. I figured she was planning to keep the meeting short.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNell gave my ponytail a tug when she saw me. \"You got this,\" she said, all historical evidence to the contrary.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd that's how I found myself sitting here, across the table from two agents, three lawyers, and an important studio executive, interviewing for a job I know absolutely nothing about.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI obviously forgot the important executive's name immediately. I think it has a \"y\" in it, maybe? He's wearing chunky statement glasses and a plain black T-shirt that probably cost more than my car payment. He's the picture of bland, reflexive courtesy, steepling his fingers and leaning forward in his chair, nodding at every third word no matter what that word is.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter more than a decade in the film industry, I can confidently assert that this particular demeanor indicates one of the following:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1. measured enthusiasm\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2. catatonic boredom\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e3. a recent corporate-mandated webinar on best listening practices\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI suppose it could be worse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI blink his face back into focus. I think he's finally saying something relevant.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"-coming in this late in the game is somewhat less than ideal, obviously, so what we need here is a quick study.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy eyebrows go up. \"And you called me?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Well,\" he says, \"we've been told there's no one better at watching footage and knowing exactly what the director's trying to say.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"It helps that they usually give me a script.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe executive beckons to one of the assistants stationed along the back wall. She pulls out a folder and hands it to him. He slides it across the table toward me.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInside is a photo. Glossy, eight by ten.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"That's not a script,\" I point out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"No,\" he agrees. \"It's a still. And I want you to tell us what you see.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI draw a breath, preparing to explain to the room at large why this is a terrible way to gauge an editor's skills (for a start, my job is putting pictures together, not picking them apart), but then I catch a glimpse of the photo, and because at heart I'm just a dog who happens to be into a very particular type of squirrel, this is all it takes to send my thoughts racing off in a new direction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt's a medium close-up of a young woman asleep on a beach, and the first thing worth noting is that this is no ordinary young woman: She's being played by Liza May, Oscar-anointed ingenue and the reigning, relatable queen of the \"Stars, They're Just Like Us!\" social media sphere. Last time I saw her, I think she was waxing her mustache on Facebook Live.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo this is a big-time job. For a big-time director. No wonder Nell was so responsive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe second thing worth noting is that the woman is dead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer body occupies the left half of the frame, visible from the shoulders up, the straps of her neon orange swimsuit the only discordant shade in an otherwise tranquil palette. Her hair is silky, taupe and raw umber and dark blond, streaked by the sun. It falls in layers over her cheek; one strand teases at the corner of her mouth. Her eyebrows have been thinned out, which makes her look older than she is, but she's barely wearing any foundation, which makes her look younger than she is. Her skin is smooth and very clear.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe's lying on a weathered wooden beach chair with a white canvas cover. Her arm is stretched out over her head, her cheek pillowed against her right biceps, her profile radiant in the golden light of a late summer afternoon, that time of day when the angle of the sun and the particles in the atmosphere do what a reflector or bounce board can never quite match, what color grading can't quite pull off.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Well?\" the executive asks. \"What do you think?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I think magic hour's a nice time to die.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe executive adjusts his glasses. \"How do you know she's dead?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Well-\" I draw out the word as long as I can, buying time to reverse engineer my own thinking. It's been a while since I've had to deconstruct the gut certainties that make me good at my job.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI stare at the picture until my eyes start to water, searching for something, anything that might help me stand out. Eventually my finger lands on a faint line that slices vertically through the frame, just past the edge of Liza's chair.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The split diopter,\" I say.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Explain,\" he says.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"It's a half lens you stick on the end of the camera if you want to keep two different planes in focus at the same time-like bifocals, but for the movies. So we have Liza here, in the foreground, and then all these beachgoers, there, way far away in the background-but they're both in focus, right? That wouldn't be possible without a split diopter. I wish people used it more often, but I guess De Palma kind of beat it to death back in the seventies and eighties, and now it's not-\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe executive holds up a hand. \"Yes, I know what a diopter is, thank you.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy mouth snaps shut.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"What I'm wondering is how that tells you she's dead.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI sneak a glance at the door. \"You know, I'm not the best at putting this stuff into words. Maybe I could just show you my reel?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNell wraps her hand around my wrist and whispers in my ear.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Robots, Marissa. In disguise.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I get it,\" I say, pulling away. Even I can tell my voice is tight and unfriendly. I edge my chair away from the table until I have enough room to jiggle my foot without accidentally kicking anyone. After a few seconds of this, I'm able to explain myself. \"Since this is a studio movie, it's a safe assumption the crowd's being kept in focus because they're an important part of the scene. Because we're waiting for one of them to notice Liza-to find her. The prospect of discovery, that's what's driving the tension here. It wouldn't be dramatic if she were just taking a nap.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe executive props his elbow on the back of his chair and pushes his hair back from his forehead. \"You're certain of that?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI consider the shot again. \"I guess it's possible the director just thinks it looks cool-\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNell kicks my chair.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"-but either way, she's definitely dead.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe executive studies me over the rims of his glasses. \"You're the first person to bring that up. Everyone else said the white lips were the giveaway.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"No, I wouldn't trust this makeup department.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Why not?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI point to Liza's face. \"In the summer, someone with her coloring would freckle. They gave Liza a spray tan, obviously, but the cosmetician adjusted the color, washed it out-probably because her blood would already be pooling in her lower extremities, so she'd be paler than normal. Livor mortis, right? But dying doesn't make your freckles disappear. They should have painted some in.\" I brush my fingertip along her cheekbones. \"Right now she looks too much like a movie star, and you don't want that, not when you're doing true crime.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe executive is frowning now, two small lines etched between his eyebrows, and it occurs to me that dragging their makeup department was not, perhaps, the best way to win this job.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWell, at least Nell won't be able to say I didn't try.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI open my mouth to thank them for their time-\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"What makes you say it's true crime?\" the executive asks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI glance back down at the photo. Why did I say that?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Judging by the costume design, it's a period piece-midnineties, probably? And I figure it's based on a true story because-yeah, the color hasn't been corrected or graded, I know, but the overall palette is so deliberate and carefully curated. Meanwhile, that swimsuit she's wearing is just . . . unbelievably orange.\" The answer comes to me the second before I say it. \"So I'm thinking, probably, it's the same suit the real girl was murdered in.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Hold on,\" he says, \"I never said she was murdered.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"That just stands to reason. Why else would you make a movie about it?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow, I may not be a crackerjack conversationalist, but I'm something of a connoisseur of silences. And the first thing I figured out was that you can, roughly, separate them into two groups: the kind of silence where everyone's looking at each other and the kind of silence where everyone's not looking at each other. Personally, I prefer the latter. If there's going to be cruel laughter, I'd rather it be out of earshot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe silence that just settled over this room, however, is an extremely undesirable third variety:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEveryone's looking at something else. Namely, the speakerphone in the center of the table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhich means they're scared.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen there's a crackle of static, and a voice comes over the line, sealing my fate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"She'll do.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNote: Dead Ringer is produced for the ear and designed to be heard, not read. We strongly encourage you to listen to the audio, which includes emotion and emphasis that's not on the page. Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and Suzy's little brother and may contain errors because lollll, guys, this is not This American Life. Cut us some slack.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300346745061,"sku":"NP9780143110552","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780143110552.jpg?v=1767735078","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/pretty-as-a-picture-isbn-9780143110552","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}